Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Chinese Jujube, Yan'an University, Yan'an, 716000, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi'an, 710061, Shaanxi, People's Republic of China.
Sci Rep. 2021 May 7;11(1):9692. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-88914-0.
Changes in land use type can lead to variations in soil water characteristics. The objective of this study was to identify the responses of soil water holding capacity (SWHC) and soil water availability (SWA) to land use type (grassland, shrubland and forestland). The soil water characteristic curve describes the relationship between gravimetric water content and soil suction. We measured the soil water characteristic parameters representing SWHC and SWA, which we derived from soil water characteristic curves, in the 0-50 cm soil layer at sites representing three land use types in the Ziwuling forest region, located in the central part of the Loess Plateau, China. Our results showed that the SWHC was higher at the woodland site than the grassland and shrubland, and there was no significant difference between the latter two sites, the trend of SWA was similar to the SWHC. From grassland to woodland, the soil physical properties in the 0-50 cm soil layer partially improved, BD was significantly higher at the grassland site than at the shrubland and woodland sites, the clay and silt contents decreased significantly from grassland to shrubland to woodland and sand content showed the opposite pattern, the soil porosity was higher in the shrubland and woodland than that in the grassland, the soil physical properties across the 0-50 cm soil layer improved. Soil texture, porosity and bulk density were the key factors affecting SWHC and SWA. The results of this study provide insight into the effects of vegetation restoration on local hydrological resources and can inform soil water management and land use planning on the Chinese Loess Plateau.
土地利用类型的变化会导致土壤水分特性的变化。本研究的目的是确定土壤持水能力（SWHC）和土壤水分有效性（SWA）对土地利用类型（草地、灌丛和林地）的响应。土壤水分特征曲线描述了土壤质量含水量与土壤吸力之间的关系。我们在位于中国黄土高原中部的子午岭林区的三个土地利用类型的代表地点测量了土壤水分特征曲线，得出了代表 SWHC 和 SWA 的土壤水分特征参数。结果表明，林地的 SWHC 高于草地和灌丛，而后者两者之间没有显著差异，SWA 的趋势与 SWHC 相似。从草地到林地，0-50cm 土壤层的土壤物理性质部分得到改善，BD 在草地显著高于灌丛和林地，从草地到灌丛到林地，粘粒和粉粒含量显著降低，砂含量则相反，土壤孔隙度在灌丛和林地高于草地，0-50cm 土壤层的土壤物理性质得到改善。土壤质地、孔隙度和容重是影响 SWHC 和 SWA 的关键因素。本研究的结果深入了解了植被恢复对当地水资源的影响，并为黄土高原的土壤水分管理和土地利用规划提供了参考。
