Relationships between the soil organic carbon density of surface soils and the influencing factors in differing land uses in Inner Mongolia

Land use patterns are changing and the environment has become more vulnerable in an agro-pastoral ecotone in Inner Mongolia. Modeling studies can be done through studying the relationships between the soil organic carbon density (SOCD) and the influencing factors in differing land uses such as cropland, forest and grassland. Such studies can provide the basis for predicting soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks and using land resources efficiently. Therefore, the relationships between the SOCD of surface soils and the influencing factors, such as soil type, slope and elevation, were selected for a study in differing land uses of Duolun County, Inner Mongolia. The results showed that: (1) The variation in SOCD among the soil types followed the same order in the three land uses: chernozems > meadow soils > bog soils > castanozems > gray-cinnamon soils > eolian soils. The sensitivity of SOCD to land use change was different for the six soil types. Both the degradation of grassland and the application of the government policy of returning forest from cropland induced the greatest variation in SOCD. (2) SOCD correlated significantly with soil type and elevation in each land use. There was a significant correlation between SOCD and slope in the forest. (3) Statistical models showing SOCD and the influencing factors were developed and provided the basis for predicting SOC stocks in Duolun County, Inner Mongolia.