The Combined Effects of Moss-Dominated Biocrusts and Vegetation on Erosion and Soil Moisture and Implications for Disturbance on the Loess Plateau, China

	The Combined Effects of Moss-Dominated Biocrusts and Vegetation on Erosion and Soil Moisture and Implications for Disturbance on the Loess Plateau, China
	Bu, Chongfeng 1,2; Wu, Shufang 3; Han, Fengpeng 1,2; Yang, Yongsheng 2; Meng, Jie 1
刊名	PLOS ONE
	2015-05-20
卷号	10 期号:5
文献子类	Article
英文摘要	Biological soil crusts (BSCs, or biocrusts) have important positive ecological functions such as erosion control and soil fertility improvement, and they may also have negative effects on soil moisture in some cases. Simultaneous discussions of the two-sided impacts of BSCs are key to the rational use of this resource. This study focused on the contribution of BSCs while combining with specific types of vegetation to erosion reduction and their effects on soil moisture, and it addressed the feasibility of removal or raking disturbance. Twelve plots measuring 4 m x 2 m and six treatments (two plots for each) were established on a 15 degrees slope in a small watershed in the Loess Plateau using BSCs, bare land (as a control, BL), Stipa bungeana Trin. (STBU), Caragana korshinskii Kom. (CAKO), STBU planted with BSCs (STBU+BSCs) and CAKO planted with BSCs (CAKO+BSCs). The runoff, soil loss and soil moisture to a depth of 3 m were measured throughout the rainy season (from June to September) of 2010. The results showed that BSCs significantly reduced runoff by 37.3% and soil loss by 81.0% and increased infiltration by 12.4% in comparison with BL. However, when combined with STBU or CAKO, BSCs only made negligible contributions to erosion control (a runoff reduction of 7.4% and 5.7% and a soil loss reduction of 0.7% and 0.3%). Generally, the soil moisture of the vegetation plots was lower in the upper layer than that of the BL plots, although when accompanied with a higher amount of infiltration, this soil moisture consumption phenomenon was much clearer when combining vegetation with BSCs. Because of the trivial contributions from BSCs to erosion control and the remaining exacerbated consumption of soil water, moderate disturbance by BSCs should be considered in plots with adequate vegetation cover to improve soil moisture levels without a significant erosion increase, which was implied to be necessary and feasible.
WOS关键词	BIOLOGICAL SOIL ; SEMIARID ECOSYSTEMS ; MICROBIOTIC CRUSTS ; VASCULAR PLANTS ; SANDY SOIL ; DESERT ; INFILTRATION ; RUNOFF ; GERMINATION ; GRASSLAND
语种	英语
出版者	PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
WOS记录号	WOS:000354921400112
内容类型	期刊论文
源URL	[http://ir.igsnrr.ac.cn/handle/311030/67887]
专题	中国科学院地理科学与资源研究所
通讯作者	Bu, Chongfeng
作者单位	1.Northwest A&F Univ, State Key Lab Soil Eros & Dryland Farming Loess P, Yangling, Shaanxi, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci & Minist Water Resources, Inst Soil & Water Conservat, Yangling, Shaanxi, Peoples R China 3.Northwest A&F Univ, Coll Water Resources & Architectural Engn, Yangling, Shaanxi, Peoples R China
推荐引用方式 GB/T 7714	Bu, Chongfeng,Wu, Shufang,Han, Fengpeng,et al. The Combined Effects of Moss-Dominated Biocrusts and Vegetation on Erosion and Soil Moisture and Implications for Disturbance on the Loess Plateau, China[J]. PLOS ONE,2015,10(5).
APA	Bu, Chongfeng,Wu, Shufang,Han, Fengpeng,Yang, Yongsheng,&Meng, Jie.(2015).The Combined Effects of Moss-Dominated Biocrusts and Vegetation on Erosion and Soil Moisture and Implications for Disturbance on the Loess Plateau, China.PLOS ONE,10(5).
MLA	Bu, Chongfeng,et al."The Combined Effects of Moss-Dominated Biocrusts and Vegetation on Erosion and Soil Moisture and Implications for Disturbance on the Loess Plateau, China".PLOS ONE 10.5(2015).