Characteristics of soil organic carbon and nitrogen density in three plant communities of sandy grasslands

doi:10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2025.00079

Journal of Desert Research ›› 2025, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (4): 357-367.DOI: 10.7522/j.issn.1000-694X.2025.00079

Characteristics of soil organic carbon and nitrogen density in three plant communities of sandy grasslands

Yalin Wu¹^,²^,⁴(), Xueyong Zhao¹^,²^,³, Rui Zhang¹^,²^,³^,⁴()

^1.State Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands /, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Lanzhou 730000，China
^2.Naiman Desertification Research Station /, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Lanzhou 730000，China
^3.Urat Desert-Grassland Research Station, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Lanzhou 730000，China
^4.University of Chinese Academy of Sciences，Beijing 100049，China

Received:2025-05-11 Revised:2025-07-01 Online:2025-07-20 Published:2025-08-18
Contact: Rui Zhang

Abstract

Abstract:

Soil organic carbon （SOC） and nitrogen （N） are core elements for the functioning of soil systems. Investigating the effects of different plant communities and soil depths on SOC and total nitrogen （TN） is essential for understanding the variation patterns of soil carbon and nitrogen density in the Horqin Sandy Land. This study chose three plant communities in the Horqin Sandy Land： dominant species of Artemisia scoparia + Gramineae （ASP）， Caragana microphylla + Forbs （CMF）， and Agriophyllum squarrosum + Setaria viridis （ASGB） to investigate the characteristics of soil carbon and nitrogen density and their influencing factors. The results showed that：（1） In the 0-100 cm soil layer， SOC， TN， and total phosphorus （TP） followed the order： ASP community > CMF community > ASGB community. SOC and TN decreased with increasing soil depth， while TP and total potassium （TK） remained relatively stable. （2） The ASP community exhibited the highest soil stoichiometric ratios （C∶P， C∶K， N∶P， N∶K， P∶K）， whereas the ASGB community showed significantly higher C∶N in the 20-40 cm layer compared to ASP. Soil C∶P， C∶K， N∶K， and P∶K ratios generally decreased with depth. （3） Soil organic carbon density （SCD） and soil nitrogen density （SND） in the 0-10， 10-20 cm and 20-40 cm layers followed the order： ASP > CMF > ASGB. SCD in all three communities initially decreased and then increased with depth， while the ASP community displayed an opposite trend for SND. （4） The contribution rates of soil C∶N and clay to SCD were 15.5% and 11.7%， respectively； the contribution rates of soil N∶P， N∶K and clay to SND were 23.7%，22.3% and 8.4%， respectively.

Key words: Horqin Sandy Land, soil nutrients, stoichiometry, soil nitrogen density, organic carbon density

CLC Number:

S151.9+1

Yalin Wu, Xueyong Zhao, Rui Zhang. Characteristics of soil organic carbon and nitrogen density in three plant communities of sandy grasslands[J]. Journal of Desert Research, 2025, 45(4): 357-367.

Figures/Tables 10

Fig.1 Location of the study area

Table 1 Soil bulk densityat different soil depths in three plant communities

土壤深度/cm	黄蒿+禾本科（ASP）	小叶锦鸡儿+杂类草（CMF）	沙米+狗尾草（ASGB）
0~10	1.28±0.25^Aa	1.51±0.06^Aa	1.51±0.11^Aa
10~20	1.50±0.04^Aa	1.53±0.06^Aa	1.56±0.04^Aa
20~40	1.38±0.11^Ba	1.54±0.06^Aa	1.55±0.04^Aa
40~60	1.43±0.12^Ba	1.53±0.05^ABa	1.61±0.04^Aa
60~100	1.39±0.23^Aa	1.54±0.01^Aa	1.54±0.13^Aa

Fig.2 Mechanical composition characteristics of soil in three plant communities

Fig.3 Nutrient differences of soil in different soil layers of three plant communities

Fig.4 Chemical metrology characteristics of soil in three plant communities

Fig.5 Soil carbon and nitrogen density of three plant communities

Fig.6 Vertical distribution characteristics of soil carbon and nitrogen density in three plant communities

Fig.7 Correlation between soil organic carbon and nitrogen density and environmental factors in three plant communities

Fig.8 Redundancy analysis of soil physical properties， carbon， nitrogen， phosphorus， potassium and their stoichiometric ratios in different plant communities

Fig.9 Importance ranking of factors affecting soil carbon and nitrogen density

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Characteristics of soil organic carbon and nitrogen density in three plant communities of sandy grasslands

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