Effects of vegetation restoration types on soil erosion reduction of a shallow karst fissure soil system in the degraded karst areas of Southwestern China

Abstract

Abstract Shallow karst fissures are the main hydrological paths, underground loss channels, and one of the most critical root habitats in fragile karst rocky desertification areas. Revegetation may alter the type of vegetation cover in fissures, resulting in changes to soil properties and erosion reduction. In this study, we evaluate the influence of revegetation on the soil erosion reduction of fissure‐soil–plant systems (FSPS) for three vegetation types (herbs, shrubs, and trees) in FSPS and use bare FSPS without vegetation as a control in a karst rocky desertification area. The results show that the soil physicochemical properties of FSFS degraded first and then improved after abandonment, resulting in the order of soil erosion reduction of FSPS with vegetation succession being: shrub < herb < bare < tree. Vegetation restoration can significantly improve the soil erosion resistance of the 10–20 cm soil layer in the fissure zone, making it stronger than that in the non‐fissure zone, thus reducing the risk of underground leakage on the slope. The results obtained in this study deepen our knowledge of the impact of vegetation restoration type on soil erosion reduction and has significant implications for guiding vegetation restoration and preventing underground leakage in karst areas.