Catena最新文献

{"title":"The great decline of suspended sediment load in the Po River (Italy) over the last 100 years","authors":"Andrea Brenna ,&nbsp;Simone Bizzi ,&nbsp;Nicola Surian","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109864","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109864","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates how a sequence of human impacts has profoundly altered suspended sediment yields in the Po River, the largest fluvial system in Italy, over the last 100 years. By integrating long-term data on suspended sediment transport with a detailed analysis of anthropogenic drivers—including land-use changes, in-channel mining, damming and river training works—we reconstruct the spatiotemporal trajectory of sediment dynamics across the river system. Results reveal a marked reduction in suspended sediment yields, occurring asynchronously along the Po River: declines of about −48% first emerged in the middle course during the 1920s–1940s, primarily due to dam construction in the western catchment, and later, with comparable intensity, in the lower course (1950s–1980s), largely driven by river training interventions, sediment deposition within the active channel, and sediment retention in flood detention basins along the Apennine tributaries. Considering the entire investigated time window (1924–2019), the river exhibits a substantial long-term reduction in annual suspended sediment yields, exceeding −72% at the catchment closure. These reductions in fine sediment transport have contributed to trigger substantial geomorphological transformations affecting the delta region. The findings underscore the complexity of interpreting sediment dynamics under overlapping anthropogenic pressures and highlight the need for integrated management strategies aimed at restoring sediment fluxes and connectivity. In particular, the partial reactivation of sediment deposits accumulated within anthropogenically induced traps along the main stem could represent a promising, though complex, strategy to mitigate sediment deficits and support more sustainable management of the delta.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109864"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146076299","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cosmogenic 10Be dating of a relict flowslide in the Sudetes (SW Poland) – The first dated pre-Holocene landslide in the region and validation of previous soil investigations","authors":"Karol Tylmann ,&nbsp;Piotr Migoń ,&nbsp;Vincent Rinterknecht ,&nbsp;Kacper Jancewicz ,&nbsp;Aleksandra Bielicka-Giełdoń ,&nbsp;ASTER Team","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109861","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109861","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Numerous boulders of rhyolitic tuff are strewn across a relict flowslide at Mt. Garbatka in the Kamienne Mountains (Sudetes range, SW Poland). Previous research at this site, involving geomorphological mapping, shallow geophysical survey and soil mapping, led to the proposal that the landslide was pre-Holocene and that two separate phases of movement are recorded in landforms. The abundance of boulders on the surface of the flowslide provided an opportunity to sample for cosmogenic ¹⁰Be surface exposure dating. The aims of the dating campaign were twofold: (a) to provide the first ever cosmogenic dates for a landslide in the Sudetes; (b) to validate the approach of constraining landslides ages based on soil distribution and characteristics. Ten boulders were sampled at two localities within the flowslide, five at each site. The more distal boulders yielded ages ranging from 64.8 ± 1.9 ka to 21.0 ± 0.7 ka, while those from the proximal cluster have ages ranging from 48.3 ± 1.4 ka to 35.9 ± 1.0 ka. At each site, the two youngest dates are outliers, interpreted as a result of later exposure of the boulders due to erosion of the landslide matrix. The mean ages for the remaining boulders are 58.5 ± 5.7 ka for the distal site and 47.0 ± 2.2 ka for the proximal site. These results are consistent with an earlier reasoning and confirm two phases of displacement, probably associated with minor climatic shifts from colder to warmer environments. Although the scatter of dates precludes one definitive interpretation. Additionally, a morphometric study of 14 landslides in the region was performed and aimed at the quantification of surface roughness, which could be a proxy of landslides age. The results suggest that it is possible to distinguish two sub-populations, an older one predating the Last Glacial Maximum and a younger one, active during the Pleistocene/Holocene transition and the Holocene.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109861"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Precipitation changes reshape plant-soil microbial biodiversity relationship: differential responses of prokaryotes and fungi in a semi-arid grassland","authors":"Meiping Chen ,&nbsp;Ruyan Qian ,&nbsp;Shaorui Xu ,&nbsp;Zhenzhen Zheng ,&nbsp;Jianqing Du ,&nbsp;Kai Xue ,&nbsp;Xiaoyong Cui ,&nbsp;Yanfen Wang ,&nbsp;Yanbin Hao","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109874","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109874","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Climate change is driving unprecedented shifts in global precipitation patterns, yet how these hydrological perturbations alter the relationship between plant diversity and microbial biodiversity, both of which play integral roles in ecosystem functioning, remains a key unresolved issue in biodiversity-ecosystem function research. Here we conducted a large-scale biodiversity experiment in a semi-arid grassland, manipulating both plant diversity (monocultures to 16-species mixtures) and precipitation patterns (50%, 100%, and 150% of ambient rainfall) to investigate how plant diversity modulates soil prokaryotic and fungal biodiversity under altered precipitation. We found that high plant diversity enhanced prokaryotic diversity, network complexity, and stability under the ambient precipitation, consistent with insurance hypothesis. However, these positive effects were environmentally contingent. Under increased precipitation, the positive effect of plant diversity on prokaryotic diversity was strengthened (+100%). Under decreased precipitation, plant diversity no longer correlated with prokaryotic diversity or network stability; instead, it increased prokaryotic network complexity, consistent with stress gradient hypothesis. For fungi, plant diversity showed no correlation with diversity, however, it induced a U-shaped relationship with network complexity under ambient precipitation. Under decreased precipitation, both fungal diversity and network complexity exhibited similar U-shaped patterns as plant diversity increased. Furthermore, we revealed that soil total organic carbon positively drove prokaryote, while nitrate nitrogen negatively regulated fungi. Crucially, precipitation changes reshaped the plant-microbe relationship by changing soil carbon‑nitrogen dynamics. These findings advanced our understanding of climate-plant-microbial feedback mechanisms and provided critical insights for sustainable grassland management under global change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109874"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171325","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Alpine plant trait combinations shape soil erosion dynamics and patterns","authors":"Jana Eichel ,&nbsp;Maarten Zwarts ,&nbsp;Maarten G. Kleinhans ,&nbsp;Leon Duurkoop ,&nbsp;Stef van der Horst ,&nbsp;Florine Kooij ,&nbsp;Marcel C.G. van Maarseveen ,&nbsp;Isa Meirink ,&nbsp;Annemarie de Putter ,&nbsp;Connor Smith","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109841","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109841","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Soil erosion strongly affects high mountain slopes, such as deglaciating moraines and hiking trails. Plants can decrease soil erosion through adapted plant functional traits, such as high leaf densities or dense root systems. However, due to trait trade-offs, a plant species cannot excel in all beneficial traits at once. Thus, to successfully protect and restore eroding mountain slopes, quantification of effects of common alpine trait combinations on soil erosion dynamics and patterns is needed. We used a semi-natural experiment in the Utrecht Botanic Gardens to test how five alpine plant species with contrasting trait combinations affect soil erosion dynamics and patterns over two growing seasons, combining sediment collection with structure-from-motion techniques. Our results show that trait combinations of key architectural, mechanical and life-history traits ranged from fast growth with high flexibility to slow, stiff and dense growth. Based on trait combinations, we identified five soil erosion plant strategies with distinct effects on sediment yields (SYs) and deposition patterns developing over time. Two quickly growing species (“opportunist”, “conqueror”) swiftly reduced SYs in the first year (up to 70%), storing sediment in-plant or a low terrace. Two more slowly growing species with stiff, dense stems (“blocker”, “builder”) significantly decreased SYs (up to 97%) in the second year, building cm-high, up to 40 cm long terraces. A fifth single stem species (“intensifier”) increased SYs by up to 250%. Our plant strategies create a key link between plant functional ecology and soil erosion research to improve nature-based solutions on eroding hillslopes across mountain regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109841"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146076247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Direct cause of the prehistoric catastrophe revealed by the sedimentary provenance source of the overburden layer in the Lajia ruins in western China","authors":"Hui Zhao ,&nbsp;Chun Chang Huang ,&nbsp;Haiyan Wang ,&nbsp;Yuzhu Zhang ,&nbsp;Jiangli Pang ,&nbsp;Ruiqing Shang ,&nbsp;Xiaoke Qiang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109859","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109859","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The causes of the prehistoric catastrophe recorded at the Lajia ruins—located in the Guanting Basin, upper reaches of the Yellow River—have sparked intense academic debate. However, whether the Lajia ruins were buried and destroyed by outburst floods from the Yellow River, landslide dam outburst floods from Jishi Gorge or earthquake-induced flashfloods and mudflows in tributary valleys is still inconclusive. To reveal the direct cause of the prehistoric catastrophe, here we performed sedimentary provenance analysis (including heavy mineral assemblages and zircon typomorphism) of the overburden layer at the Lajia ruins. Our results indicate that the flashflood deposits covering the western and southwestern Lajia ruins are mixtures of old metamorphic bedrock from Laji Mountain at the source of the Lüjiagou gully and sand and clay materials from the Tertiary red layer mountain and gully region. The red mudflow deposits covering the eastern and southeastern Lajia ruins were sourced mainly from the large ancient landslide zone of the Tertiary red layer mountain region on the northern slope of the Guanting Basin. Therefore, the deposits covering the Lajia ruins are typical flashflood and mudflow deposits. Combined with the densely distributed ground fissures and severely damaged ruins, these lines of evidence indicate that a strong earthquake occurred along the Lajishan fault zone at 3850a BP, and in conjunction with the torrential rain, it triggered large-scale flashfloods and mudflows from the northern valley slope of the central Guanting Basin, which inundated the Lajia ruins. The landslide-mudflow disaster triggered by the 2023 Jishishan earthquake in the same fault zone can serve as an important analogue for comparative research on the Lajia ruins. Overall, our results provide direct evidence and a new research perspective for accurately identifying the cause of the Lajia ruins destruction, and further support ongoing regional studies concerning this complex disaster chain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109859"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146076296","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Energy balance effects of extreme snow events on shallow frozen and thawed surfaces in highland pastoral areas","authors":"Zhenghu Ge ,&nbsp;Hongchao Dun ,&nbsp;Rezaali Pakzad ,&nbsp;Guang Li ,&nbsp;Ning Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109810","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109810","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Energy balance serves as a critical benchmark for validating land-atmosphere interaction models. Extreme snowfall events profoundly alter snowpack dynamics and disrupt shallow soil energy partitioning during freeze-thaw cycles, yet remain inadequately characterized. We established meteorological stations near Namtso Lake in the alpine grasslands, monitoring air and soil parameters (temperature, moisture), radiation fluxes, and snow depth to quantify energy budget perturbations under extreme conditions. The study phase successfully captured rare extreme snowfall events and concurrent surface freeze-thaw processes, providing pivotal observational data. Novel computational approaches were subsequently developed to quantify individual energy fluxes, enabling rigorous assessment of energy balance within this complex environment. Extreme snowfall exerts dominant control over energy partitioning during soil freeze-thaw cycles, significantly modifying surface energy fluxes despite diminishing effects on closure rate with increasing snow depth. Our findings reveal that: (1) Individual energy fluxes maintain diurnal cyclicity independent of snow cover; (2) Energy closure is enhanced during snowfall phases relative to snowmelt phases; (3) The Energy Closure Ratio (CR) during snowfall exhibits a concave relationship with snow depth (initial decrease followed by increase), while CR during snowmelt demonstrates monotonic decline. This study advances our understanding of snow-permafrost interactions in mid-latitude, high-elevation regions, providing a mechanistic framework for analyzing extreme snow events.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109810"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146076239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Influences of vegetation distribution on soil organic carbon accumulation and stability in a coastal wetland, Southeast China","authors":"Rui Zhang ,&nbsp;Lijie Pu ,&nbsp;Jiawei Tao ,&nbsp;Jiayi Xie ,&nbsp;Ye Yuan ,&nbsp;Rui Zhong ,&nbsp;Jiahao Zhai ,&nbsp;Yumeng Lu ,&nbsp;Xiaoqing Wang ,&nbsp;Lu Qie ,&nbsp;Geli He ,&nbsp;Sihua Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109902","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109902","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vegetation distribution in coastal wetlands influences soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation and stability by regulating the soil carbon sequestration environment, yet the underlying mechanisms require further investigation. This study focused on a typical vegetation distribution along the sea-land gradient “<em>tidal flat</em> (TF), <em>Spartina alterniflora</em> (SA), <em>Suaeda salsa</em> (SS), <em>Phragmites australis</em> (PA),” and systematically analyzed the SOC accumulation characteristics and environmental drivers in the 0–60 cm soil profile. The results showed that: (1) SOC and its fractions varied significantly along the vegetation distribution gradient. The contents of SOC, recalcitrant organic carbon (ROC), and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) were highest in the SA community. The content of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was highest in the PA community. The contents of SOC and its fractions decreased with increasing soil depth. (2) ROC and MAOC were the primary fractions contributing to SOC stability. The ROC/SOC (70.09%) and MAOC/SOC (68.16%) were highest in the SA community, followed by the PA community (65.76% and 65.42%, respectively). The proportions of other SOC fractions were highest in the TF community. Generally, ROC/SOC dominated the 0–30 cm soil layer (mean: 62.68%), whereas MAOC/SOC contributed more significantly to the 30–60 cm layer (mean: 63.59%). (3) The Random Forest model and PLS-SEM identified soil total nitrogen (STN), belowground biomass (BGB), clay and silt, and carbon-fixing bacteria (e.g., <em>Proteobacteria</em>, <em>Bacteroidota</em>, <em>Actinobacteriota</em>, and <em>Chloroflexi</em>) as key influencing factors of SOC accumulation and stability. ROC and MAOC were the optimal indicators for characterizing SOC stability changes in the 0–30 cm and 30–60 cm soil layers, respectively. These findings deepen the understanding of the mechanisms linking vegetation distribution and SOC stability, providing a scientific basis for optimizing coastal blue carbon management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109902"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171041","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Divergent responses of soil organic carbon stocks in different layers to global changes on the Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Xin Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongjin Chen ,&nbsp;Jun Zhou ,&nbsp;Xiyu Zhang ,&nbsp;Jianrong Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109917","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109917","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) on the Tibetan Plateau (TP) and its response to future climate change is crucial for regional carbon cycling and ecosystem management. This study used 372 soil profiles, including data from a dedicated field survey, to model SOC density (SOCD) at depths of 0–30, 30–50, and 50–100 cm using a recursive feature elimination-random forest (RFE-RF) approach. Based on 10-fold cross-validation, the model explained 56%, 48%, and 35% of the spatial variability in SOCD across these layers. For the baseline period (1990–2025), the total SOC stock in the upper 1 m was estimated at 34.17 Pg (90% prediction interval: 6.29–90.25 Pg). Of this total, 16.29 Pg (4.16–36.48 Pg), 6.85 Pg (0.84–18.75 Pg), and 11.03 Pg (1.29–35.02 Pg) were stored in the 0–30, 30–50, and 50–100 cm layers, respectively. Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) analysis identified the aridity index (AI) as the most influential driver, with higher aridity consistently exerting negative effects on SOCD across all depths. In the topsoil (0–30 cm), additional key drivers included the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil pH, and mean annual precipitation (MAP). The influence of potential evapotranspiration (PET) increased in the 30–50 cm layer, whereas silt content and shortwave infrared 1 (SWIR1) reflectance became more influential in the deepest layer (50–100 cm). Projections under the SSP5–8.5 scenario suggest a significant decline (p &lt; 0.01) in SOC stocks from 2030 to 2100, particularly in the 50–100 cm layer. While humid to semi-arid regions experienced substantial SOC losses, the arid-desert region showed a significant increase in surface SOC (0–30 cm). These results clarify layer-specific drivers and future vulnerabilities of SOC on the TP and provide useful information for adaptive soil carbon management</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109917"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171103","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Aridity-dependent biodiversity and multi-trophic associations drive soil multifunctionality in dryland ecosystems","authors":"Jianyu Wang ,&nbsp;Haining Zhang ,&nbsp;Chunping Zhang ,&nbsp;Bangjie Tang ,&nbsp;Yuyu Li ,&nbsp;Qinglan Hu ,&nbsp;Zhangxing Zhang ,&nbsp;Xinwen Li ,&nbsp;Ran Xu ,&nbsp;Miaochun Fan ,&nbsp;Wenqing Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109899","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109899","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dryland ecosystems span a wide aridity gradient, support diverse soil organisms, and rely on soil biodiversity to maintain essential soil functions. It is widely recognized that increasing aridity is critical in reducing soil biodiversity and disrupting belowground organism associations that ultimately lead to the collapse of soil functions. However, the relative contributions of the diversity of different taxonomic groups and distinct types of multi-trophic associations under aridity gradients remain poorly understood. In this study, we surveyed 120 dryland sites along a 4500 km aridity gradient in northern China and assessed soil multifunctionality by measuring eight soil attributes related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus cycling. Diversity of eight microbial and microfaunal groups was analyzed to assess their relationships and relative contributions to soil multifunctionality. To further explore potential biotic associations, we constructed co-occurrence networks and assessed how different association types across trophic levels contributed to soil multifunctionality. Although soil biodiversity was a strong predictor of soil multifunctionality across the aridity gradient, the contributions of individual taxa varied markedly. Among microbes, bacterial and saprotrophic fungal diversity showed stronger positive correlations, while among microfauna, rotifer diversity was most strongly correlated. Aridity weakened biotic associations, and their functional contributions to soil multifunctionality differed among types. Associations among microbes, both within and across groups, had the strongest positive relationships with soil multifunctionality, followed by microbe–microfauna associations, whereas associations involving only microfaunal groups showed weak or non-significant relationships. Importantly, biotic associations not only directly promoted soil multifunctionality but also mediated biodiversity's positive effects on multifunctionality. Our results unveil the relative importance of soil biotic diversity and specific ecological associations in relation to soil multifunctionality across the aridity gradient, highlighting the need to conserve not only the diversity of functionally important soil biotic groups but also ecological associations with high functional importance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109899"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146171273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Runoff–sediment coupling in low vegetation coverage scenario: Insights from plot scale experiment in the loess environment","authors":"Yingxi Zeng ,&nbsp;Yu Liu ,&nbsp;Cong Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109894","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.catena.2026.109894","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vegetation cover is generally considered as an effective factor reducing surface runoff and soil erosion. Yet the role of vegetation cover pattern plays in runoff generation and sediment production under low vegetation coverage remains unclear. This study aims to explore the impacts of vegetation cover pattern on runoff, sediment production, and their coupling under the low vegetation coverage scenario in the loess environment by experiment at plot scale. Ten experimental plots with a gradient of low vegetation coverage were established to monitor runoff generation and sediment production under natural rainfall events. Based on upslope contributing area (UCA) derived from the digital surface model (DSM) and orthoimages derived from the UAV photogrammetry, the rills on the soil surface were identified. The linear regression equations revealing the runoff–sediment coupling of each plot were established. Results showed increased rill area proportion, total runoff volume, and sediment production with increased vegetation coverage under the low vegetation coverage scenario. Sediment production exhibited a linear relationship with runoff volume, with no significant difference in slopes of fitting equations among plots. However, a significant increase in equation intercept corresponding to increased vegetation coverage was detected. These results indicated that the sediment carrying capacity of runoff kept consistent under low vegetation coverage. This study confirmed that the increasing vegetation coverage within the low coverage range promoted rill formation by impacting the evolution of microtopography and thus enhanced concentrated flow, which intensified runoff generation and soil erosion. Overall, the results revealed an enhancement stage of runoff and sediment generation under low vegetation coverage less than 10%. It is implied that there is a critical vegetation coverage threshold that must be surpassed to guarantee an effective reduction in soil and water loss, particularly in semiarid regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":9801,"journal":{"name":"Catena","volume":"265 ","pages":"Article 109894"},"PeriodicalIF":5.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146170604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}