Abstract
Abstract. Soil erosion is seriously threatening ecosystem functioning in many parts of the world. In this context, it is assumed that tree species richness and functional diversity of tree communities can play a critical role in improving ecosystem services such as erosion control. An experiment with 170 micro-scale run-off plots was conducted to investigate the influence of tree species and tree species richness as well as functional traits on interrill erosion in a young forest ecosystem. An interrill erosion rate of 47.5 Mg ha−1 a−1 was calculated. This study provided evidence that different tree species affect interrill erosion differently, while tree species richness did not affect interrill erosion in young forest stands. Thus, different tree morphologies have to be considered, when assessing soil erosion under forest. High crown cover and leaf area index reduced interrill erosion in initial forest ecosystems, whereas rising tree height increased it. Even if a leaf litter cover was not present, the remaining soil surface cover by stones and biological soil crusts was the most important driver for soil erosion control. Furthermore, soil organic matter had a decreasing influence on interrill erosion. Long-term monitoring of soil erosion under closing tree canopies is necessary, and a wide range of functional tree traits should be considered in future research.
Highlights
Soil erosion is considered as one of the most severe environmental challenges globally (Morgan, 2005)
Important improvements in erosion control have been achieved in this area in the last decades (Zhao et al, 2013), the annual soil loss rates range between 0.28 and 113 Mg ha−1 (Guo et al, 2015)
Invalid measurements were caused by technical constraints such as plugged tubes or toppled rainfall gauges
Summary
Soil erosion is considered as one of the most severe environmental challenges globally (Morgan, 2005). It is a serious challenge in the PR China, especially in the southern tropical and subtropical zone. Soil erosion can negatively influence biodiversity (Pimentel and Kounang, 1998), but it is assumed that this relationship acts vice versa (Körner and Spehn, 2002; Geißler et al, 2012b; Brevik et al, 2015). It has been shown that a change in biodiversity can have remarkable effects on ecosystem functions and stability In many cases, increasing biodiversity enhanced ecosystem productivity and stability (Loreau, 2001; Jacob et al, 2010). Tree species richness (the diversity of tree species) as well as functional diversity
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