Zokor activity promotes soil water infiltration in the Mu Us sandy land of northern Shaanxi, China

Abstract

Zokors are common subterranean rodents that inhabit agricultural fields, shrublands, and grasslands in the arid and semi-arid regions of China. Zokor burrowing activities can alter soil structure and affect soil hydrological processes; however, there are few studies regarding their effects on soil preferential flow in the Mu Us sandy land. An evaluation of the effects of zokor disturbance on their habitat and soil water is important for understanding the ecological role of zokors in the soil ecosystem of the Mu Us sandy land. A field dye-tracing experiment was conducted in the Gechougou watershed on the southeastern edge of the Mu Us sandy land to investigate the effect of zokor burrowing activity on soil preferential flow characteristics. Our results showed that the density of zokor tunnels was the highest (0.40–0.46 m m^-2) under 30%–50% vegetation coverage and that the tunnels were approximately 3 cm from the surface. Both stained area ratio and stained path number were higher at sites with zokors than without zokors. Stained path widths were 10–80 and > 80 mm at zokor-harboring sites exhibiting homogeneous flow and heterogeneous finger flow, respectively. In the absence of zokors, homogeneous flow and highly interacted macropore flow were predominant. Soil water content below the zokor tunnels was higher than that above the tunnels. Moderate disturbance of soil structure by zokor activity facilitated soil water infiltration. These results enabled a better understanding of the effect of soil fauna on soil structure and hydrological processes and provided recommendations for ecological construction and renovation in arid and semi-arid regions.