Variation in Soil Aggregate Stability Due to Land Use Changes from Alpine Grassland in a High-Altitude Watershed

Land use change affects soil aggregate composition and stability, which impacts structure health. To reveal how land impacted aggregates of alpine grassland in a high-altitude watershed, samples from 161 sites including grassland, cropland abandoned were selected to measure analyze the distribution fractions (macro-aggregates, micro-aggregates, silt+clay), stability (mean weight diameter, geometric mean fractal dimension, etc.) related properties (soil organic carbon content, particle composition, Huangshui River watershed Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The results showed: (1) As grasslands converted croplands lands, proportion macro-aggregates index showed trend first decreasing then increasing (p < 0.05), indicating that tillage abandonment have significant influences on structure. (2) Compared with temperate had richer carbon, higher ratio stability. (3) Soil sand content distinct during change. These suggested cultivation can substantially reduce whereas effectively improve