Characterizing variations in soil particle-size distribution along a grass-desert shrub transition in the ordos plateau of Inner Mongolia, China

The application of fractal geometry to describe soil degradation and dynamics is becoming a useful tool for better understanding of the performance of soil systems. In this study, four different land cover types, which represent a sequence of grass-desert shrub transition and a gradient of desertification, were selected, and soils at depths of 0-10, 10-20 and 20-40cm were sampled in the Ordos Plateau of Inner Mongolia, PR China. The fractal theory was used to analyse the soil particle-size distribution (PSD) and its variations. The results showed that (i) vegetation conversion and desertification significantly changed the soil PSD. During the desertification process, soil coarse fractions that ranged from 250 to 100μm significantly increased, whereas fine fractions lower than 50μm significantly decreased (p<0·01); (ii) fractal model of the accumulative volume particle-size distribution is appropriate, and fractal dimensions (D_m) of soil PSD significantly decreased along the sequence of grass-desert shrub transition; (iii) D_m is more sensitive to the desertification process, and therefore, we suggest D_m other than soil texture and soil organic carbon as a reliable parameter to reflect the soil environment change induced by desertification.