# Short-Term Effects of Pine Plantations on Vegetation and Soil in Northern Mongolia
## 3 Results
### Changes in Chemical and Physical Properties of the Top Soil
#### 3.2.1 Changes in Chemical and Physical Properties of the Subsoil
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c c c c c} \hline
**Variables** & **Unit** & **BBS** & **NRS** & **STP** & **BDS** & **NFM** & **MGS** & **F Value** \\ \hline pH & & 6.10 \(\pm\) 0.114 & 6.51 \(\pm\) 0.07\({}^{*}\) & 7.00 \(\pm\) 0.47\({}^{*}\) & 7.90 \(\pm\) 0.03\({}^{*}\) & 6.77 \(\pm\) 0.13\({}^{*}\) & 6.88 \(\pm\) 0.11\({}^{*}\) & 13.14\({}^{**}\) \\ AN (N-NO\({}^{-3}\)) & mg kg\({}^{-1}\) & 2.99 \(\pm\) 0.54\({}^{\rm h}\) & 4.07 \(\pm\) 0.62\({}^{*}\) & 2.88 \(\pm\) 0.58\({}^{\rm h}\) & 3.17 \(\pm\) 0.58\({}^{\rm h}\) & 3.22 \(\pm\) 0.51\({}^{\rm h}\) & 5.65 \(\pm\) 0.81\({}^{\rm h}\) & 1.51\({}^{\rm h}\) \\ OC & g kg\({}^{-1}\) & 2.67 \(\pm\) 1.289\({}^{*}\) & 14.67 \(\pm\) 5.2\({}^{\rm h}\) & 8.74 \(\pm\) 0.4\({}^{\rm h}\) & 15.2 \(\pm\) 7.61\({}^{\rm h}\) & 15.8 \(\pm\) 0.53\({}^{\rm h}\) & 16.67 \(\pm\) 5.43\({}^{\rm h}\) & 1.88\({}^{\rm h}\) \\ SOCs & mg ha\({}^{-1}\) & 22.2 \(\pm\) 6.95\({}^{*}\) & 10.9 \(\pm\) 0.84\({}^{\rm h}\) & 8.11 \(\pm\) 1.5\({}^{*}\) & 14.5 \(\pm\) 3.02\({}^{\rm h}\) & 16.5 \(\pm\) 5.83\({}^{\rm h}\) & 15.3 \(\pm\) 4\({}^{\rm h}\) & 3.8 \({}^{*}\) \\ AP(P-G) & mg kg\({}^{-1}\) & 26.4 \(\pm\) 9.32\({}^{*}\) & 17.3 \(\pm\) 4.42\({}^{*}\) & 20.1 \(\pm\) 7.37\({}^{*}\) & 23.9 \(\pm\) 5.99\({}^{*}\) & 14.7 \(\pm\) 5.34\({}^{\rm h}\) & 21.2 \(\pm\) 6.69\({}^{*}\) & 1.18 \\ AK (G\({}_{2}\)O) & mg kg\({}^{-1}\) & 173.5 \(\pm\) 27.2\({}^{*}\) & 119.3 \(\pm\) 36.4\({}^{*}\) & 108.5 \(\pm\) 35.5\({}^{*}\) & 84.1 \(\pm\) 13.63\({}^{*}\) & 19.3 \(\pm\) 5.39\({}^{*}\) & 94.9 \(\pm\) 27\({}^{\rm h}\) & 13.68 \\ Sand (2–0.05 mm) & \% & 69.5 \(\pm\) 0.73\({}^{\rm h}\) & 69.5 \(\pm\) 3.91\({}^{\rm h}\) & 82.9 \(\pm\) 0.82\({}^{*}\) & 76.4 \(\pm\) 6.47\({}^{*}\) & 75.9 \(\pm\) 6.93\({}^{\rm h}\) & 73.3 \(\pm\) 3.59\({}^{*}\) & 3.93 \({}^{*}\) \\ Silt (0.05–0.002 mm) & \% & 19.8 \(\pm\) 1.94\({}^{*}\) & 179.9 \(\pm\) 75.54\({}^{*}\) & 84.4 \(\pm\) 1.59\({}^{*}\) & 11.6 \(\pm\) 4.89\({}^{*}\) & 12.7 \(\pm\) 5.62\({}^{*}\) & 15.3 \(\pm\) 3.71\({}^{*}\) & 2.38 \(\pm\) \\ Clay (\(<\)0.002 mm) & \% & 10.8 \(\pm\) 1.32\({}^{*}\) & 12.6 \(\pm\) 3.64\({}^{*}\) & 8.6 \(\pm\) 1.37\({}^{*}\) & 12.1 \(\pm\) 18.1\({}^{*}\) & 11.4 \(\pm\) 1.74\({}^{*}\) & 11.4 \(\pm\) 0.53\({}^{*}\) & 1.48 \({}^{*}\) \\ BD & g cm\({}^{-3}\) & 1.25 \(\pm\) 0.2\({}^{*}\) & 1.24 \(\pm\) 0.2\({}^{*}\) & 1.46 \(\pm\) 0.07\({}^{*}\) & 1.46 \(\pm\) 0.11\({}^{*}\) & 1.42 \(\pm\) 2.01\({}^{*}\) & 1.35 \(\pm\) 0.12\({}^{*}\) & 1.41 \(\pm\) 1.8 \\ SM & \% & 10.6 \(\pm\) 1.3\({}^{*}\) & 8.25 \(\pm\) 1.97\({}^{*}\) & 5.15 \(\pm\) 2.23\({}^{*}\) & 7.97 \(\pm\) 2.72\({}^{*}\) & 9.41 \(\pm\) 2.62\({}^{*}\) & 12.06 \(\pm\) 4.33\({}^{*}\) & 2.35 \(\pm\) \\ ST & \% & 18.65 \(\pm\) 1.62\({}^{*}\) & 17.4 \(\pm\) 0.74\({}^{*}\) & 24.68 \(\pm\) 2.56\({}^{*}\) & 21.22 \(\pm\) 0.85\({}^{*}\) & 21.53 \(\pm\) 1.27\({}^{*}\) & 18.09 \(\pm\) 0.94\({}^{*}\) & 9.96 \({}^{**}\) \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 8: Soil properties of studied plots (\(n=48\); depth = 0–30 cm). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c c c c c c} \hline
**Variables** & **Unit** & **BBS** & **NRS** & **STP** & **BDS** & **NFM** & **MGS** & **F Value** \\ \hline pH & & 6.63 \(\pm\) 0.12\({}^{*}\) & 6.79 \(\pm\) 0.06\({}^{*}\) & 7.61 \(\pm\) 0.02\({}^{*}\) & 7.28 \(\pm\) 0.07\({}^{*}\) & 7.13 \(\pm\) 0.01\({}^{*}\) & 6.91 \(\pm\) 0.04\({}^{*}\) & 6.28 \({}^{**}\) \\ AN (N-NO\({}^{-3}\)) & mg kg\({}^{-1}\There were statistically significant differences in the soil clay (\(p<0.001\)) and soil temperature (\(p<0.001\)) between the plots, with a higher clay in the soils of the BBS and NRS (15.1; 13.9%) than in the soils of the other plots (Table 9). The soil temperature of the NFM and STP stand were \(4.1\,^{\circ}\)C higher than in the naturally regenerated stand (NRS), BBS, and MGS. In the 60-100 cm soil layer, statistically significant differences were observed among plots in the soil pH (\(p<0.001\)), available phosphorus (\(p<0.001\)), and available potassium (\(p<0.001\)). The soil pH was significantly higher in the STP plot (7.61) compared to the other plots (Table 10).