Long-term fencing improved soil properties and soil organic carbon storage in an alpine swamp meadow of western China |
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Authors: | Gao-Lin Wu Zhen-Heng Liu Lei Zhang Ji-Min Chen Tian-Ming Hu |
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Institution: | 1. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau of Northwest A&F University, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation of CAS&MWR, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China 2. College of Animal Science & Technology of Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People’s Republic of China 4. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, NO. 26 Xinong Road, Yangling, Shaanxi, 712100, People’s Republic of China 3. Maqu Alpine Grassland Workstation, Maqu, Gansu, 747300, People’s Republic of China
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Abstract: | Overgrazing significantly affects alpine meadows in ways similar to grasslands in other areas. Fencing to exclude grazers is one of the main management practices used to protect alpine meadows. However, it is not known if fencing can improve soil properties and soil organic carbon storage by restraining grazing in alpine meadows. We studied the long-term (nine-year) effects of fencing on soil properties, soil organic carbon and nitrogen storage compared with continued grazing in an alpine swamp meadow of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau, NW China. Our results showed that fencing significantly improved vegetation cover and aboveground biomass. There were significant effects of fencing on pH value, soil bulk density, and soil moisture. Long-term fencing favored the increase of soil total nitrogen, soil organic matter, soil organic carbon, soil microbial biomass carbon and soil carbon storage compared with grazed meadows. Our study suggests that long-term fencing to prevent disturbance could greatly affect soil organic carbon and nitrogen storage with regard to grazed meadows. Therefore, it is apparent from this study that fencing is an effective restoration approach of with regard to the soil’s storage ability for carbon and nitrogen in alpine meadow of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. |
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