Top

Environmental Earth Sciences

Published in:

01-03-2017 | Original Article

Variations in spatial patterns of soil–vegetation properties over subsidence-related ground fissures at an arid ecotone in northeastern Iran

Authors: Neda Mohseni, Adel Sepehr, Seyed Reza Hosseinzadeh, Mahmood Reza Golzarian, Farzin Shabani

Published in: Environmental Earth Sciences | Issue 6/2017

Activate our intelligent search to find suitable subject content or patents.

search-config

AI-assisted search

Off

Abstract

This study examines variations in the spatial patterns of soil–vegetation properties in the vicinity of subsidence-related ground fissures caused by groundwater over-pumping over an arid ecotone situated in northeastern Iran. It was assumed that subsidence-related fissures have a possible effect on the soil–vegetation structures. Vegetation metrics (mean canopy area, mean volume, vegetation cover percentage) and soil properties (EC, pH, CaCO₃, particle size distribution) were measured for locations with differing spatial expanses of ground fissures, including surface ground fissures, deeper ground fissures, as well as those exhibiting no signs of ground fissure. Statistical analyses indicated significant differences (P < 0.05) in the spatial patterns of vegetation and soil properties for locations with different expanses of ground fissures. Greater degradation of soil–vegetation, presenting as mortality of plants and the formation of impermeable layers on the soil surface, was observed around deep fissures linked to groundwater over-pumping, in comparison with other locations. These findings confirm the relationship between heterogeneities in patterns of vegetation and soil properties and variations in structure and extent of ground fissures, as well as indicating that the expansion of groundwater over-pumping-induced surface ground fissures can promote soil–vegetation degradation over time, leading ultimately to barren soils.

previous article Leachate detection via statistical analysis of electrical resistivity and induced polarization data at a waste disposal site (Northern Israel)

next article Investigation of phosphorus fractions and isotherm equation on the lake sediments in Ekbatan Dam (Iran)

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 102.000 Bücher
über 537 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Finance + Banking
Management + Führung
Marketing + Vertrieb
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe
Versicherung + Risiko

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Springer Professional "Technik"

Online-Abonnement

Mit Springer Professional "Technik" erhalten Sie Zugriff auf:

über 67.000 Bücher
über 390 Zeitschriften

aus folgenden Fachgebieten:

Automobil + Motoren
Bauwesen + Immobilien
Business IT + Informatik
Elektrotechnik + Elektronik
Energie + Nachhaltigkeit
Maschinenbau + Werkstoffe

Jetzt Wissensvorsprung sichern!

inform now

Available only for authorised users

ASTM (1981) Annual book of ASTM standards. American Society for Testing and Materials, West Conshohocken

Bertness MD, Hacker SD (1994) Physical stress and positive associations among marsh plants. Am Nat 144(3):363–372CrossRef

Bestelmeyer BT, Waed JP, Havstad KM (2006) Soil-geomorphic heterogeneity governs patchy vegetation dynamics at an arid ecotone. Ecology 87(4):963–973CrossRef

Bestelmeyer BT, Ellison AM, Fraser WR, Gorman KB, Holbrook SJ, Laney CM, Ohman MD, Peters DBC, Pillsbury FC, Rassweiler A, Schmitt RJ, Sharma S (2011) Analysis of abrupt transitions in ecological systems. Ecosphere 2(12):1–26CrossRef

Black CA (1965) Methods of soil analysis: part I. Physical and mineralogical properties. American Society of Agronomy, Madison

Bruno JF, Stachowicz JJ, Bertness MD (2003) Inclusion of facilitation into ecological theory. Trends Ecol Evol 18(3):119–125CrossRef

Burbey TJ (2002) The influence of faults in basin-fill deposits on land subsidence, Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, USA. J Hydrol 10(5):525–538

D’Odorico P, Bhattachan A, Davis KF, Ravi S, Runyan CW (2013) Global desertification: drivers and feedbacks. Adv Water Resour 51:326–344CrossRef

Dakos V, Kefi S, Rietkerk M, van Nes E, Scheffer M (2011) Slowing down in spatially patterned ecosystems at the brink of collapse. Am Nat 177(6):153–166CrossRef

Fearnehough W, Fullen MA, Mitchell DJ, Trueman IC, Zhang J (1998) Aeolian deposition and its effect on soil and vegetation changes on stabilized desert dunes in northern China. Geomorphology 23(2–4):171–182CrossRef

Gabet EJ, Sternberg P (2008) The effects of vegetation ash on infiltration capacity, sediment transport, and the generation of progressively bulked debris flows. Geomorphology 101(4):666–673CrossRef

Graetz RD, Tongway DJ (1986) Influence of grazing management on vegetation, soil structure, and nutrient distribution and the infiltration of applied rainfall in a semi-arid chenopod shrubland. Aust J Ecol 11(4):347–360CrossRef

Hamerlynck EP, McAuliffe JR, Smith SD (2000) Effects of surface and sub-surface soil horizons on the seasonal performance of Larrea tridentate (Creosote bush). Funct Ecol 14(5):596–606CrossRef

Horel A, Tóth E, Gelybó G, Kása I, Bakacsi Z, Farkas C (2015) Effects of land use and management on soil hydraulic properties. Open Geosci 7(1):742–754CrossRef

Kéfi S, Rietkerk M, Alados CL, Pueyo Y, Papanastasis VP, ElAich A, de Ruiter PC (2007) Spatial vegetation patterns and imminent desertification in Mediterranean arid ecosystems. Nature 449(7159):213–217CrossRef

Kéfi S, Alados CL, Chaves RCG, Pueyo Y, Riatkerk M (2010a) Is the patch size distribution of vegetation a suitable indicator of desertification processes? Ecology 91(12):3739–3742CrossRef

Kéfi S, Eppinga MB, de`Ruiter PC (2010b) Bistability and regular spatial patterns in arid ecosystems. Theor Ecol 3(4):257–269CrossRef

Lausch A, Pause M, Merbach I, Gwillym-Margianto S, Schulz K, Zacharias S, Seppelt R (2012) Scale-specific hyperspectral remote sensing approach in environmental research. Photogram Fernerkund Geoinf 5:589–601CrossRef

Li D, Guo Q, Rahilly JPJA, Phelps GM, Harmon TC (2011) Correlation between soil apparent electroconductivity and plant hyperspectral reflectance in a managed wetland. Int J Remote Sens 32(9):2563–2579CrossRef

Ludwig JA, Wilcox BP, Breshears DD, Tongway DJ, Imeson AC (2005) Vegetation patches and runoff-erosion as interacting ecohydrological processes in semiarid landscapes. Ecology 86(2):288–297CrossRef

Maestre FT, Cortina J, Bautista S, Bellot J, Vallejo R (2003) Small-scale environmental heterogeneity and spatio-temporal dynamics of seedling establishment in a semiarid degraded ecosystem. Ecosystems 6(7):630–643CrossRef

Monger HC, Bestelmeyer BT (2006) The soil-geomorphic template and biotic change in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. J Arid Environ 65(2):207–218CrossRef

Moreno-de las Heras M, Saco PM, Willgoose GR, Tongway DJ (2011) Assessing landscape structure and pattern fragmentation in semiarid ecosystems using patch-size distributions. Ecol Appl 21(7):2793–2805CrossRef

Naderianfar N, Ansari H, Ziaie A, Davary K (2011) Evaluating the groundwater level fluctuations under different climatic conditions in the basin Neyshabour. Iran J Irrig Water Eng 1(3):22–37

Nelson RE (1982) Carbonate and gypsum. Part 2: chemical and microbiological properties. In: Page AL, Miller RH, Keeny DR (eds) Methods of soil analysis. American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America, Madison, pp 180–197

Noy-Meir I (1973) Desert ecosystems: environment and producers. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst 4:25–51CrossRef

Pacheco-Martinez J, Hernandez-Marín M, Burbey TJ, González-Cervantes N, Ortíz-Lozano JA, Zermeño-De-Leon ME, Solís-Pinto A (2013) Land subsidence and ground failure associated to groundwater exploitation in the Aguascalientes Valley, México. Eng Geol 164:172–186CrossRef

Peres G, Vandenbulcke F, Guernion M, Hedde M, Beguiristain T, Douay F (2011) Earthworm indicators as tools for soil monitoring, characterization and risk assessment. An example from the national bioindicator programme (France). Pedobiologia 54:S77–S87CrossRef

Puigdefabregas J (2005) The role of vegetation patterns in structuring runoff and sediment fluxes in drylands. Earth Surf Process Landf 30(2):133–147CrossRef

Pulleman M, Creamer R, Hamer U, Helder J, Pelosi C, Pere G, Rutgers M (2012) Soil biodiversity, biological indicators and soil ecosystem services—an overview of European approaches. Curr Opin Environ Sustain 4(5):529–538CrossRef

Ravi S, D’Odorico P, Okin GS (2007) Hydrologic and aeolian controls on vegetation patterns in arid landscapes. Geophys Res Lett 34(24):L24S231–L24S235CrossRef

Ravi S, D’Odorico P, Wang L, Collins S (2008) Form and function of grass ring patterns in arid grasslands: the role of abiotic controls. Oecologia 158(3):545–555CrossRef

Ravi S, Breshears DD, Huxman TE, D’Odorico P (2010) Land degradation in drylands: interactions among hydrologic–aeolian erosion and vegetation dynamics. Geomorphology 116(3–4):236–245CrossRef

Ravi S, D’Odorico P, Breshears DD, Field JP, Goudie AS, Huxman TE, Li J, Okin GS, Swap RJ, Thomas AD, VanPelt S (2011) Aeolian processes and the biosphere. Rev Geophys 49(3):RG3001–RG30045CrossRef

Rietkerk M, van de Koppel J (1997) Alternate stable states and threshold effects in semi-arid grazing systems. Oikos 79(1):69–76CrossRef

Rietkerk M, Boerlijdt MC, Langevelde FV, HilleRisLambers R, van de Koppel J, Kumar L, Prins HHT, de Roos AM (2002) Self-organization of vegetation in arid ecosystems. Am Nat 160(4):524–530

Rietkerk M, Dekker SC, de`Ruiter PC, Van de Koppel J (2004) Self-organized patchiness and catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Science 305(5692):1926–1929CrossRef

Runyan CH, D’Odorico P (2010) Ecohydrological feedbacks between salt accumulation and vegetation dynamics: role of vegetation-groundwater interactions. Water Resour Res 46(11):W11561CrossRef

Scheffer M, Carpenter S, Foley JA, Folke C, Walker B (2001) Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems. Nature 413(6856):591–596CrossRef

Scheffer M, Bascompte J, Brock WA, Brovkin V, Carpenter SR, Dakos V, Held H, Van Nes EH, Rietkerk M, Sugihara G (2009) Early-warning signals for critical transitions. Nature 461:53–59CrossRef

Schmidtlein S, Feilhauer H, Bruelheide H (2012) Mapping plant strategy types using remote sensing. J Veg Sci 23(3):395–405CrossRef

Stachowicz JJ (2001) Mutualism, facilitation, and the structure of ecological communities. Bioscience 51(3):235–246CrossRef

Tromp-van Meerveld HJT, McDonnell JJ (2009) Assessment of multifrequency electromagnetic induction for determining soil moisture patterns at the hillslope scale. J Hydrol 368(1–4):56–67CrossRef

Turnbull L, Wilcox BP, Belnap J, Ravi S, D’Odorico P, Childers D, Gwenzi W, Okin GS, Wainwright J, Caylor K, Sankey T (2012) Understanding the role of ecohydrological feedbacks in ecosystem-state change in drylands. Ecohydrology 5:174–183CrossRef

Valipour M (2014) Drainage, waterlogging, and salinity. Arch Agron Soil Sci 60(12):1625–1640

van de Koppel J, Rietkerk M (2004) Spatial interactions and resilience in arid ecosystems. Am Nat 163(1):113–121CrossRef

van de Koppel J, Rietkerk M, van Langevelde F, Kumar L, Klausmeier CA, Fryxell JM, Hearne JW, Van Andel J, de Ridder N, Skidmone A, Stroosnijder L, Prins HHT (2002) Spatial heterogeneity and irreversible vegetation change in semiarid grazing systems. Am Nat 159(2):209–218CrossRef

von Hardenberg J, Meron E, Shachak M, Zarmi Y (2001) Diversity of vegetation patterns and desertification. Phys Rev Lett 87(19):198101CrossRef

Wang L, Manzoni S, Ravi S, Riveros-Iregui D, Caylor K (2015) Dynamic interactions of ecohydrological and biogeochemical processes in water-limited systems. Ecosphere 6(8):1–27CrossRef

Wood JC, Wood MK, Tromble JM (1987) Important factors influencing water infiltration and sediment production on arid lands in New Mexico. J Arid Environ 12:111–118

Wu GL, Wang D, Liu Y, Hao HM, Fang NF, Shi ZH (2016) Mosaic-pattern vegetation formation and dynamics driven by the water–wind crisscross erosion. J Hydrol 538:355–362CrossRef

Xu C, Van Nes EH, Holmgren M, Kéfi S, Scheffer M (2015) Local facilitation may cause tipping points on a landscape level preceded by early-warning indicators. Am Nat 186(4):E81–E90CrossRef

Title: Variations in spatial patterns of soil–vegetation properties over subsidence-related ground fissures at an arid ecotone in northeastern Iran
Authors: Neda Mohseni
Adel Sepehr
Seyed Reza Hosseinzadeh
Mahmood Reza Golzarian
Farzin Shabani
Publication date: 01-03-2017
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Environmental Earth Sciences / Issue 6/2017
Print ISSN: 1866-6280
Electronic ISSN: 1866-6299
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6559-z

Springer Professional

Abstract

Please log in to get access to your license.

Dont have a licence yet? Then find out more about our products and how to get one now:

Springer Professional "Wirtschaft+Technik"

Springer Professional "Technik"

Other articles of this Issue 6/2017

Effects of thermal energy storage on shallow aerobic aquifer systems: temporary increase in abundance and activity of sulfate-reducing and sulfur-oxidizing bacteria

Chemical assessment of dam water irrigation effects on groundwater qualities in Bigherd plain, Fars Province, Iran

Impact of CO2 injection rate on heat extraction at the HDR geothermal field of Zhacanggou, China

An integrated geomatics approach to groundwater potential delineation in the Akoko-Edo Area, Nigeria

Using CaO to stabilize arsenic sulfide slag by moderate temperature calcination

Understanding compost effects on water availability in a degraded sandy soil of Patagonia