| Research Articles |
|
|
|
|
| Influence of tourist disturbance on soil properties, plant communities, and surface water quality in the Tianchi scenic area of Xinjiang, China |
| WEN Bin1,2,3,4, ZHANG Xiaolei1, YANG Zhaoping1*, XIONG Heigang2, QIU Yang5 |
1 Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China;
2 College of Resource and Environment Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China;
3 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
4 Department of Economic Management, Huanghuai University, Zhumadian 463000, China;
5 Cold and Arid Regions Environmental and Engineering Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China |
|
|
|
Abstract The impact of tourist disturbance on the environment has become a focal issue of environmental science, ecology, and travel management studies. To assess the influence of tourist disturbance on soils and plants in the Tianchi scenic area of Xinjiang, China, we compared soil properties and plant community characteristics at 0, 5, 10, and 20 m from the tourist trail within areas at three different altitudes, where the intensities of tourist disturbance are distinct. Surface water quality was also studied at three different levels relative to the Tianchi Lake. The results showed that tourist disturbance significantly increased soil pH within 10 m from the trail and soil bulk density on the edge of the trail, but significantly reduced soil organic matter and total nitrogen contents within 5 m from the trail. The number of tree seedlings on the edge of the trail and the shrub coverage and height of herbaceous plants within 5 m from the trail significantly decreased due to tourist disturbance. Changes in herbaceous plant diversity differed by soil zones. In the high altitude region, tourist disturbance led to a remarkable increase in the herbaceous plant diversity on the edge of the trail, while in the low altitude region, tourist disturbance had a low impact on the diversity of herbaceous plants. In addition, tourist activities polluted the surface water, significantly reducing water quality. Thus, current tourist activities have a significant negative impact on the ecological environment in the Tianchi scenic area.
|
|
Received: 18 June 2015
Published: 01 April 2016
|
| Fund: This paper was sponsored by the Chinese Academy of Sciences Visiting Professorship for Senior International Scientists (2015VEA048), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41301163, 41301204), the Project of Featured Major Tourism Management (HHXY2013LY), and the Doctoral Startup Funds from Huanghuai University (2013D1310). |
|
Corresponding Authors:
|
|
|
| Andrés-Abellán M, Del Álamo J B, Landete-Castillejos T, et al. 2005. Impacts of visitors on soil and vegetation of the recreational area “Nacimiento Del Rio Mundo” (Castilla-La Mancha, Spain). Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 101(1–3): 55–67. Blair N, Crocker G J. 2000. Crop rotation effects on soil carbon and physical fertility of two Australian soils. Australian Journal of Soil Research, 38(1): 71–84. Cheng Z H, Zhang J T, Shangguan T L. 2002. Relationship between tourism development and vegetation environment in the Luya Mountain Nature Reserve I. Quality analysis of vegetation environment. Acta Ecologica Sinica, 22(10): 1765–1773. (in Chinese)Dale D, Weaver T. 1974. Trampling effects on vegetation of the trail corridors of North Rocky Mountain Forests. Journal of Applied Ecology, 11(6): 767–772. Dick R P, Myrold D D, Kerle E A. 1988. Microbial biomass and soil enzyme activities in compacted and rehabilitated skid trail soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 52(2): 512–516. Feng X G, Bao H S. 1999. Preliminary research on tourist activity influences upon the soil and cover plant of scenic spot. Journal of Natural Resources, 14(1): 75–78. (in Chinese)Gao X M, Ma K P, Chen L Z. 2003. A pilot study on the impact of tourism on the species diversity of subalpine meadows in Dongling Mountain in Beijing. Biodiversity Science, 10(2): 189–195. Gong J, Lu L, Jin X L, F, et al. 2009. Impacts of tourist disturbance on plant communities and soil properties in Huangshan Mountain scenic area. Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 29(5): 2239–2251. Guan D S, Lin W C, Chen Y J. 1999. The impact of tourist disturbance on the soil and vegetation of Baiyunshan. Journal of Environmental Sciences, (6): 155–159. (in Chinese)ISO. 1994. ISO 10390: Soil quality—Determination of pH. Geneva: International Organization for Standardization.Jiang W J, Zhu L X, Li J. 1996. Study on the effect of tourism on the ecological environment of Mountain Emei and protective strategy. China Journal of Environmental Science, 17(3): 49–53.Johnston A E. 1986. Soil organic carbon, effects on soils and crops. Soil Use and Management, 2(3): 97–105. Kopelove A, Hach C, Bowden B, et al. 1987. More powerful peroxide Kjeldahl digestion method. Journal–Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 70: 783–787. Liu H Y, Zhang J H. 1997. Effects of recreational disturbance on the Cotinus coggygria var. cinerea forest in Xiangshan Mountain, Beijing. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica, 21(2): 191–196. Nelson D W, Sommer L E. 1982. Total carbon, organic, and organic matter. In: Page A L. Methods of Soil Analysis. Madison: American Society of Agronomy, 539–579. NY/T 1121.4. 2006. Soil Testing, Part 4: Method for Determination of Soil Bulk Density. Ministry of Agriculture of the People's Republic of China. Qin Y H, Xie D T, Wei C F, et al. 2006. Study on responses of soil ecological environment to impacts of tourist activities. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 20(3): 61–65. (in Chinese)Qiu Y, Wang Y J, Xie Z K. 2014. Long-term gravel-sand mulch affects soil physicochemical properties, microbial biomass, and enzyme activities in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of North-western China. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica, Section B–Soil & Plant Science, 64(4): 294–303. Reeves D W. 1997. The role of soil organic matter in maintaining soil quality in continuous cropping system. Soil and Tillage Research, 43(97): 131–167. Sanjay K N, Paul W. 2007. Comparison of vegetation conditions along two backcountry trails in Mount Robson Provincial Park, British Columbia (Canada). Journal of Environmental Management, 82(2): 240–249. Shi Q. 2000. Influence of tourism development and utilization of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park to the natural environment. PhD Dissertation. Beijing: Beijing Forestry University. (in Chinese)Shi Q, Zhong L S, Wang X F. 2004. Effects of recreation on plants in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology, 28(1): 107–113. Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China. 1989a. Water Quality—determination of the Chemical Oxygen Demand—Dichramate Method. Beijing: China Standard Press. (in Chinese)Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China. 1989b. Water Quality—determination of pH Value—Glass Electrode Method. Beijing: China Standard Press. (in Chinese)Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China. 1989c. Water Quality—Determination of Total Phosphorus—Ammonium Molybdate Spectrophotometric Method. Beijing: China Standard Press. (in Chinese)Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China. 1989d. Water Quality—Determination of Total Nitrogen-alkaline Potassium Persulfate Digestion—UV Spectrophotometric Method. Beijing: China Standard Press. (in Chinese)Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China. 2002. Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Water. Beijing: China Standard Press. (in Chinese)Wang H, Yang Z P. 2008. Research on tourism environmental carrying capacity of Tianchi Scenic. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 22(9): 193–196. (in Chinese)Wang Z J, Cai J, Zhang Q X. 2003. A Preliminary study on the effect of tourism disturbance on the soil of Yunmeng Mountain National Forest Park. The Journal of Hebei Forestry Science and Technology, (5): 12–15. (in Chinese)Witztum E R, Stow D A. 2004. Analysing direct impacts of recreation activity on coastal sage scrub habitat with very high resolution multi-spectral imagery. International Journal of Remote Sensing, 25(17): 3477–3497. Young R A, Gilmore R. 1976. Effects of various camping intensities on soil properties in Illinois campgrounds. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 40(6): 908–911. |
|
Viewed |
|
|
|
Full text
|
|
|
|
|
Abstract
|
|
|
|
|
Cited |
|
|
|
|
| |
Shared |
|
|
|
|
| |
Discussed |
|
|
|
|
