| Summary: | Grassland salinization causes considerable changes to soil and vegetation, which can lead to changes in soil organic carbon (C) and total nitrogen (N). These changes have complex causal relationships. A significant correlation between soil organic C and total N and any soil or vegetation property does not necessarily imply a significant direct effect of the property on soil organic C and total N. In this study, a field survey was conducted to investigate the changes in soil organic C and total N in grassland along a salinity gradient in Hexi corridor, China, and the direct and indirect effects of soil and vegetation properties on both stocks were quantified using a path analysis approach. Significant decrease in soil organic C and total N contents were observed with increasing salinity. Both had significant positive correlations with the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), soil water, and fine particles (silt+clay) content (p<0.01) and significant negative correlations with soil EC, and sand content (p<0.01). NDVI, fine particles content and soil water content had positive direct effects on soil organic C and total N stocks. Soil EC affected soil organic C and total N stocks mainly through its indirect negative effect on NDVI, soil texture, and water content. NDVI, soil texture, and moisture also indirectly affected soil organic C and total N stocks via changes in each other. These indirect effects augmented each other, although in some cases indirect effects worked in opposing directions.
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