Disturbance reduces the moss‐dominated biocrust inhibition on infiltration and improves soil moisture storage within the Loess Plateau, China

Various factors influence biocrust effects on infiltration and soil moisture. On China's Loess Plateau, well‐developed moss‐dominated biocrusts reduce infiltration and suppress shrub growth, however, the interrelationships between rainfall conditions and disturbance management to alleviate thes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Restoration ecology 2024-08, Vol.32 (6), p.n/a
Main Authors: Ju, Mengchen, Hill, Robert L., Bu, Chongfeng, Wang, Qingxuan, Li, Xinkai, Bai, Hao
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
biocrusts
Compaction
Disturbance
Grazing
Infiltration
Light
Luminous intensity
Moisture content
Mosses
natural rainfall
Pasture
Plateaus
Precipitation
Rainfall
Rainfall intensity
Rainy season
Sediment
Sediment yield
Soil erosion
Soil improvement
Soil moisture
Wet season
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Summary:Various factors influence biocrust effects on infiltration and soil moisture. On China's Loess Plateau, well‐developed moss‐dominated biocrusts reduce infiltration and suppress shrub growth, however, the interrelationships between rainfall conditions and disturbance management to alleviate these impacts are unknown. In a semiarid watershed on the Loess Plateau, we applied two forms of disturbance, scarification (controlled harrowing) and compaction (simulated grazing), at four intensity levels (control‐intact, light, moderate, and heavy) to well‐developed moss‐dominated biocrusts and a bare soil (BS) for comparisons to form eight treatments with three replications. Rainfall intensity and depth, soil moisture, run‐off, and sediment yield were measured during the rainy season (July–October). In total, well‐developed biocrusts did not significantly affect infiltration but reduced soil moisture at depths of 120–180 cm (p 
ISSN:1061-2971
1526-100X
DOI:10.1111/rec.14067