Catena最新文献

{"title":"Differential carbon stocks and burial rates in natural versus planted mangrove forests under varied hydrogeomorphic conditions","authors":"Zixun Huang ,&nbsp;Fen Guo ,&nbsp;Xiaoguang Ouyang ,&nbsp;Lanlan Xiong ,&nbsp;Zhenchang Zhu ,&nbsp;Yuan Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108981","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108981","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Current research on mangrove ecosystems has highlighted their critical role in carbon sequestration, but significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the dynamics of organic carbon burial and its sources under different hydrogeomorphic conditions. This study investigated these dynamics in natural and restored mangrove forests. Our findings revealed that estuarine natural forests exhibited the highest carbon stocks, and greater inputs of local carbon sources compared to other mangrove types (estuarine restored forests, coastal restored forests and coastal natural forests). The turnover rate of organic carbon was found to be highest in estuarine natural forests, indicating relatively lower stability and a greater capacity to sequester more carbon into the soil. Additionally, external carbon sources, particularly phytoplankton, significantly impacted the burial of organic carbon, with higher proportions in coastal environments than in estuarine environments. These findings clearly indicated that hydrogeomorphic conditions played a crucial role in shaping the dynamics of organic carbon sequestration in mangrove ecosystems. Our study emphasized the necessity of incorporating both natural and restored mangrove forests into carbon accounting frameworks to more accurately assess and promote their role in climate change mitigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108981"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716030","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"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 immediate effect of typhoon disturbance on soil carbon fractions along a subtropical forest gap gradient","authors":"Qingjun Ma ,&nbsp;Rui Cao ,&nbsp;Zhuang Wang ,&nbsp;Qin Wang ,&nbsp;Zhihui Wang ,&nbsp;Lifeng Wang ,&nbsp;Wanqin Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108986","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108986","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Tropical cyclones (typhoons/hurricanes) not only destroy forest structures and shape forest gaps, but also lead to the dry soil getting wet with heavy rainfall, with an immediate effect on forest carbon (C) turnover. Yet, the short-term response of distinct forest gaps to typhoon disturbance and their influence on soil C fractions remain unknown. Taking advantage of the typhoon Doksuri, this experiment identified three key periods (i.e., pre-typhoon, typhoon, and post-typhoon) among five forest gaps (i.e., close canopy, gap edge, small gap, middle gap and big gap) to determine the immediate effect of typhoon disturbance on soil C fractions dynamics. Typhoon disturbance significantly decreased the labile soil C fractions, primarily consisting of total dissolved C in the topsoil and subsoil by 67% and 65% respectively, and slight effect on dissolved inorganic C and active organic C. Typhoon disturbance led to a decrease in recalcitrant organic C of the subsoil among different forest gaps to a certain extent, especially in the big gap. Forest soil moisture and litter nutrient storage after typhoon jointly mediated the variations in labile and recalcitrant C. These results indicate that the immediate effect of typhoon disturbance may decrease soil C fractions, with the extent of changes in distinct soil C fractions was also regulated by forest gaps. This finding emphasizes the an optimized canopy management strategy need to consider the specific responses of different forest structures to typhoons, which is essential for accurately assessing the soil C pool in cyclone-prone forests under climate change scenarios.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108986"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of different reforestation techniques on carbon stocks in soil and biomass of 5-year-old Scots pine crops at the windthrow area","authors":"K. Ziemblińska ,&nbsp;M. Jasik ,&nbsp;S. Małek ,&nbsp;M. Pająk ,&nbsp;B. Woś ,&nbsp;M. Urbaniak ,&nbsp;J. Olejnik","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108901","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108901","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The majority of European forests are managed and influenced by natural disturbances, with wind being the dominant agent, both of which affect the ecosystem’s carbon budget. Therefore, investigating the combined effect of wind damage and different soil preparation practices on forest carbon pools is of great importance. This study examines changes in carbon stocks in the soil and biomass of two 5-year-old Scots pine stands (namely Tlen1 and Tlen2), which were established approximately 2 years after a large-scale wind disturbance in northwestern Poland. These neighboring sites differ in terms of the reforestation methods applied, particularly regarding soil preparation: ploughing disc trenching at Tlen1 and partial preparation through local manual scalping at Tlen2. Using nearby forest soils as the best available reference for the pre-windthrow state, it was estimated that the total carbon stock in the soil (up to 50 cm depth, both organic and mineral) was depleted by approximately 17 % at Tlen1 and 7 % at Tlen2. The between-site differences were around 18 %, which nearly doubled when considering only the top 20 cm of the soil profile. In contrast, the total biomass, as well as the carbon stock in biomass, were significantly higher at the site with soil prepared using moderate ploughing (Tlen1) compared to the area with partial soil preparation (Tlen2). Our findings indicate that ploughing disc trenching, aimed mainly at weed removal and improving soil properties, significantly enhanced Scots pine seedlings’ growth, survival, and development during the first four years after planting. Finally, when both carbon stock estimates are pooled together, regardless of the chosen technique, the growing biomass in the investigated stands did not fully compensate for the carbon losses caused by mechanical soil preparation. However, in the short term, the overall change in the ecosystem’s carbon balance was only slightly negative and comparable between the two sites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108901"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715994","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Seasonal variation and environmental regulation mechanisms of energy fluxes and energy allocation in dune and meadow ecosystems","authors":"Simin Zhang ,&nbsp;Tingxi Liu ,&nbsp;Lina Hao ,&nbsp;Limin Duan ,&nbsp;Xin Tong ,&nbsp;Yongzhi Bao ,&nbsp;Yixuan Wang ,&nbsp;Yu Gong ,&nbsp;Wei Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108979","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108979","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Surface energy exchange at the canopy-atmosphere interface exerts a substantial influence on microclimate, hydrological cycles, and geochemical processes. This study analyzes eddy covariance data from two observation stations in the Horqin Sandy Land for a period of 10 years (2013–2022) to investigate the temporal patterns and environmental regulatory mechanisms of energy fluxes and their allocation in the dune (A4) and meadow (C4) ecosystems. The findings reveal that net radiation (Rn), latent heat flux (LE), sensible heat flux (H), and ground heat flux (G) in different ecosystems exhibit a unimodal distribution. Both Rn and LE reach their maximum during the mid-vigorous growth phase, whereas G peaks at the onset of the growth period. At the A4 site, H peaks in the early vigorous growth phase, while at the C4 site, H peaks in the late vigorous growth phase. From the dune to the meadow ecosystem, the peak values of LE and Rn increase, and the dominant period of LE extends. Consequently, LE becomes the main component of energy fluxes within the meadow ecosystem. Climate and vegetation factors jointly regulate the temporal variation of energy fluxes and their allocation. From the dune to the meadow ecosystem, the influence of canopy conductance (gc) becomes more pronounced. This study highlights the importance of vegetation, particularly the significance of physiological control in determining the seasonal patterns of energy fluxes and allocation in water-limited arid and semi-arid ecosystems. Moreover, the observed sensitivity of energy allocation to vegetation changes suggests that, under future climate scenarios, attention should be given to the response of ecosystem energy transfer to greening trends in arid and semi-arid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108979"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715991","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of geographic variability and geologic history on the distribution of post-settlement alluvium (PSA) across the upper Midwest, USA","authors":"Alison M. Anders ,&nbsp;Bruce L. Rhoads","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108939","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108939","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accelerated floodplain sedimentation related to agricultural development of uplands has produced post-settlement alluvium (PSA) along rivers throughout the upper Midwest, U.S.A. Landscape characteristics, surficial sediments, and soils in the region vary geographically in relation to differences in geologic history, yet the extent to which this geographic variability influences PSA accumulation remains unexplored. This study uses existing data to assess how non-dimensional PSA thickness varies with landscape characteristics, surficial sediments, soils and climate. Geographic variability is associated with three subregions: 1) areas glaciated during the Late Wisconsin Episode (LWE), 2) areas glaciated during Pre-Illinois and Illinois Episodes (PI&amp;IE), and 3) the Paleozoic Plateau (PP), an area where evidence of Quaternary glaciation is highly localized and does not influence geomorphic characteristics of the landscape. These subregions differ significantly in average geomorphic characteristics, including mean watershed slope (WS), mean local relief (LR), fraction of non-contributing area (NCA), pre-settlement drainage density (DD), and mean normalized river steepness (KSN). Native vegetation type also differs systematically between the subregions, creating significant differences in the frequency of alfisols (Alfi) and molisols (Mol). Thickness of last glacial loess (Loess) also varies across the region, although not systematically between the subregions identified. Non-dimensional PSA thickness differs significantly among the subregions, increasing systematically with landscape age, reflecting faster upland erosion rates and stronger connectivity of uplands to river corridors in older landscapes relative to more recently glaciated landscapes. Non-dimensional PSA thickness is significantly positively correlated with LR, KSN, WS, Loess, Alfi, and Mol and significantly negatively correlated with NCA. Non-visibly distinct PSA is present in some LWE watersheds characterized by significantly lower KSN and WS relative to other LWE watersheds in which PSA is visibly distinct. PSA thickness and visibility reflect catchment-wide landscape characteristics and watershed-scale river steepness, which emphasize the importance of geographic setting, geological history, and landscape geomorphic characteristics for understanding historical river sediment dynamics. Spatial variability in PSA thickness also serves as an indicator of river system sensitivity to land-use change, providing insight into the relative impact of humans on rivers within different geographic settings.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108939"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Late Pleistocene-Holocene lake-groundwater interaction in Fuente de Piedra playa-lake (southern Iberian Peninsula) recorded by stable isotopes of gypsum hydration water","authors":"Lucía Martegani ,&nbsp;Fernando Gázquez ,&nbsp;Claudia Voigt ,&nbsp;Alejandro Jiménez-Bonilla ,&nbsp;Miguel Rodríguez-Rodríguez ,&nbsp;Klaus Reicherter","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108949","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108949","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Playa-lakes are highly sensitive to hydroclimate changes, which are often reflected in their sediments. In this study, we investigate the paleohydrological evolution of the Fuente de Piedra playa-lake (southern Spain), in connection to climate fluctuations during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene transition. Stable isotopes (δ¹⁸O and δ²H) of gypsum hydration water were analyzed to reconstruct the δ¹⁸O and δ²H values of lake water over the past ∼30,000 years. The highest water δ-values (up to 6.4 ‰ for δ¹⁸O and 24.0 ‰ for δ²H) corresponded to periods when Fuente de Piedra featured as a (semi-)permanent lake (e.g. 22–18.5 cal. kyr BP, 17.4–14.4 cal. kyr BP, 7.0–5.9 cal. kyr BP), coinciding with relatively wetter climate stages in the southern Iberian Peninsula. Conversely, the lowest δ-values (e.g. −1.1 ‰ for δ¹⁸O and −13.0 ‰ for δ²H between 11.8 and 9.2 cal. ky BP) and periods of no gypsum precipitation (e.g. 12.8–11.8 cal. kyr BP, 5.5 cal. kyr BP–present) are associated with ephemeral lake conditions and more arid climate. This isotope pattern reflects an intensified interaction between the lake and the underlying brackish aquifer during more stable lake stages, driven by wetter climatic conditions. However, during drier phases the lake water was fresher, since reduced aquifer recharge limited the interaction between the brackish groundwater and the lake. Over the long term, the Fuente de Piedra isotope record reveals a sinusoidal pattern that indicates variations in warm-season insolation, confirming orbital control over the hydroclimate of the southern Iberian Peninsula during the Late Pleistocene-Holocene transition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108949"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143715993","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Holocene landscape changes and human impact in Southern Italy: A case-study from the Mar Piccolo semi-enclosed marine basin (Taranto)","authors":"Gabriele Niccolini ,&nbsp;Adele Bertini ,&nbsp;Niccolò Degl’Innocenti ,&nbsp;Stefania Lisco ,&nbsp;Massimo Moretti ,&nbsp;Giovanni Scardino ,&nbsp;Giuseppe Mastronuzzi","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108962","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108962","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coastal environments in the Mediterranean are currently facing significant challenges due to the impact of Global Warming, largely attributed to human activities. The Mar Piccolo stands out as one of the Mediterranean’s most polluted semi-enclosed marine basins. To delve into its environmental changes, a sediment core (S05B) and eight surface sediment samples underwent extensive analysis, encompassing sedimentological and palynological organic matter assessments. The main objective was to uncover the principal morpho-sedimentary processes from latest Pleistocene to Holocene, resulting in the identification of five distinct landscape scenarios. Initially, during a period of arid climate, the area transitioned from fluvial incision to the formation of brackish ponds. As the Holocene brought about improved climatic conditions, the Mar Piccolo underwent further transformations, changing into a paralic environment where freshwater and salt marshes coexisted. The saltmarshes were sustained by sporadic marine spillovers, as indicated by foraminiferal organic linings. At 10.3 cal ka BP, a marine ingression took place marked by dinocysts, aligning with the Mediterranean sea level curve. This led to the establishment of a low hydrodynamic semi-enclosed marine basin, although changes in bottom oxygenation occurred over time. Anoxic events were identified during the Sapropel 1 deposition and the 4.2 ka BP megadrought event. After the 4.2 ka BP event, evidence of human impact emerges as indicated by the occurrence of human intestinal parasites resting eggs along with a shift in phytoclasts assemblages towards a dominance of cuticles suggesting intensified agricultural activities around the basin. Furthermore, analyses of palynological organic matter in surface sediments provide evidence of significant impacts from current human activities. Consequently, evaluating both past and ongoing anthropogenic influences through palynological organic matter analysis represents a crucial application in this research area.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108962"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716042","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"On-site identification of black soil thickness based on drill-core imaging and deep learning","authors":"Lei Qiao ,&nbsp;Jiabao Zhang ,&nbsp;Xicai Pan ,&nbsp;Rutian Bi ,&nbsp;Jienan Xu ,&nbsp;Cong Tang ,&nbsp;Kwok Pan Chun","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108903","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108903","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate identification of the black soil thickness from soil profiling is usually time-consuming and labor-intensive, while the on-site identification of black soil thickness by experts is challenging due to the notable transition zone in the thick black soil horizon. This study proposes a framework for efficient identification of black soil thickness from drill core imaging using smartphone and deep learning. Without excavating a soil profile, drill core images from a carry-on soil sampler can be used to identify the black soil horizon using a trained deep learning model of the VGG-16 backbone U-net algorithm. The approach was tested with a limited dataset obtained from field sites in the black soils of northeast China and the results show that it can efficiently identify the black soil horizon on site. A good accuracy was obtained, with <em>R</em>² = 0.95 and RMSE = 0.07 m for the estimates of black soil thickness. Overall, the proposed methodology offers the possibility of efficiently identifying black soil thickness on a large scale, thus accurately quantifying regional black soil degradation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108903"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716163","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation and projected changes in rainfall erosivity: Topography dependence revealed by Convection-Permitting climate projections for the Mediterranean island of Sicily","authors":"Eleonora Dallan ,&nbsp;Vincenzo Bagarello ,&nbsp;Vito Ferro ,&nbsp;Vincenzo Pampalone ,&nbsp;Marco Borga","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108975","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108975","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recent studies across Europe highlight the vulnerability of Mediterranean countries to rainfall-induced soil erosion. Climate change is intensifying the water cycle, leading to shifts in rainfall patterns and more frequent extreme precipitation events. Convection-permitting climate models (CPMs) outperform regional models in capturing intense sub-daily rainfall, providing more accurate projections of future extreme events. This study exploits a simplified rainfall erosivity model which uses 2-yr sub-daily rainfall quantiles as input to: investigate the ability of a CPM to provide reliable rainfall data for assessing rainfall erosivity; analyze the projected changes in rainfall quantiles and rainfall erosivity. The study is carried out in Sicily, which offers an ideal case study given its rainfall variability and complex topography. Data from 171 rain gauges are used to evaluate the CPM in simulating 2-year sub-daily rainfall quantiles and rainfall erosivity. Future changes are evaluated from the CPMs projections under the RCP8.5 scenario up to 2070.</div><div>The results show that model accuracy varies by rainfall duration and elevation, with greater underestimation of rainfall at shorter durations (up to −38 % on average at 1 h duration) and in coastal lowlands. Projections suggest an increase in intense rainfall, particularly for shorter durations, leading to higher rainfall erosivity (about + 20 % on average in the future). These findings underscore the need for bias adjustments in simulated rainfall data, considering both temporal scales and topographic influences. The study also highlights the potential for increased rainfall erosivity under climate warming, stressing the importance of developing soil conservation strategies and policies to address future challenges. This research set the stage for wider-area applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108975"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soil properties influence the distribution and diversity of plant communities in the desert-loess transition zone","authors":"Lu Chen ,&nbsp;Yunyin Xue ,&nbsp;Ning Wang ,&nbsp;Hongtu Gao ,&nbsp;Guifang Hu ,&nbsp;Jun’e Liu ,&nbsp;Liguo Cao ,&nbsp;Zhengchao Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108976","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2025.108976","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil properties are the most important factors affecting plant community organization and distribution. In the desert–loess transition zone, sandy dune and loess hill distribution and heterogeneity in soil properties influence plant community distribution, diversity, and restoration approaches. Understanding how soil properties affect the distribution and diversity of plant communities is very important for managing transition zone ecosystems. However, the links between soil properties and their relationships with plant community distribution and species diversity in the desert–loess transition zone are unclear. In this study, a desert–loess transition zone in the northern Loess Plateau was used as the study area to investigate soil properties and related vegetation characteristics, and regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation analysis were used to explore the correlations among soil nutrients, soil particle size, plant species diversity, and plant species importance values. The results revealed that soils with fine particles are more effective at retaining nitrogen, potassium and organic matter, whereas soils with coarse particles promote the accumulation of phosphorus. Soil particle size and soil nutrients have effects on plant distribution and diversity. Under the same climatic conditions, loess soil with fine particles is better able to promote plant species diversity than soil with coarse particles. Plants that are distributed mainly on loess soil grow better in fine soil rich in nitrogen, potassium and organic matter, whereas plants that are distributed mainly on sandy soil can adapt to coarse-grained soil that is poor in soil nutrients. Our findings highlight the pivotal role of soil particle size and nutrient in shaping plant community distribution and diversity in desert–loess transition zones. These insights are essential for developing site-specific vegetation restoration strategies that align with local soil conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"254 ","pages":"Article 108976"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2025-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143716164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}