Abstract
Several studies emphasize the effects of slope position on divergences of soil properties in forest ecosystems, but limited data is available on the impact of slope position on recovery levels of soil, which were exposed to compaction due to machine traffic. This study examined the effects of slope position (i.e., S; summit, BS; backslope, and TS; toeslope) on recovery rate of soil properties and enzyme activity four years after ground-based harvesting operations were performed on machine operating trails, compared to the undisturbed areas (UND) in the Hyrcanian forests (north of Iran). Soil properties and enzyme activity of compacted soil in machine operating trails showed significant trend differences among the slope positions. A significantly lower soil bulk density, penetration resistance, soil moisture, aggregate stability, pH, sand, and C/N ratio were found in TS compared to the values recorded in the BS and S treatments. Conversely, total porosity, macroporosity, silt, clay, organic C, total N, available nutrients (i.e., P, K+, Ca2+, and Mg2+), fulvic and humic acid, earthworm density and dry mass as well as fine root biomass were higher in TS than in the BS and S treatments. Soil microbial respiration, MBC, NH4+, NO3−, N mineralization, and MBN were significantly higher in the UND areas followed by TS > BS > S treatment. The highest activity levels of enzymes (i.e., urease, acid phosphatase, arylsulfatase, invertase, and ß-N-acetylglucosaminidase) were detected in the UND areas, followed by TS > BS > S treatment. The highest recovery levels of all soil properties and enzyme activity were found in TS, followed by BS > S treatment. However, the full recovery of soil properties did not occur even after a 4-year period, compared to the UND areas. Our study results highlight the significance of the slope position in augmenting divergence in soil properties and enzyme activity after ground-based machine traffic.
Highlights
Catena slope positions in the forest ecosystems play a crucial role in creating micro-environments and soil heterogeneity [1], which result in particular ecological and biological processes of soil, and lead to miscellaneous nutrient cycling, composition/structure of the microbial population, as well as enzyme activity [2,3]
The current study demonstrated that soil physical, chemical, and biological properties were influenced by topography and slope positions within the area trafficked by ground-based machines
The results of the current study could be applied in several regions with similar stand conditions since the slope position is a concept that is well accepted as a driver of soil physio-chemical and hydrological processes and their associated impacts on creating diverse soil properties
Summary
Catena slope positions in the forest ecosystems play a crucial role in creating micro-environments and soil heterogeneity [1], which result in particular ecological and biological processes of soil, and lead to miscellaneous nutrient cycling, composition/structure of the microbial population, as well as enzyme activity [2,3]. Soil physical, chemical, and biological indices, as well as enzyme activity are affected by parent material, vegetation, climate, and topographic conditions [3,7,9]. The slope position and the slope aspect regulate the hydrological processes and the level of solar radiation reaching the ground, which, in turn, introduces microclimates in smaller area [7,8]
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