Differences in soil characteristics between preferential and matrix flow areas in wetland plants root zone in the Yellow River Delta

Suaeda salsa, a typical wetland plant in the Yellow River Delta National Nature Reserve, was studied．Field dye tracing and laboratory soil property monitoring were used to understand soil effect of preferential flow, providing practical quidance for wetland vegetation restoration．Contents of soil organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen and available phosphorus were found to decrease gradually with increasing soil depth, soil water content decreased initially and then increased with increasing soil depth．Any changes in soil total phosphorus content with increasing soil depth were found to be small．The contents of soil organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen and available phosphorus in preferential flow area were found significantly higher than in matrix flow area, but no significant difference in total phosphorus content was found between the two areas．Soil water content in preferential flow area was found to be higher than in matrix flow area at soil depth of 0-20 cm; soil water content in the matrix flow area was higher than in preferential flow area at soil depth of 20-60 cm, but all without statistical significance．Soil organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen and available phosphorus were found to be significantly positively correlated in preferential flow area．Soil organic carbon, organic matter, and available phosphorus were also found to be positively correlated significantly in the matrix flow area．