Soil Quality Assessment in Tourism-Disturbed Subtropical Mountain Meadow Areas of Wugong Mountain, Central Southeast China
Meadow soil is a vital ecosystem component and can be influenced by meadow vegetation. Evaluating soil quality in mountain meadows subjected to different levels of tourism disturbance is essential for scientific research, ecological restoration, and sustainable management. This study aimed to evalua...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/8/1136 |
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| author | Sohel Rana Ziheng Xu Razia Sultana Jemim Zhen Liu Yanmei Wang Xiaodong Geng Qifei Cai Jian Feng Huina Zhou Tao Zhang Mingwan Li Xiaomin Guo Zhi Li |
| author_facet | Sohel Rana Ziheng Xu Razia Sultana Jemim Zhen Liu Yanmei Wang Xiaodong Geng Qifei Cai Jian Feng Huina Zhou Tao Zhang Mingwan Li Xiaomin Guo Zhi Li |
| author_sort | Sohel Rana |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Meadow soil is a vital ecosystem component and can be influenced by meadow vegetation. Evaluating soil quality in mountain meadows subjected to different levels of tourism disturbance is essential for scientific research, ecological restoration, and sustainable management. This study aimed to evaluate meadow soil quality at different tourism-disturbance levels and attempted to establish a minimum data set (MDS) with compatible indicators for soil quality assessment of subtropical mountain meadows. We analyzed fifteen soil physical, chemical, and biological indicators in control check (CK), light disturbance (LD), medium disturbance (MD), and severe disturbance (SD) meadow areas in Wugong Mountain, west of Jiangxi, China. In addition, a soil quality index (SQI) was determined using the established MDS based on the integrated soil quality index. Average soil permeability, soil pH, available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and number of fungal OTUs were finally introduced into the MDS to evaluate meadow soil quality at different tourism-disturbance levels. The study found that the soil of the Wugong Mountain meadow was acidic, the bulk density was loose, and the nutrient content was rich. Additionally, SQI decreased with increase in tourism-disturbance level. The mean SQI values of the Wugong Mountain meadow areas were: CK, 0.612; LD, 0.493; MD, 0.448; and SD, 0.416. Our results demonstrate that the SQI based on the MDS method could be a valuable tool with which to indicate the soil quality of mountain meadow areas, and the SQI can be regarded as a primary indicator of ecological restoration and sustainable management. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:13:26Z |
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| id | doaj.art-c8707d37f13f4ca9aa470bfd5e0c5864 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T04:13:26Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-c8707d37f13f4ca9aa470bfd5e0c58642023-12-03T13:58:27ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292022-07-01128113610.3390/life12081136Soil Quality Assessment in Tourism-Disturbed Subtropical Mountain Meadow Areas of Wugong Mountain, Central Southeast ChinaSohel Rana0Ziheng Xu1Razia Sultana Jemim2Zhen Liu3Yanmei Wang4Xiaodong Geng5Qifei Cai6Jian Feng7Huina Zhou8Tao Zhang9Mingwan Li10Xiaomin Guo11Zhi Li12College of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaPalm Eco-Town Development Co., Ltd., Building 3A, Haihui Center, Zhengdong New Area, Zhengzhou 450000, ChinaCollege of Life Sciences, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, ChinaCollege of Forestry, Henan Agricultural University, Zhengzhou 450002, ChinaMeadow soil is a vital ecosystem component and can be influenced by meadow vegetation. Evaluating soil quality in mountain meadows subjected to different levels of tourism disturbance is essential for scientific research, ecological restoration, and sustainable management. This study aimed to evaluate meadow soil quality at different tourism-disturbance levels and attempted to establish a minimum data set (MDS) with compatible indicators for soil quality assessment of subtropical mountain meadows. We analyzed fifteen soil physical, chemical, and biological indicators in control check (CK), light disturbance (LD), medium disturbance (MD), and severe disturbance (SD) meadow areas in Wugong Mountain, west of Jiangxi, China. In addition, a soil quality index (SQI) was determined using the established MDS based on the integrated soil quality index. Average soil permeability, soil pH, available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), and number of fungal OTUs were finally introduced into the MDS to evaluate meadow soil quality at different tourism-disturbance levels. The study found that the soil of the Wugong Mountain meadow was acidic, the bulk density was loose, and the nutrient content was rich. Additionally, SQI decreased with increase in tourism-disturbance level. The mean SQI values of the Wugong Mountain meadow areas were: CK, 0.612; LD, 0.493; MD, 0.448; and SD, 0.416. Our results demonstrate that the SQI based on the MDS method could be a valuable tool with which to indicate the soil quality of mountain meadow areas, and the SQI can be regarded as a primary indicator of ecological restoration and sustainable management.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/8/1136minimum data setmountain meadowsoil quality indexWugong Mountaintourism disturbance |
| spellingShingle | Sohel Rana Ziheng Xu Razia Sultana Jemim Zhen Liu Yanmei Wang Xiaodong Geng Qifei Cai Jian Feng Huina Zhou Tao Zhang Mingwan Li Xiaomin Guo Zhi Li Soil Quality Assessment in Tourism-Disturbed Subtropical Mountain Meadow Areas of Wugong Mountain, Central Southeast China Life minimum data set mountain meadow soil quality index Wugong Mountain tourism disturbance |
| title | Soil Quality Assessment in Tourism-Disturbed Subtropical Mountain Meadow Areas of Wugong Mountain, Central Southeast China |
| title_full | Soil Quality Assessment in Tourism-Disturbed Subtropical Mountain Meadow Areas of Wugong Mountain, Central Southeast China |
| title_fullStr | Soil Quality Assessment in Tourism-Disturbed Subtropical Mountain Meadow Areas of Wugong Mountain, Central Southeast China |
| title_full_unstemmed | Soil Quality Assessment in Tourism-Disturbed Subtropical Mountain Meadow Areas of Wugong Mountain, Central Southeast China |
| title_short | Soil Quality Assessment in Tourism-Disturbed Subtropical Mountain Meadow Areas of Wugong Mountain, Central Southeast China |
| title_sort | soil quality assessment in tourism disturbed subtropical mountain meadow areas of wugong mountain central southeast china |
| topic | minimum data set mountain meadow soil quality index Wugong Mountain tourism disturbance |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/12/8/1136 |
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