Short-Term Effects of Tunnel Construction on Soil Organic Carbon and Enzyme Activity in Shrublands in Eastern Tibet Plateau

Xiaodong Wang, Yang Xiao, Xinrui Luo, Chenyu Ye, Yuzhuo Chen, Jincheng Xiang, Ningfei Lei, Ci Song, Xiangjun Pei () and Xiaolu Tang ()
Additional contact information
Xiaodong Wang: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Yang Xiao: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Xinrui Luo: College of Earth Science, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Chenyu Ye: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Yuzhuo Chen: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Jincheng Xiang: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Ningfei Lei: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Ci Song: China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co., Ltd., Chengdu 610031, China
Xiangjun Pei: College of Ecology and Environment, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China
Xiaolu Tang: State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-12

Abstract: Soil is the largest carbon pool, and our understanding of soil organic carbon (SOC) has been enhanced due to its role in mitigating climate change. However, fundamental uncertainty remains about the quantitative importance of tunnel excavation, one of the most common practices for road construction in mountainous areas, on the SOC dynamics. Therefore, the short-term effects of tunnel construction on SOC and its fraction, soil microbial carbon, and soil enzyme activity within 0–20 cm in two shrublands (dominated by Quercus aquifolioides and mixed with Q. aquifolioides , Rhododendron phaeochrysum and Betula platyphylla, respectively) in Eastern Tibet Plateau were investigated. The results showed that, regardless of vegetation type, SOC, dissolved organic carbon, and easily oxidizable carbon were 27.14 ± 2.87, 6.70 ± 0.74, and 0.29 ± 0.10 g kg −1 for tunnel-affected area of Q. aquifolioides and 47.96 ± 17.89, 11.19 ± 2.92, and 0.24 ± 0.04 g kg −1 for the mixture of Q. aquifolioides , R. phaeochrysum , and B. platyphylla , respectively. The values were not significantly different from those of tunnel unaffected areas ( p > 0.05). Similarly, soil enzymes (except cellulase) were not significantly different between tunnel-affected and unaffected areas ( p > 0.05), indicating that tunnel construction had a minor impact on the SOC fractions and soil enzymes in the early stage. The unchanged SOC and enzyme activities may be associated with no changes in vegetation production and soil water content in tunnel-affected areas. However, vegetation type had a significant impact on SOC and its fractions and soil enzymes ( p < 0.05), demonstrating the importance of vegetation control on the SOC fraction and soil enzymes. This study would be one of the earliest studies to explore the effects of tunnel construction on soil carbon dynamics based on field experiment, which could provide a new concept on environmental sustainability during tunnel construction. However, a long-term study is encouraged to detect the effects of tunnel construction SOC and soil enzymes in the future.

Keywords: tunnel construction; soil organic carbon; soil enzyme activity; dissolved organic carbon; easily oxidizable carbon; Eastern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/6/5107/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/6/5107/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:6:p:5107-:d:1096416

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().