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Influence of slope aspect on the macro- and micronutrients in Artemisia sacrorum on the Loess Plateau in China

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Abstract

Slope aspect is an important topographic factor for a micro-ecosystem environment that may affect macro- and micronutrients in plants and soil. The south-, northwest-, and north-facing slopes were selected to investigate the influence of slope aspect on the concentrations, storage, and allocation of macro- and micronutrients in Artemisia sacrorum on the Loess Plateau in China. The concentrations of available manganese (Mn) in both rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils reached their maximum on the north-facing slope. The concentrations of available iron (Fe) in rhizosphere soil and available copper (Cu) in non-rhizosphere soil reached their maximum on the south-facing slope. Slope aspect significantly affected the total concentrations of potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), Cu, and Mn in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils, and all of these elements reached their maximum on the northwest-facing slope. Slope aspect significantly influenced the concentrations of aboveground K, Ca, and Mg, sodium (Na), Mn, and belowground K in A. sacrorum, and the concentrations of aboveground K, Ca, Mg, and Na and belowground Mn, Na, Fe, Ca, and Mg in weed. Most elements in A. sacrorum and the weeds reached their maximum on the south-facing slope. Slope aspect significantly changed the aboveground-to-belowground concentration ratios of K, Ca, and Na in A. sacrorum and weed. Slope aspect significantly affected the storage of macro- and micronutrients in A. sacrorum and weed but not the storage in the plants of the entire plot. Slope aspect predominantly affected the storage allocation of macro- and micronutrients in A. sacrorum but not those in weed. Slope aspect is an important topographic factor that affects the macro- and micronutrients in plants and soil in micro-ecosystem environments.

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Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41771557 and 41907409), the Special Scientific Research Project of Education Department of Shaanxi Provincial Government (19JK0524), and the PhD Start-up Fund of **’an University of Science and Technology (6310118031).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geomatics, **’an University of Science and Technology, **’an, 710054, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Zemin Ai

  2. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Zemin Ai, Jiaoyang Zhang, Chutao Liang, Sha Xue & Guobin Liu

  3. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences & Ministry of Water Resources, **nong Rd. 26, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Jiaoyang Zhang, Chutao Liang, Sha Xue & Guobin Liu

  4. College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Hongfei Liu

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  1. Zemin Ai
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  2. Jiaoyang Zhang
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  3. Hongfei Liu
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  4. Chutao Liang
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  5. Sha Xue
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Correspondence to Sha Xue.

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Ai, Z., Zhang, J., Liu, H. et al. Influence of slope aspect on the macro- and micronutrients in Artemisia sacrorum on the Loess Plateau in China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 20160–20172 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08570-1

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