The crucial role of soil water retention and storage in soil hydrology and the water cycle is well established. However, in sensitive and degraded ecosystems like alpine meadows, the effectiveness of revegetation in enhancing these critical functions remains understudied. This study investigates the effects of revegetating severely degraded hillside meadows with artificial grasslands on soil water retention and storage capacity in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. Soil analyses at a depth of 0–20 cm revealed significant improvements in soil properties after revegetation, with increases in soil organic matter content (86.8%), total porosity (11.9%), capillary porosity (31.6%), and clay content (13.5%). Both the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) and field capacity (FC) increased markedly, by 9.7% and 63.7% in the upper layer (0–10 cm) and 21.7% and 69.6% in the lower layer (10–20 cm), respectively. Structural equation modeling identified bulk density, root mass density, FC, capillary porosity, and clay content as the dominant direct factors influencing Ks with path coefficients of −0.56, 0.30, −0.53, 0.57, and −0.12, respectively, while vegetation cover and aboveground biomass were found to have indirect influences. These findings demonstrate that revegetation with artificial grasslands effectively improves soil water retention and storage capacity in degraded hillside alpine meadows by regulating key soil hydraulic and physical properties. This enhanced water-holding capacity has significant implications for understanding the dynamics of revegetation by artificial grassland establishment in improving ecosystem health and eco-hydrological functions in these vulnerable environments. Furthermore, the study provides valuable insights and a theoretical basis for developing ecological restoration solutions for degraded hillside meadows in other alpine regions.

中文翻译：

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人工草地恢复提高了退化山坡高山草甸的土壤保水和蓄水能力


土壤保水和储水在土壤水文学和水循环中的关键作用已得到充分证实。然而，在高山草甸等敏感和退化的生态系统中，植被恢复在增强这些关键功能方面的有效性仍未得到充分研究。本研究探讨了用人工草地对严重退化的山坡草甸进行植被恢复对青藏高原土壤保水蓄能的影响。0-20 cm 深度的土壤分析显示，重新植被后土壤特性显着改善，土壤有机质含量 （86.8%）、总孔隙度 （11.9%）、毛细孔隙度 （31.6%） 和粘土含量 （13.5%） 增加。饱和导水率 （Ks） 和场容量 （FC） 均显著增加，上层 （0-10 cm） 分别增加了 9.7% 和 63.7%，下层 （10-20 cm） 分别增加了 21.7% 和 69.6%。结构方程模型确定容重、根质量密度、FC、毛细孔隙度和粘土含量是影响 Ks 的主要直接因素，路径系数分别为 -0.56、0.30、-0.53、0.57 和 -0.12，而植被覆盖和地上生物量被发现具有间接影响。这些发现表明，人工草地的植被恢复通过调节关键的土壤水力和物理特性，有效地改善了退化山坡高山草甸的土壤保水和储存能力。这种增强的持水能力对于理解人工草地建立植被的动态在改善这些脆弱环境中的生态系统健康和生态水文功能方面具有重要意义。 此外，该研究为其他高寒地区退化的山坡草甸开发生态恢复解决方案提供了宝贵的见解和理论基础。