Research progress on the effects of soil erosion on vegetation

Jiao, Juying; Hou-yuan, Zou; Jia, Yanfeng; Wang, Ning

doi:10.1016/j.chnaes.2009.05.001

Cited by 91 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…The results show that vegetation coverage has a positive impact on soil preservation and protection. Therefore, vegetation restoration is the precondition ecosystem rehabilitation (Jiao et al 2009). For this reason, decision makers should encourage farmers to amplify planting their lands with appropriate cultivation practices because they will not only protect their parcels but also improve their income.…”

Section: Erosion Risk Map With the Icona And The Rusle Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the effects of vegetation on soil erosion risk by water: a case of study of the Batta watershed in Tunisia

et al. 2010

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Soil erosion by water is a serious environmental problem which affects particularly the agriculture of developing countries. Due to specific factors, such as high rainfall intensity, steep slopes and vegetation scarcity, Tunisia is prone to soil erosion. Taking this into account, the main objective of this study was to estimate the soil erosion risk in the Batta watershed in Tunisia using qualitative and quantitative erosion model with remote sensing data and geographic information system (GIS). Moreover, a developed method that deals with evaluating the impact of vegetation on soil erosion by water is also applied. This method used multitemporal satellite images with seasonal variability and the transformed soil adjusted vegetation index (TSAVI) which is appropriate in arid and semi-arid areas. For both erosion models, the results show that a large area of the Batta watershed is seriously affected by erosion. This potentially high risk is due especially to severe slopes, poor vegetation coverage and high soil erodibility in this watershed. Furthermore, the use of multi-temporal satellite images and vegetation index show that the effect of vegetation is a significant factor to protect the soil against erosion. The risk is especially serious in the summer season, but it decreases with the growth of vegetation cover in spring. Erosion model, combined with a GIS and remote sensing, is an adequate method to evaluate the soil erosion risk by water. The findings can be used by decision makers as a guideline to plan appropriate strategies for soil and water conservation practices.

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Section: Erosion Risk Map With the Icona And The Rusle Modelmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of the effects of vegetation on soil erosion risk by water: a case of study of the Batta watershed in Tunisia

et al. 2010

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“…The role of erosion as an ecological driver that shapes the composition of plant communities had already been highlighted in previous studies in arid and semiarid environments (Guàrdia et al, 2000;GuerreroCampo andMontserrat-Martí, 2000, 2004;García-Fayos and Bochet, 2009;Bochet et al, 2009;Jiao et al, 2009). However, relatively little attention had been paid to the effect of erosion on seeds (mainly seed transport and germination) as compared to later stages of the plant life (seedlings and adult plants; de Luís et al, 2005;Tsuyuzaki and Haruki, 2008;Wang et al, 2014), even though seed stage is one of the most critical phases in vegetation development (García-Fayos and Cerdà, 1997).…”

Section: Seed Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The fate of seeds in the soil: a review of the influence of overland flow on seed removal and its consequences for the vegetation of arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems

Bochet

2015

SOIL

100

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Abstract. Since seeds are the principle means by which plants move across the landscape, the final fate of seeds plays a fundamental role in the assemblage, functioning and dynamics of plant communities. Once seeds land on the soil surface after being dispersed from the parent plant, they can be moved horizontally by surface runoff. In arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems, where seeds are scattered into a very heterogeneous environment and intense rainfalls occur, the transport of seeds by runoff to new sites may be an opportunity for seeds to reach more favourable sites for seed germination and seedling survival. Although seed transport by runoff may be of vital importance for the recruitment of plants in these ecosystems, it has received little attention in the scientific literature, especially among soil scientists. The main goals of this review paper are (1) to offer an updated conceptual model of seed fate with a focus on seed destiny in and on the soil; (2) to review studies on seed fate in overland flow and the ecological implications seed transport by runoff has for the origin, spatial patterning and maintenance of patches in arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems; and finally (3) to point out directions for future research.This review shows that seed fate in overland flow may result either in the export of seeds from the system (seed loss) or in the spatial redistribution of seeds within the system through short-distance seed movements (seed displacement). Seed transport by runoff depends on rainfall, slope and soil characteristics. Susceptibility of seed removal varies highly between species and is mainly related to seed traits, including seed size, seed shape, presence of appendages, and ability of a seed to secrete mucilage. Although initially considered as a risk of seed loss, seed removal by runoff has recently been described as an ecological driver that shapes plant composition from the first phases of the plant life by favouring species with seeds able to resist erosion and by selecting for plant traits that prevent seed loss. Moreover, the interaction of seed transport by overland flow with the high seed trapping capacity of vegetated patches results in a "patch-to-patch" transport of seeds that plays a relevant role in vegetation establishment and patterning in arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems.Overall, this review shows how the knowledge about seed fate in overland flow can be used to explain a number of important characteristics of whole plant communities. It also underlines important gaps in knowledge that should be filled in. Future lines of research are proposed in order to broaden our understanding of the origin, maintenance and dynamics of patchiness in arid and semiarid ecosystems and to improve restoration success of intensively eroded ecosystems. Among the most exciting challenges, empirical studies are needed to understand the relevance of short-distance seed displacements in the origin and maintenance of patchiness, addressing the feedbacks between structure and function and abiotic a...

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“…Lu et al (2007), Jiao et al (2009), andEzemonye andEmeribe (2012) opined that rainfall, soil type, landscape, crops, farm management, and topographic characteristics determine runoff and erosion potential from agricultural lands or forest regrowth. In the tropics, rainfall is the principal determinant of soil erosion.…”

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confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the variability in runoff and sediment loss in successional fallow vegetation of Southern Nigeria

Iwara¹

2014

Soil Water Res.

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The effects of three different ages of natural fallow vegetation on runoff and sediment loss were investigated in a part of the rainforest zone of Nigeria. Measurements of runoff amount and sediment loss were made for the months of March to November in 2012 rainy season using runoff plots of 40 m 2 . The average runoff amount for the 5-year-old, 3-year-old, and farmland plots were 0.47, 0.26, and 0.41 mm respectively. The average sediment loss on the 5-year-old, 3-year-old, and farmland plots were 209.24, 50.54, and 124.68 kg/ha, respectively. The lowest losses for both runoff and sediment were recorded on the 3-year-old plot, while the 5-year-old plot experienced the highest losses. The variations in runoff and sediment loss among the treatments were significant at P < 0.001. The results evidently showed that rainfall was principally responsible for the erosional losses on all the fallow treatments, and that ground cover (density of herbs) and girth helped to reduce sediment loss on the 3-year-old and farmland surfaces, respectively. The high amount of erosional losses experienced on the 5-yearold fallow than on the 3-year-old fallow and farmland plots imply that fallow that is not adequately protected by ground cover experiences accelerated soil erosion. The continuous loss in topsoil rich in plant nutrients may prolong the optimal capacity of the soil to regain its loss nutrient for subsequent food crop cultivation.

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Research progress on the effects of soil erosion on vegetation

Cited by 91 publications

References 59 publications

Assessment of the effects of vegetation on soil erosion risk by water: a case of study of the Batta watershed in Tunisia

Assessment of the effects of vegetation on soil erosion risk by water: a case of study of the Batta watershed in Tunisia

The fate of seeds in the soil: a review of the influence of overland flow on seed removal and its consequences for the vegetation of arid and semiarid patchy ecosystems

Evaluation of the variability in runoff and sediment loss in successional fallow vegetation of Southern Nigeria

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