Landscape-scale spatio-temporal variations of soil total nitrogen in a wind-eroded temperate grassland based on revisited sampling: The critical role of grassland management

IF 6.4 1区农林科学 Q1 AGRICULTURE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment Pub Date : 2025-09-04 DOI:10.1016/j.agee.2025.109948

Yuxin Feng, Zhuodong Zhang, Bo Chen, Zhuoli Zhou, Zhiqiang Wang, Wenbo Zhang, Xinyu Zou

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Soil total nitrogen (TN) is a critical indicator for assessing soil fertility and quality, and its dynamics are influenced by multiple environmental factors. In temperate grassland ecosystems, spatio-temporal variations of TN are primarily influenced by climate change, topography, land use and other factors. However, previous studies have not adequately addressed TN dynamics and have overlooked wind erosion, a key influencing factor in temperate grasslands. This study employed revisited sampling to compare TN levels between 2014 and 2021. It investigates the spatio-temporal variation of TN at depths of 0–1 cm and 1–6 cm in a typical temperate grassland at the landscape scale, focusing on elucidating the underlying mechanisms and identifying its primary influencing factors. The results indicated that TN content exhibited a significant decreasing trend in the study area, with a 0.043 % reduction at 0–1 cm depth and a 0.012 % reduction at 1–6 cm depth. TN exhibited moderate spatial autocorrelation in both 2014 and 2021, and its spatial variability increased at 1–6 cm depth as the nugget-to-sill ratio increased and the range decreased. Both elevation and slope significantly influenced TN variation. Specifically, higher elevations experienced less TN reduction than lower elevations. TN reduction was more pronounced on leeward slopes than on windward slopes. Higher land-use intensity was associated with greater TN reduction. Areas under long-term ungrazing and markedly reduced land-use intensity showed an decrease in TN reduction. A wind erosion hotspot was identified at a local peak. While moderate erosion intensity led to a 0.048 % decrease in TN, the highly eroded area showed less TN reduction. This can be attributed to the combined effects of low land-use intensity and high vegetation cover in the high-altitude area, which mitigated the impacts of wind erosion on TN variation. This study provides reliable results based on revisited sampling of TN, emphasizing the importance of rational management in maintaining soil N balance in temperate grasslands, and offers scientific guidance for ecological restoration and soil conservation strategies.

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基于重访采样的温带风蚀草地土壤全氮景观尺度时空变化：草地管理的关键作用

土壤全氮（TN）是评价土壤肥力和质量的重要指标，其动态变化受多种环境因素的影响。在温带草原生态系统中，全氮的时空变化主要受气候变化、地形、土地利用等因素的影响。然而，以往的研究没有充分考虑全氮的动态，并且忽视了风蚀，这是温带草原的一个关键影响因素。这项研究采用了重新抽样的方法来比较2014年和2021年之间的全氮水平。在景观尺度上，对典型温带草地0-1 cm和1-6 cm深度全氮的时空变化进行了研究，重点探讨了其变化机制和主要影响因素。结果表明，研究区TN含量呈显著下降趋势，在0 ~ 1 cm深度下降0.043 %，在1 ~ 6 cm深度下降0.012 %。2014年和2021年全氮均表现出中等程度的空间自相关性，且在1 ~ 6 cm深度，其空间变异性随金基比的增大和幅度的减小而增大。海拔和坡度对全氮变化均有显著影响。具体而言，高海拔比低海拔经历了更少的TN减少。全氮减少在背风坡上比在迎风坡上更为明显。土地利用强度越高，全氮减少幅度越大。长期封牧和土地利用强度显著降低的地区，全氮减少幅度减小。在当地的一个高峰上发现了一个风蚀热点。中等侵蚀强度导致全氮减少0.048 %，而高度侵蚀区域的全氮减少较少。这可能是由于高海拔地区低土地利用强度和高植被覆盖的综合作用，减轻了风蚀对全氮变化的影响。本研究提供了基于全氮重测采样的可靠结果，强调了合理管理对维持温带草原土壤氮平衡的重要性，为生态修复和土壤保持策略提供了科学指导。

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来源期刊

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 环境科学-环境科学

CiteScore

11.70

自引率

9.10%

发文量

392

审稿时长

26 days

期刊介绍： Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment publishes scientific articles dealing with the interface between agroecosystems and the natural environment, specifically how agriculture influences the environment and how changes in that environment impact agroecosystems. Preference is given to papers from experimental and observational research at the field, system or landscape level, from studies that enhance our understanding of processes using data-based biophysical modelling, and papers that bridge scientific disciplines and integrate knowledge. All papers should be placed in an international or wide comparative context.