Influences of Plateau Zokor Burrowing on Soil Erosion and Nutrient Loss in Alpine Meadows in the Yellow River Source Zone of West China

• Main Authors: Guorong Li, Xilai Li, Jinfang Li, Wenting Chen, Haili Zhu, Jianyun Zhao, Xiasong Hu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-10-01
• Series: Water
• Subjects: plateau zokor mound; soil loss; soil nutrient; rainfall intensity; slope gradient; alpine meadows; yellow river source zone
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/11/11/2258

Plateau zokors (<i>Eospalax baileyi</i>) are an agent actively involved in causing soil erosion and meadow degradation in the Yellow River Source Zone of West China. This study aims to quantify the amount of soil and nutrient loss from zokor mounds in relation to slope gradient and rainfall intensity, and to assess the amount of soil loss in zokor-infested areas compared with healthy meadows in Henan County, Qinghai Province. The results showed that zokor mounds were gradually lowered at a rate of 1.8&#8722;3.9 cm h^&#8722;1. Soil loss occurred two min after the rain began, reaching the maximum level during the first 20 min. The rate of soil loss and nutrient loss increased with the rainfall intensity and slope gradient. When the rainfall intensity rose from 5 to 10 mm h^&#8722;1, and from 10 to 15 mm h^&#8722;1, the total soil loss on 10&#176; slopes increased by 2.5 times and 3.9 times, respectively, and soil nutrient loss increased by 1.7 times and 2.7 times, respectively. As the slope gradient steepened to 20&#176;, the corresponding figures were 2.8 times and 4.3 times for total soil loss, and 1.8 times and 2.9 times, respectively, for soil nutrient loss. When the slope rose to 30&#176;, the soil loss increased by 3.0 and 4.5 times, and the soil nutrient loss increased by 1.8 times and 3.1 times, respectively. There was a power function between soil loss and surface runoff (S = 0.2371Q^2.2307, R² = 0.9529). The soil was eroded at a rate of 256.6 g m^&#8722;2 h^&#8722;1 from zokor mounds, 17.7 times higher than in intact meadows, and 1.8 times higher than in partially recovered meadows. Most of the eroded soils had a mean diameter of 0&#8722;1.2 mm. It is recommended that artificial control of plateau zokors should be implemented, together with other ecological restoration measures to restrain the soil erosion problem caused by zokor activities.