Land-use shapes the composition and stability of soil water-stable aggregates in a plateau agro-pastoral ecotone.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The northeastern Tibetan Plateau is a typical agro-pastoral ecotone that experiences frequent land-use changes. Maintaining stable soil aggregates in this region is key to protecting the environment and supporting food production on the Tibetan Plateau. Nevertheless, comparative data on soil aggregate composition and stability across diverse land-use types and soil depths in this region are currently limited.

Methods

Herein, soil samples from 0-20 cm and 20-40 cm depths were gathered at 52 sites spanning four dominant land-use types in the northeastern Tibetan Plateau: grassland (GL), cropland (CL), orchard (OC), and planted forest (PF). The composition and stability of soil aggregates were assessed using the wet sieving method.

Results

The results exhibite

SUBMITTER: Bai L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12863147 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature