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An ecological study of soils in the highlands of western Tibet II. Vertical change from 3900 m to 5450 m in elevation
Author(s) -
Iwatsubo Goro,
Zheng Xilan,
Shidei Tsunahide
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
ecological research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.628
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1440-1703
pISSN - 0912-3814
DOI - 10.1007/bf02347155
Subject(s) - steppe , arid , elevation (ballistics) , soil water , vegetation (pathology) , precipitation , environmental science , soil science , physical geography , ecology , geography , biology , medicine , geometry , mathematics , pathology , meteorology
Two kinds of soil study were carried out in the south‐western Tibet region of China. Changes in soil properties with elevation were examined from the snout of a glacier at 5450 m above sea level down to a village (Burang) at 3900 m. The area close to the glacier was devoid of vegetation, probably because of the coldness. With a decrease in elevation, the landscape changed from desert to sparse Artemisia steppe, and below 4750 m, to a thorn‐bush steppe dominated by Caragana spp. which continued down to the village (where the annual precipitation was 169 mm). Organic C, total N and cation exchange capacity (CEC) all increased with decreasing elevation down to 4700 m due to the increase in warmth, but the parameters decreased below 4700 m, reflecting the increase in aridity. Almost no carbonate was detected in areas above 4700 m, but below this elevation it increased exponentially, also reflecting the increase of aridity. Available P tended to decrease with both the decrease in elevation and the increase in carbonate. The vertical distribution of soil parameters was investigated in the soil profiles of dry and wet plots at 4700 m. Organic C, total N, and CEC decreased with increasing soil depth. Their values were higher in the dry plot than in the wet plot. In the dry plot, carbonate increased with depth. Total P was found to be similar in both the wet and dry plots, but there was less available P in the soil of the dry plot, reflecting the abundance of calcium carbonate.