Soil water-holding capacity,nutrient characteristics,and their interrelationships in Wuyi Mountain National Park
YU Bohang
FAN Qiangyong
CHENG Lin
ZHAO Yuze
CAO Shining
WANG Jianming
Abstract：[Objective]The Wuyi Mountain in Southeastern China is characterized by complex topography and diverse soil types.This paper presents the results of an experimental study on water-holding capacity and nutrient content of soils at different depths in this region,aiming to provide a database to support ecosystem management and soil conservation strategies.[Method]The study focused on four types of soils in the region:red soil,yellow-red soil,yellow soil,and mountain meadow soil.Soil samples were collected from two depths:0-15 cm and 15-30 cm at various locations over the region.For each sample,we measured soil saturated water content,total organic carbon,ammonium nitrogen,nitrate nitrogen,total organic nitrogen,total organic phosphorus,and total inorganic phosphorus.Wilcoxon rank-sum tests,Spearman correlation analysis and principal component analysis were used to analyze water-holding capacity,nutrient contents,and their interrelationships.[Result]①Saturated water content and all nutrient indices in the topsoil soil layer(0-15 cm)were higher than those in the subsoil layer(15-30 cm)(P＜0.05).②Except for nitrate nitrogen,saturated water content and all nutrient indices differed among the four soil types(P＜0.05),following the order:mountain meadow soil＞yellow soil＞yellow-red soil＞red soil.③In the topsoil layer,saturated water content was positively correlated with all nutrient indices(P＜0.05),whereas in the subsoil layer,it was positively correlated with all nutrients except nitrate nitrogen(P＞0.05).④Principal component analysis indicated that differences in water-holding capacity and nutrient properties were most pronounced between red soil and mountain meadow soil,with saturated water content,total organic carbon,and total organic nitrogen being the main contributors.⑤The correlation between saturated soil water content and nutrient content varied by soil type:in red soil,it was negatively correlated with total organic phosphorus(P＜0.05);in yellow-red soil,it was insignificantly correlated with inorganic nitrogen(P＞0.05)but was significantly positively correlated with other nutrient indicators(P＜0.05);in yellow soil,it was insignificantly correlated with total inorganic phosphorus(P＞0.05)but significantly positively correlated with other nutrients(P＜0.05);in mountain meadow soil,it was significantly positively correlated with all three organic nutrients(P＜0.05).[Conclusion]Water-holding capacity and nutrient contents exhibited pronounced vertical differentiation in all four soil types.Their coupling relationships shifted from being dominated by physical-leaching processes in less fertile soils to being jointly regulated by organic matter accumulation in more fertile soils.
Keywords：soil saturated water contentsoil organic carbonmountain meadow soilprincipal component analysis
Publication Date：2026-05-31
Online Publishing Date：2026-09-12(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：10( 87-96 )