Effect of Soil Erosion on Soil and Plant Properties with a Consequence on Related Ecosystem Services

Abstract

Erosion is a process often driven by land management deteriorating or changing soil properties along the slopes, with consequences on ecosystem services. In a model area with Stagnic Cambisol, with two different types of land use (grassland—GL and arable land—AL), on an erosion transect in three different hillslope positions (upper, middle, and lower), in two different depths (0–10 and 35–45 cm), we observed the impact of soil erosion on soil and plant properties and ecosystem services by use of direct measurements and models. In GL, soil available potassium (SK), soil available phosphorus (SP) and pH increased both downward along the slope and in soil depth. A significantly (p < 0.01) higher content of plant nutrients (PN, PP, and PK) and shoot biomass was recorded in the lower part of the hillslope. In AL, soil parameters (pH, SOC, SN, and SOC/SN) reached the lowest values at the middle hillslope position at the shallowest depth. A relatively negligible annual average soil loss was recorded for GL (0.76 t/ha/yr). To the contrary, a very high rate of soil erosion was found for AL with maize silage. The actual soil moisture was 50% higher in GL compared to AL, which was reflected also in the soil water deficit index (SWDI) being more favorable for GL.