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Soil Biogeochemical Cycling of Nutrients in Forest
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Soil Biogeochemical Cycling of Nutrients in Forest

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2023) | Viewed by 3360

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Wenjun Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla, China
Interests: carbon/nitrogen budget of forests; carbon/nitrogen cycle mechanism in forests; forest hydrology; the couple of carbon, nitrogen and water in tropical forests

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Under global climate change, the biogeochemical cycles of forest C and N represent the key processes of the forest response to global change. Moreover, cycles of mineral elements (P, S, Ca, etc.) and heavy metals are the most important biogeochemical processes for forest ecosystems. These cycling processes are driven by various microorganisms, including soil fungi and bacteria. Understanding （1）different microbes and their functions and（2）how the element cycling pathway; mechanisms; and the budget among soil, the atmosphere, and the rhizosphere are driven by climate changes and forest succession is integral for forest conservation.

Aim and scope:

  • Forest soil C/ N/P cycling and climate change
  • Soil microbial community and forest succession
  • Mycorrhizal fungal diversity in forest ecosystems
  • Litter dynamic in forest ecosystems
  • Heavy metal and mineral elements in forest ecosystems

Dr. Wenjun Zhou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soil microbial traits and functions
  • mycorrhizal fungi
  • forest succession and conservation
  • C stock in forest
  • nitrogen dynamic
  • P limitation
  • rhizosphere effect
  • litter decomposition
  • tree effect

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2691 KiB  
Article
Speciation of Iron and Aluminum in Relation to Phosphorus Sorption and Supply Characteristics of Soil Aggregates in Subtropical Forests
by Chenxu Yi, Jing Zhu, Liuhuan Chen, Xiangtang Huang, Rong Wu, Hongling Zhang, Xuanyu Dai and Jianhong Liang
Forests 2023, 14(9), 1804; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14091804 - 4 Sep 2023
Viewed by 956
Abstract
Phosphorus (P) is one of the main limiting nutrients in subtropical forest soils. Both soil type and aggregate structure affect the P sorption capacity of soil; thus, determining soil P supply and leaching characteristics. However, the mechanism of their interactions on soil P [...] Read more.
Phosphorus (P) is one of the main limiting nutrients in subtropical forest soils. Both soil type and aggregate structure affect the P sorption capacity of soil; thus, determining soil P supply and leaching characteristics. However, the mechanism of their interactions on soil P sorption and leaching at an aggregate level remains unclear. We classified soil aggregates from red soils and limestone soils in a subtropical forest via wet-sieving and carried out P isothermal sorption experiments. The P sorption maximum (Qm), P sorption strength (KL, KF), P sorption index (PSI) and maximum buffer capacity (MBC) were obtained by fitting to Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm equations. Moreover, different P fractions were determined to estimate the degree of P sorption saturation (DPS) of aggregates. The results showed that the Qm of the two soils were similar, but the sorption strength (KL, KF) and MBC of the limestone soil were higher than those of the red soil. Higher contents of free iron (Fe) oxide and amorphous aluminum (Al) oxide in the limestone soil may enhance the P sorption capacity and, thus, reduce P availability, resulting in a higher total P retention capacity than in the red soil. A higher content of complex Fe in red soil may reduce P sorption and, therefore, play a role in maintaining the supply capacity of soil-available P. The 0.25–0.5 mm aggregates of the two soils had the largest MBC among all aggregate sizes, and their P sorption and buffering capacity were stronger than other aggregates. The DPS of different aggregate sizes were all low, indicating that the soils of subtropical forests were in a state of P deficiency; thus, the risk of P leaching was low. The <0.1 mm aggregate in red soil had relatively high DPS and significantly lower PSI than the other aggregate sizes, indicating that it was more prone to P leaching. The results provide further insight into forest management to improve P availability and reduce P leaching in subtropical forest soils. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Biogeochemical Cycling of Nutrients in Forest)
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12 pages, 2537 KiB  
Article
Ecological Stoichiometry of N and P across a Chronosequence of Chinese Fir Plantation Forests
by Juan Cao, Wende Yan, Taimoor Hassan Farooq, Xiaoyong Chen, Jun Wang, Chenglin Yuan, Yaqin Qi and Khalid Ali Khan
Forests 2023, 14(8), 1685; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14081685 - 21 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 882
Abstract
Ecological stoichiometry is crucial in understanding nutrient dynamics and its impact on plant growth and development at various ecological scales. Among the different nutrients, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have been widely recognized as key elements regulating substance transport, energy utilization, and ecosystem [...] Read more.
Ecological stoichiometry is crucial in understanding nutrient dynamics and its impact on plant growth and development at various ecological scales. Among the different nutrients, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) have been widely recognized as key elements regulating substance transport, energy utilization, and ecosystem conversion. The N:P ratio in plants serves as a sensitive indicator of ecological processes, reflecting the availability and balance of these nutrients. Therefore, studying the ecological stoichiometry of N and P is essential for accurately assessing soil fertility and site productivity, particularly in forest ecosystems with low-fertility soils. In this study conducted in Huitong, Hunan province, southern China, the contents of N and P, as well as the N:P ratios, were investigated in plant-soil systems across four different aged stands of Chinese fir forests (3-, 8-, 18-, and 26-year-old stands). The results revealed varying concentrations of N and P in soils and foliage across the different plantations. Soil N concentrations increased by approximately 4%, 30%, and 22% in 8-, 18-, and 26-year-old plantations compared to the 3-year-old plantation. Soil P concentration was significantly higher in 8-, 18-, and 26-year-old plantations compared to the 3-year-old plantation. The average soil N:P ratio followed the order of 3-year-old plantation > 18-year-old plantation > 26-year-old plantation > 8-year-old plantation. Regarding foliage, both N and P contents exhibited a similar pattern across the different aged leaves, with current-year-old leaves having higher concentrations than 1-year-old, 2-year-old, and 3-year-old leaves in all four Chinese fir plantations. The study further established relationships between soil and foliage nutrient ratios. Soil N:P ratio was positively correlated with soil N content but negatively associated with soil P content. The foliage N:P ratio also showed a significant negative correlation between leaf N and foliage P content. These findings suggest that soil nutrient conditions improved with the aging of Chinese fir plantations, mainly due to increased inputs of above- and below-ground litter. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the ecological stoichiometry of N and P in Chinese fir plantations, offering a scientific basis for sustainable forest management practices in southern China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Biogeochemical Cycling of Nutrients in Forest)
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20 pages, 2968 KiB  
Article
Farmland Shelterbelt Changes in Soil Properties: Soil Depth-Location Dependency and General Pattern in Songnen Plain, Northeastern China
by Yan Wu, Wenjie Wang, Qiong Wang, Zhaoliang Zhong, Huimei Wang and Yanbo Yang
Forests 2023, 14(3), 584; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14030584 - 15 Mar 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1178
Abstract
As one of the world’s largest ecological rehabilitation programs, the three-north (Northern China, Northeastern China, and Northwestern China) shelterbelts program in China were not well evaluated on its effects on multiple soil properties. This paper aims to quantify this. Seven hundred twenty soils [...] Read more.
As one of the world’s largest ecological rehabilitation programs, the three-north (Northern China, Northeastern China, and Northwestern China) shelterbelts program in China were not well evaluated on its effects on multiple soil properties. This paper aims to quantify this. Seven hundred twenty soils from paired plots of farmlands and neighbor shelterbelts were sampled from six regions of Songnen Plain in northeastern China. Multivariate analysis of variance and regression analysis were used to detect the impacts of shelterbelt plantations. For the overall 1 m soil profiles, shelterbelt plantations had a 4.3% and 7.4% decreases in soil bulk density and soil moisture (p = 0.000), a 4.8% increase in soil porosity (p = 0.003). It also evidently recovered soil fertility with a 40% increase in total P, a 4.4% increase in total K, and a 15.1% increase in available K (p < 0.05). However, without overall changes were in SOC and N (p > 0.05). Compared with farmland, shelterbelt plantations produced a 7.8% SOC increase in 20–40 cm soil and much more minor changes in surface soil (0–20 cm). Compared with the younger plantation, mature shelterbelts tended to sequestrate more SOC in soils (from a 0.11% decrease to a 3.31% increase) and recover total K from a 2.24% decline to a 16.5% increase. Correlation analysis manifested that there is a significant relationship between SOC sequestration and the changes in bulk density, porosity, soil moisture, pH, EC, total N, total P, and alkaline hydrolyzed N. In contrast, the strongest relationship was observed between total N and SOC (r > 0.50, p < 0.001). The increase in total N was accompanied by 1.01–1.67-fold higher SOC sequestration in deep soils >20 cm in poplar forests. Our results highlight that the over-40-year shelterbelts afforestation on farmland in northeastern China could strongly affect soil physics, soil water, and nutrient of P and K. The effects on SOC sequestration were dependent on soil depths, growth stages, and regions. Our data support the precise soil evaluation of agroforestry projects in the black soil region in the high-latitude northern hemisphere. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Biogeochemical Cycling of Nutrients in Forest)
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