Karst area soil nutrients reveal surprising spatial patterns impacting vegetation growth.
Soil nutrients in Karst area's Mulun National Nature Reserve were studied using soil samples and statistical analysis. The soil pH varied slightly, while nutrients like phosphorus and potassium showed more variation. Different models were used to analyze the data, with soil pH following a spherical pattern and potassium and nitrogen following exponential and Gaussian patterns. Potassium had the largest variation range, while pH and potassium showed smaller ranges. The distribution of soil nutrients was influenced by vegetation, topography, and micro-habitat heterogeneity. Overall, the study found that soil pH and potassium had patchy distributions, while organic matter and total potassium showed more gradual changes across the landscape.