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Climate regulates the effects of abrupt vegetation shifts on soil moisture on the Loess Plateau, China
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  • Guoan Xiao,
  • Liangjie Xin,
  • Xue Wang,
  • Xiubin Li,
  • Minghong Tan
Guoan Xiao
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Liangjie Xin
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Xue Wang
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Xiubin Li
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Minghong Tan
Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences
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Abstract

Abrupt vegetation shifts indicate sudden and profound changes in ecosystem structure and function, which may lead to excessive pressures on regional water resources and thus undermine sustainability. In the context of ecological restoration and climate change, it is unclear whether large-scale abrupt vegetation shifts have occurred on the Loess Plateau and what are the differences and mechanisms associated with the effects of these vegetation changes on soil moisture content (SMC). In this study, we found that approximately 27.9% of grasslands and 24.8% of forests on the Loess Plateau experienced positive abrupt vegetation shifts from 2000 to 2020, which may be associated with the implementation of the Grassland Ecological Compensation Program (GECP) and the Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP). By using the climate zone method and multi-period difference-in-differences (MDID) model, we found that the effects of abrupt vegetation shifts on SMC were heavily dependent on local climate conditions. While most abrupt vegetation shifts could wet surface soil (0–7 cm), only 55.9% of grasslands and 33.9% of forests in abrupt shifts had positive effects on entire soil (0–289 cm), specifically in areas with lower precipitation and stronger evaporation conditions. In contrast, approximately 35.7% of grasslands and 37.6% of forests in abrupt shifts may exacerbate soil drying. This study fills the knowledge gap in the effects of abrupt vegetation shifts on SMC and tries to explore the underlying mechanisms, with implications for water management and ecological programs in areas with similar climate conditions.
28 May 2024Submitted to Land Degradation & Development
30 May 2024Submission Checks Completed
30 May 2024Assigned to Editor
16 Jun 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
07 Jul 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
22 Aug 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Major
05 Sep 20241st Revision Received
06 Sep 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
06 Sep 2024Submission Checks Completed
06 Sep 2024Assigned to Editor
07 Sep 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
27 Oct 2024Editorial Decision: Accept