Pedosphere 34(1): 136--145, 2024
ISSN 1002-0160/CN 32-1315/P
©2024 Soil Science Society of China
Published by Elsevier B.V. and Science Press
| Zokor activity promotes soil water infiltration in the Mu Us sandy land of northern Shaanxi, China |
Miao GAN1,2, Xuchao ZHU3, Xueqin YANG4, Xiaorong WEI1,2, Qingyin ZHANG1,2, Tongchuan LI1,2 , Ming'an SHAO1,2, Meixia MI5, Xi YANG1,2, Mingyu CHEN1,2 |
1 State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100 (China);
2 College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100 (China);
3 State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008 (China);
4 Henan Institute of Science and Technology, Xinxiang 453003 (China);
5 College of Urban and Rural Construction, Shanxi Agricultural University, Jinzhong 030801 (China) |
| ABSTRACT |
| Zokors are common subterranean rodents that inhabit agricultural fields, shrublands, and grasslands in the arid and semi-arid regions of China. Zokor burrowing activities can alter soil structure and affect soil hydrological processes; however, there are few studies regarding their effects on soil preferential flow in the Mu Us sandy land. An evaluation of the effects of zokor disturbance on their habitat and soil water is important for understanding the ecological role of zokors in the soil ecosystem of the Mu Us sandy land. A field dye-tracing experiment was conducted in the Gechougou watershed on the southeastern edge of the Mu Us sandy land to investigate the effect of zokor burrowing activity on soil preferential flow characteristics. Our results showed that the density of zokor tunnels was the highest (0.40–0.46 m m-2) under 30%–50% vegetation coverage and that the tunnels were approximately 3 cm from the surface. Both stained area ratio and stained path number were higher at sites with zokors than without zokors. Stained path widths were 10–80 and > 80 mm at zokor-harboring sites exhibiting homogeneous flow and heterogeneous finger flow, respectively. In the absence of zokors, homogeneous flow and highly interacted macropore flow were predominant. Soil water content below the zokor tunnels was higher than that above the tunnels. Moderate disturbance of soil structure by zokor activity facilitated soil water infiltration. These results enabled a better understanding of the effect of soil fauna on soil structure and hydrological processes and provided recommendations for ecological construction and renovation in arid and semi-arid regions. |
| Key Words: field dye-tracing experiment,preferential flow,soil fauna,stained area ratio,stained path number,stained path width,subterranean rodent,surface tortoise crack |
| Citation: Gan M, Zhu X C, Yang X Q, Wei X R, Zhang Q Y, Li T C, Shao M A, Mi M X, Yang X, Chen M Y. 2024. Zokor activity promotes soil water infiltration in the Mu Us sandy land of northern Shaanxi, China. Pedosphere. 34(1): 136–145. |
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