Gao‐Lin Wu;Wei Li;Ling‐Ping Zhao;Zhihua Sh

Institute of Soil and Water Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resource, Yangling 712100 (China); Key Laboratory of Arid and Grassland Ecology of the Ministry of Education, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000 (China); State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100 (China;State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100 (China); State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100 (China)

fencing;reseeding;sandy;soc;alpine meadows;content

Regeneration of degraded grassland ecosystems is a significant issue in restoration ecology globally. To understand the effects of artificial management measures on alpine meadows, we surveyed topsoil properties including moisture, organic carbon (SOC), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents five years after fencing and fencing + reseeding management practices in a sandy meadow in the eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, northwestern China. Both the fencing arid fencing + reseeding management practices significantly increased soil moisture storage, SOC, total N, available N, total P, and available P, as compared to the unmanaged control. Fencing plus reseeding was more effective than fencing alone for improving soil C, N, and P contents. These suggested that rehabilitation by reseeding and fencing generally had favorable effects on the soil properties in degraded sandy alpine meadows, and was an effective approach for restoration of degraded meadow ecosystems of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.