Soil erosion affects variations of soil organic carbon and soil respiration along a slope in Northeast China

• DOI: 10.1186/s13717-019-0184-6
• Publication Date: 2019-08-01T23:04:26Z
• Authors: Tong Li; Haicheng Zhang; Xiaoyuan Wang; Shulan Cheng; Huajun Fang; Gang Liu; Wenping Yuan
• Keywords: Topsoil; Subsoil; Soil carbon; Soil respiration

Although soil erosion plays a key role in the carbon cycle, holistic and mechanistic understanding of process within cycle is still lacking. The aim this study was therefore to improve our organic (SOC) respiration dynamics through an experiment conducted eroding black farmland landscape Northeast China. depositional profiles store 5.9 times more SOC than 3.3 non-eroding profiles. A linear correlation between 137Cs (Caesium-137) observed study, suggesting that decreased with increased erosion. Furthermore, fractions intermediate C microaggregate were lowest at position highest position. In topsoil, input labile materials promotional respiration. Conversely, subsoil (i.e., below 10 cm), potential mineralization rates position—due effective stabilization by physical protection microaggregates. field results surface also suggest topsoil prone be mineralized context stabilized depth. addition, high water contents can limit decomposition stabilize same time. findings from support majority footslope stored most profile cm) submitted long-term stabilization, meanwhile emits CO2 summit due its amount quality SOC.