Changes in the profile properties and chemical weathering characteristics of cultivated soils affected by anthropic activities

Abstract

Abstract The study of the pedogenic process in response to natural evolution, gradual anthropogenic shifts and engineering upheavals is of great significance for understanding, utilizing and transforming nature in the future. Although scholars have considered anthropic activities to be an important factor affecting pedogenesis, research on how and how much anthropic activities influence the soil-forming process is scant. This paper was conducted to analyse pedogenic characteristics dominated by anthropic activities. In this study, the parent materials and soils undergoing natural evolution (NE), tillage perturbation (TP) and engineering perturbation (EP) were selected as research objects. The genetic characteristics of soils undergoing NE, TP and EP are investigated mainly from three aspects: soil profile macromorphological characteristics, soil physical and chemical properties and chemical weathering characteristics. The results indicated that the influence of anthropic activities (TP and EP) on the process of pedogenesis is complicated. First, compared with NE, TP decreases the thickness of topsoil from 22.2 to 21.2 cm, while EP increases the thickness of topsoil from 22.2 to 23.2 cm, and EP causes the soil to have a high profile development index. Second, compared with TP, EP can improve bulk density (BD), soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN) and cation exchange capacity (CEC), Finally, the chemical weathering intensity differed among NE, TP and EP and followed the order of TP > NE > EP. Therefore, in the future, the genetic characteristics of soils dominated by anthropic activities should be considered. This will help us systematically understand the genesis and evolutionary characteristics of soil and lay a foundation for further perfecting the diagnostic horizon and diagnostic characteristics of the Soil Taxonomy and World Reference Base.