General Enhancement of Soil Water Repellency by Moss Crusts in Degraded Subtropical Karst Ecosystems

作者：Xin Zhao, Dong Chen, Guanting Guo, Jiaojiao Wu, Mingzhong Long, Long Li, Xiaona Li · 发表于：European Journal of Soil Science · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1111/ejss.70064 · 被引用次数：3 · 研究领域：Biocrusts and Microbial Ecology、Lichen and fungal ecology、Fern and Epiphyte Biology

ABSTRACT Soil water repellency, a crucial soil physical property, is widespread globally, affecting hydrology positively or negatively by impeding soil wetting. Nonetheless, research on soil and biocrust water repellency in degraded subtropical karst environments is lacking. This research examined how moss crusts affect soil water repellency in these environments using the Water Drop Penetration Time (WDPT) method. The research utilised moss crusts from degraded karst areas with varying levels of degradation, contrasting them with bare soils as controls. Results indicate that degraded subtropical karst soils (calcareous and yellow soils) exhibited no water repellency (WDPT < 5 s). Moss crusts notably enhanced water repellency consistently across various degradation stages, exhibiting slight water repellency (5 s ≤ WDPT < 60 s). Soil water repellency diminished following the removal of moss; however, it remained significantly elevated compared to bare soil. Factors such as soil water content, fine particle content, aggregate stability, organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total potassium were found to significantly influence water repellency. In bare soils, water repellency peaked at 10% water content, weakening thereafter, whereas moss crusts exhibited strongest repellency at 0% water content, diminishing as water content increased. Moreover, both moss crusts and bare soils showed heightened repellency with smaller particle sizes (< 0.05 mm). The hydrological impacts ...