Journal of Ecosystem & Ecography
Open Access

Abstract

Quantification of soil quality changes following occurrence of climate extremes by measuring soil attributes beneath different vegetations, which are important to sustainable management of soil conservation. In this study, We investigated the impacts of different vegetations on surface soil properties during normal (2007-2008) and dry (2011-2012) years. The experiment site, established in a degraded Aci Pup Udic Cambisols of the mid-Yunnan plateau(25°242093N, 101°28 ′ 18 ′′ E), China, contained three vegetation types, including one exotic, secondary planted Eucalyptus smithii plantation (EP), and two native vegetation: Pinus yunnanensis plantation (PP) and natural secondary forest of Keteleeria evelyniana and Cyclobalanopsis glaucoides (NSF). The influence of communities was pronounced in surface soil, where surface soil C concentrations beneath nature communities were significantly higher than that beneath artificial plantations in both normal and dry year. The highest soil C loss was occurred under EP, average surface soil C concentrations in 2011-2012 were only 76% of soil C concentrations in 2007-2008. The apparent decrease in soil pH also observed in the two artificial plantations, where soil pH decreased from 4.53 (EP) and 4.41 (PP) in 2007-2008 to 4.02 and 4.27 respectively. However, the soil C and pH under NSF was stable in the two comparable periods. Soil C and pH showed a significant seasonal pattern beneath all communities with the hollow in dry seasons in both 2007-2008 and 2011-2012. These results implicates that soil properties should be more stable under nature vegetation at climate extremes than artificial plantations.

Biography

Guosheng Zhang initially worked as a soil scientist in Gansu Agricultural University, and joined the Yunnan University in 2006 and undertakes research in the soil health protection of mid Yunnan Plateau. Over the last 10 years, he published more than 30 refereed journal papers across a wide range of research areas in crop agronomy, tillage management and soil conservation. He is leading and involved in a number of research projects, including international collaborative projects