Land Degradation & Development最新文献

{"title":"Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Vegetation Net Primary Productivity and Its Drivers in China's Three Eco-Zones and Four Shelterbelts Region","authors":"Yonghuan Ma, Mengke Zhao, Linlin Lu, Yuhe Ji, Qingting Li, Jihua Meng, Xuting Liu","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5629","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5629","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of vegetation carbon stocks in ecologically functional areas and identifying their driving factors remain crucial for informing ecosystem protection and restoration efforts. The three eco-zones and four shelterbelts (TEFS) region encompasses critical ecological barriers and functional zones in China. Utilizing MODIS NDVI data, alongside climatic and topographic variables, we developed regionally optimized models to estimate net primary productivity (NPP) across the TEFS region from 2000 to 2023. Subsequently, the spatiotemporal variability of vegetation NPP and its associated drivers were explored using trend analysis, correlation, and residual analysis. The results revealed a significant NPP increase in approximately 90% of the TEFS region between 2000 and 2023, with an average annual increase rate of 3.46 gC m⁻² yr⁻¹. The most rapid increases occurred in ecological zones along the Yellow River basin. NPP changes were driven by the combined effects of climate change (CC) and human activities (HA) over the 24-year period. While CC contributed positively to NPP changes in 67.9% of the total area, HA had a positive impact in 75.4% of the region. Notably, HA dominated as the primary driver in western regions, whereas CC exerted a stronger influence in many eastern areas. Enhanced efforts in desertification control and protection of coastal wetland ecosystems are recommended to improve carbon sequestration potential.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"12 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143901817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial Reseeding Promotes Biodiversity Restoration in Alpine Sandy Meadow of the Eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau","authors":"Wen Yang, Jingxue Zhao, Lihua Tian, Gao-Lin Wu","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5632","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5632","url":null,"abstract":"Alpine grasslands have undergone severe desertification due to climate warming and overgrazing. Artificial reseeding has been widely employed for the restoration of these alpine sandy grasslands. However, its effectiveness in enhancing biodiversity remains unclear, particularly regarding the consistency of responses between aboveground plant diversity and belowground microbial diversity. To investigate the impacts of artificial reseeding on plant and microbial diversity of sandy meadows, we conducted field investigations in alpine grasslands of the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau that had undergone artificial reseeding, natural restoration, or remained as sandy meadows. The findings revealed that artificial reseeding yields inconsistent restoration outcomes for aboveground plant communities and belowground soil microbial communities in sandy meadows, thereby altering the typical relationships between above- and belowground biodiversity. Artificial reseeding significantly promoted plant diversity in sandy meadows, with the Shannon-Wiener index of restored meadow communities increased by 67% (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01), while its impact on restoring soil microbial diversity was less pronounced. Introducing new plant species through reseeding improved vegetation cover, plant diversity, and fungal richness. In addition, artificial reseeding altered soil properties, reducing soil pH by 0.35 units and altering soil nutrient content, which in turn influenced the composition and structure of plant and microbial communities. These results have essential implications for regional ecological security and the sustainable development of alpine meadows.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143893754","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Effect of Soybean Growth on the Seasonal Variation of Hillslopes Erosion in Gently Sloping Farmland on the Loess Plateau","authors":"Chong Yao, Songzhu Ye, Siyuan Chen, Mingjun Zhang, Ming Zhu, Faqi Wu","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5611","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5611","url":null,"abstract":"Changes in near soil‐surface traits with crop growth can strongly influence erosion processes during rainfall events and provide valuable insights for farmland management. This study explored how crop growth‐induced variations in near soil‐surface traits affect soil erosion on gently sloping farmlands. A rainfall simulation experiment with a rainfall intensity of 80 mm h<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> was carried out in runoff plots (5 m × 1.4 m) filled with clay loam with slope gradients of 5.24% and 8.75% at five soybean growth stages (G1‐seeding, G2‐jointing, G3‐final flowering, G4‐grain forming, and G5‐ripening). Near soil‐surface traits were measured, and runoff and sediment samples were collected and measured. The results indicated that the variation in near soil‐surface traits was time‐dependent and showed weak to strong temporal variations. Overall, the measured runoff and sediment rates showed temporal variations, first decreasing and then increasing with crop growth during the growing season. The mean runoff rate, sediment rate, and sediment concentration decreased by 8%–75%, 13%–92%, and 5%–73%, respectively, in comparison with the bare soil. Seasonal variations in the runoff rate, sediment rate, total runoff volume, and total sediment yield were closely related to changes in near soil‐surface traits related to crop growth. Linear or exponential functional relationships were found between the runoff volume and near soil‐surface traits. This study reflects the positive impact of crop growth on reducing soil erosion and provides theoretical guidance for soil and water conservation in sloping farmlands.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"87 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143893502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of Vegetation Restoration on Rill Erosion on the Chinese Loess Plateau","authors":"JianFang Wang, YanFen Yang, Bing Wang, GuoBin Liu","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5639","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5639","url":null,"abstract":"Accurately describing rill erosion is important for building physical process models of soil erosion. Vegetation restoration may lead to differences in soil properties and root characteristics, and thus likely affects the rill erosion process to flowing water erosion, reflected by rill erodibility (Kr) and critical shear stress (<jats:italic>τ</jats:italic><jats:sub><jats:italic>c</jats:italic></jats:sub>). However, few studies have been conducted to evaluate this effect of vegetation restoration on the Loess Plateau of China. The present work chose eight typical herbaceous plants, commonly appearing at diverse vegetation succession periods on the Chinese Loess Plateau, for discovering how soil properties and root characteristics affect rill erosion. In total, we collected 240 undisturbed soil samples for overland flow scouring within the hydraulic flume in the presence of six shear stresses (range, 5.94–18.58 Pa). According to our findings, Kr and <jats:italic>τ</jats:italic><jats:sub><jats:italic>c</jats:italic></jats:sub> were 0.015–0.411 s m<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> and 0.050–6.059 Pa among eight typical grasslands. Cultivated grasslands have high Kr and low <jats:italic>τ</jats:italic><jats:sub><jats:italic>c</jats:italic></jats:sub>; the Kr was 5–25 times greater than that of other grasslands, and <jats:italic>τ</jats:italic><jats:sub><jats:italic>c</jats:italic></jats:sub> was 89%–98% less than that of other grasslands. Plants with tap root systems exhibited a 5‐fold increase in Kr value and a 50% reduction in <jats:italic>τ</jats:italic><jats:sub><jats:italic>c</jats:italic></jats:sub> compared to those with fibrous root systems. The Kr and <jats:italic>τ</jats:italic><jats:sub><jats:italic>c</jats:italic></jats:sub> were affected by the root‐soil complex, with interaction effects of root and soil being 54% and 50%, respectively. The Kr decreased with increasing bulk density (BD), soil cohesion, soil organic matter, and soil aggregate as power functions and decreased with increasing root surface area density (RSAD) and root length density as exponential functions. The <jats:italic>τ</jats:italic><jats:sub><jats:italic>c</jats:italic></jats:sub> increased with specific root length (SRL) and BD as power functions. Those above‐mentioned soil properties and root characteristics indicated that Kr was dominantly affected by cohesion and RSAD, and <jats:italic>τ</jats:italic><jats:sub><jats:italic>c</jats:italic></jats:sub> was affected by BD and SRL. Kr was simulated through soil cohesion (Coh) and RSAD, and <jats:italic>τ</jats:italic><jats:sub><jats:italic>c</jats:italic></jats:sub> was simulated by soil BD and SRL as power functions. Our constructed model achieved satisfactory performance.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"104 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143893501","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Mapping and Analysis of the Infrequent, Large-Scale Blowdown Event in the Colorado Front Range","authors":"Janusz Godziek,&nbsp;Łukasz Pawlik,&nbsp;Brian Buma","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5623","DOIUrl":"10.1002/ldr.5623","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Wind disturbance (blowdown, windthrow) results from particular meteorological conditions, where wind gust speed is a key factor. We map and analyze the 2020 blowdown in the Colorado Front Range (CFR), US. We (1) develop and test a tunable blowdown mapping workflow based on Sentinel 2 data and change vector analysis (CVA) and compare its output with the Global Forest Change (GFC) data, (2) explore soil disturbance patterns, and (3) analyze the impact of topography on blowdown occurrence. The CVA mapping is based on (1) the difference image computed using post- and pre-event images and (2) the parameters calculated using two bands of the difference image: magnitude representing the amount of change and direction referring to the type of change. The methodology is tunable for desired error characteristics, for example, true positive vs. false positive rates. For our test analysis, we balanced the CVA output and GFC data at a true positive rate (TPR) of 66%–67%, with a false positive rate (FPR) of 0.9% and 3%, respectively. The CVA can be adjusted to achieve a TPR up to 88.7%, which increases the FPR to 17.8%. In our test landscape, the blowdown led to soil disturbances, with root plate volumes of 0.1–0.8 m³.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"36 10","pages":"3604-3620"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143893571","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Trade-Offs and Synergies of Ecosystem Services in the Urban Agglomeration on the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains: A Perspective of Socio-Ecological Drivers","authors":"Jiongtao Chen, Yan Sun, Zhanbin Luo, Jing Ma, Yongjun Yang, Fu Chen","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5631","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5631","url":null,"abstract":"Understanding the combined impacts of socio-ecological drivers on trade-offs and synergies between ecosystem services (EST/ESS) is vital for stakeholders in regional planning and governance. However, limited knowledge of the underlying mechanisms hinders our ability to assess the impact of socio-ecological drivers configurations on EST/ESS during processes of regional natural and social progress. In this study, we established a comprehensive research model for delineating functional areas predicated on the geographic distribution of ecosystem services (ESs) to explore the mechanisms of the interrelationships among socio-ecological drivers and EST/ESS. First, we quantified the spatiotemporal distributions of four ES indicators from 2000 to 2020 and determined three distinct functional zones grounded in ecosystem service bundles (ESBs) and regional EST/ESS relationships. Significant spatial heterogeneity of the EST/ESS occurred throughout the study area. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to explore the mechanisms through which the socio-ecological drivers affected the EST/ESS, and it was found that the mechanisms and magnitudes of these influences varied significantly among the identified functional zones. Natural, physical, and biological factors, along with socioeconomic and climate factors, were found to directly or indirectly affect the EST/ESS through mediating variables such as vegetation cover and landscape configuration. Based on these findings, this study provides actionable guidance for regional zoning and management policies aimed at achieving balanced and sustainable development of ecological and social systems. Conducted in the urban agglomeration on the northern slope of the Tianshan Mountains, this study offers valuable practical references for the sustainable growth of large-scale urban agglomerations in China and globally.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"140 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143884941","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Delineation of Fallow Priority Areas Under Food Security Constraints Using the MARXAN","authors":"Qitong Chen, Jinyao Lin, Xinyan Zhao, Fang Wang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5622","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5622","url":null,"abstract":"Fallow is a crucial strategy for sustainable agricultural resource management and environmental conservation. Previous studies have mainly focused on the scale of fallow areas, but have rarely considered the connectivity and spatial prioritization of fallow areas during delineation, resulting in scattered and fragmented outcomes. To address these problems, this study proposes a method for fallow area delineation that considers food security constraints. The modified cropland pressure index and principal component analysis were used to estimate the optimal fallow scale for the 21 cities in Guangdong Province, China. Then, the MARXAN was employed to assess the fallow demand of each city in Guangdong, which enabled effective delineation of priority areas for fallow. Connectivity was a key consideration to ensure the contiguous management of fallow areas. The results indicated that fallow scale could be better estimated after considering food security constraints. The modified cropland pressure index revealed that 17 of the 21 cities were necessary for the implementation of fallow management, and the proportion of cropland eligible for fallow was 2.12%. The delineation of fallow areas was influenced by several factors, including the limited availability of high‐quality cropland, low production capacity, poor crop growth, excessive groundwater extraction, and imbalance between food supply and demand. An evaluation of these factors provided a quantitative basis for prioritizing fallow areas. It is imperative to implement fallow in the identified priority areas of Shantou, Huizhou, Jiangmen, Zhanjiang, and Maoming. Specifically, a total of 20 counties were identified as needing priority implementation of fallow, including the fallow area I of 2.45 × 10<jats:sup>4</jats:sup> hm<jats:sup>2</jats:sup> and the fallow area II of 1.33 × 10<jats:sup>4</jats:sup> hm<jats:sup>2</jats:sup>. This study is significant in balancing the relationship between agricultural production and environmental conservation, and provides methodological support for developing agricultural and environmental management strategies.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143876055","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A New Approach for Controlling Rill Erosion in Two Typical Erodible Soils in Southern China","authors":"Cheng Peng, Huiyun Xu, Xuchao Zhu, Shuaipu Zhang, Meixia Mi","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5625","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5625","url":null,"abstract":"Most soil erosion on slopes originates from rill erosion, and rapidly and effectively controlling rill erosion is key to the prevention and control of soil and water loss on slopes. We used a novel approach to control rill soil erosion for Quaternary red clay (QRC) and granitic red soil (GRS) in southern China using an ecologically friendly material (W-OH) and verified the effectiveness of the approach using field-simulated scouring experiments with different W-OH concentrations (0%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2%). The results indicated that most of the hydraulic and hydrodynamic indices of runoffs for the two soils differed between sprayed and unsprayed W-OH rills but differed less between the sprayed rills (0.5%–2%), indicating a similar draining effect of W-OH on runoff in the rills. The concentration of W-OH did not significantly affect runoff intensity or its yield but significantly affected sediment concentration and yield, with rates of decrease of 65.0%–99.8% and 43.4%–99.7% for QRC and GRS, respectively, indicating a good effect of W-OH in preventing and controlling rill soil erosion. Pedotransfer functions were built for the two soils under W-OH spraying based on the main hydraulic and hydrodynamic factors affecting rill erosion, which could explain the variabilities of 68.7%–73.8% and 55.0%–55.7% for QRC and GRS, respectively. This study provides a novel and effective approach for controlling erosion in erosion rills in southern China and a basis for predicting the erosion of slopes sprayed with W-OH.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"45 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143872831","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Removal Mechanism of Carbendazim in Water by Ozone and Remediation of Carbendazim Pollution in Soil","authors":"Sen Niu, Minghui Li, Yan Jiang, Yujun Wang, Qibiao Ren","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5620","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5620","url":null,"abstract":"Carbendazim, a commonly used fungicide, was identified as a contributor to soil degradation. Despite the extensive use of carbendazim, the degradation mechanisms and the removal process of carbendazim in the soil environment were not yet fully understood. A deeper understanding of the degradation pathways of carbendazim was considered essential for developing effective strategies to mitigate long-term environmental impacts. The degradation of carbendazim using ozone in water and soil environments was investigated with the simulation experiments of ozone exposure in water and soil, and the degradation pathways and removal efficiency of carbendazim in water were also explored under different conditions in the study. The results showed that ozone-induced degradation proceeded in three stages: rapid removal, slow removal, and equilibrium. In water, ozone directly reacted with carbendazim, generating hydroxyl radicals (˙OH), which oxidized carbendazim into intermediates, including 2-aminobenzimidazole, 2-hydroxybenzimidazole, 2-benzimidazolone, and o-phenylenediamine. The intermediates eventually degraded into nontoxic byproducts such as carbon dioxide and water. In soil, ozone treatment enhanced the removal of carbendazim by catalyzing the production of active substances, including hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). Increasing the aeration frequency to four times daily significantly improved the efficiency of carbendazim removal, reaching the peak removal rate of 70.4% after 21 days of ozone exposure in the soil. The findings of this study clarified the theoretical mechanisms of ozone treatment for carbendazim remediation, highlighted the critical role of hydroxyl radicals (˙OH) in the degradation process, and established a scientific foundation for developing remediation strategies targeting carbendazim-induced soil contamination.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143862388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbon and Nutrient Dynamics During Decomposition of Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) Stumps in Subtropical Plantations","authors":"Zebin Jiao, Zhenhong Hu, Yinglong Chen, Zhiqun Huang","doi":"10.1002/ldr.5618","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.5618","url":null,"abstract":"The quantity of stumps within the reforested area after clear-cutting accounted for one-sixth of the total plant biomass. This is of significant importance for the carbon and nutrient cycles within the plantation ecosystem. Nevertheless, most studies relating to stump decomposition have focused on temperate and boreal plantations, creating a large gap in the understanding of carbon and nutrient dynamics in subtropical plantations. Here, we conducted a chronosequence method to investigate the carbon and nutrient dynamics associated with the decomposition of Chinese fir (<i>Cunninghamia lanceolata</i>) stump in subtropical China. After the Chinese fir plantation was cleared, the mean mass of the stump was 31.0 Mg/ha. The decomposition rate constant (<i>k</i>, year⁻¹) was 0.01, resulting in an estimated half-life (<i>t</i>_0.5) of 63 years. During the 35-year decay period, an average of 52.4%, 57.8%, and 61.2% of carbon, lignin, and cellulose was lost from the stumps, respectively. Interestingly, nitrogen and phosphorus stocks in stumps remained stable compared to their stocks at the initial time. In contrast, sodium and calcium stocks decreased by 11.0% and 24.1% of their initial amounts, respectively, while potassium and magnesium stocks increased by more than 1.6 and 1.8 times, respectively. These likely resulted from structural degradation, especially lignin degradation, which may promote microbial nutrient immobilization and accumulate their stocks in decomposing stumps. Furthermore, stump decomposition and nutrient return altered soil nutrient status and microbial communities. We found that the stocks of soil carbon, nitrogen, microbial biomass carbon, and microbial biomass nitrogen all significantly increased after 2 years of harvest, indicating a nutrient retention at the early stage. This study suggests that stump decomposition can function as an important carbon source and nutrient sink in subtropical plantations, especially at the early decomposition stage. Therefore, forest managers should keep stumps after forest harvest to benefit tree growth in the subsequent plantation rotation.","PeriodicalId":203,"journal":{"name":"Land Degradation & Development","volume":"6 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143857794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}