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Special Issue "Soil Nutrient Cycling and Microbial Dynamics in Forests"

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2023 | Viewed by 2174

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Songze Wan

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Guest Editor

College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
Interests: plant–soil interaction; forest ecology; forest management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Jianping Wu
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Guest Editor

College of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
Interests: carbon cycle; N deposition; plant–soil interaction; soil biology and function
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Dr. Shaofei Jin

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Guest Editor

College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350108, China
Interests: forest ecology; climate change; silicon cycle; carnon cycle; plant–soil interaction
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In terrestrial ecosystems, forests cover an estimated 4.1 billion hectares and store up to 56% of both above- and below-ground terrestrial carbon; thus, they come to play an important role in maintaining ecosystem structure and driving ecosystem function. The circulation of soil mineral nutrients, which is primarily driven by soil microorganisms, supports the growth, regeneration and productivity of forests. In recent years, the scientific community has learned about the turnover of key mineral nutrients between plants and soil and its microbial-driven mechanisms. However, there are still some gaps in our understanding of how soil nutrients and microbial communities affect processes and functions in global forest ecosystems. For example, the roles of stoichiometric properties, the biotic link between above-ground plants and below-ground microbes, and the interactions between macro- and micro-nutrients in growth and carbon sequestration need more study, especially in the background of global climate and human disturbance. We encourage researchers to submit studies on soil nutrient cycling and related microbial mechanisms in forest ecosystems, including case studies, meta-analysis studies, and model studies, to this Special Issue to promote knowledge and management strategies of forest ecosystems.

Dr. Songze Wan
Prof. Dr. Jianping Wu
Dr. Shaofei Jin
Guest Editors

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 nutrients
soil microbes
soil–food web
soil function
soil water
climate change
forest management practice
decomposition

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

Open AccessArticle

Soil Nutrient Availability Regulates Microbial Community Composition and Enzymatic Activities at Different Soil Depths along an Elevation Gradient in the Nanling Nature Reserve, China

and

Forests 2023, 14(8), 1514; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14081514 - 25 Jul 2023

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Abstract

Improving our understanding of how soil microbial community composition and enzyme activities vary with elevation will elucidate the impact of climate change on ecosystem function. We collected soil samples at three elevations (1000 m, 1200 m, 1400 m) from two soil depths in a subtropical forest in the Nanling Nature Reserve to analyze soil nutrient availability and the Gram-positive (GP) to Gram-negative (GN) bacteria ratio. We conducted a vector analysis of soil enzymatic stoichiometry to examine the spatial distribution of soil microbial C, N, and P limitations. The soil C:N ratio decreased with increasing elevation. The GP:GN ratio and vector length (read-outs of relative C versus nutrient limitation) were the highest at 1400 m due to lower C availability. At an elevation of 1200 m, lower P availability was reflected in higher soil C:P and N:P ratios and lower GP:GN ratios, as lower P availability suppressed microbial C decomposition. Furthermore, the GP:GN ratio and vector length showed contrasting responses to variations in soil depth. The validation of enzyme vector analysis to capture the responses of microbial community composition to soil properties is dependent on environmental conditions and should be considered in the development of future soil organic C (SOC) dynamics models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Nutrient Cycling and Microbial Dynamics in Forests)

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Open AccessArticle

Ecoenzymatic Stoichiometry in the Rhizosphere and Bulk Soil of a Larix principis-rupprechtii Plantation in North China

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Forests 2023, 14(7), 1315; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14071315 - 27 Jun 2023

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Abstract

Soil extracellular enzymes play an important role in ecosystem energy conversion and material cycling. Ecoenzymatic stoichiometry can reflect the relationship between the soil’s microbial nutrient cycle and nutrient limitation. However, there have been few studies on the differences in ecoenzymatic stoichiometry and nutrient limitation between rhizosphere soil and bulk soil. This study examined soil nutrients and enzyme activities in rhizosphere soil and bulk soil in a Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation in north China. The results showed that the levels of soil organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), and available nutrients in the rhizosphere soil were significantly higher than those in the bulk soil, whereas the total potassium (TK) level was significantly lower. The soil C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios of the rhizosphere soil also exceeded those of the bulk soil. The acid phosphatase (ACP), urease (UE), and β-glucosidase (β-GC) activities in the rhizosphere soil exceeded those in the bulk soil, whereas the activities of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosidase (NAG), aminopeptidase (LAP), and nitrogenase (NA) were lower. The ratios of C, N, and P acquisition activities changed from 1:1.7:1 in the rhizosphere soil to 1:2:1 in the bulk soil. Redundancy analysis showed that the available K and soil water content in the rhizosphere soil were the most important soil factors affecting soil enzyme activities and ecoenzymatic stoichiometry; those in the bulk soil were soil N:P and soil water content. These results suggest that not all soil enzyme activities present rhizosphere effects and that bulk soil is more susceptible to N limitation in Larix principis-rupprechtii plantations. Plant roots play an important role in regulating soil nutrients and soil activities, and future studies should examine the underlying mechanisms in more detail. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Nutrient Cycling and Microbial Dynamics in Forests)

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Open AccessArticle

Harvest Residue Decomposition from Eucalyptus sp. Plantations in Temperate Climate: Indicators and Contribution to Nutrient Cycling

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Forests 2023, 14(6), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061119 - 28 May 2023

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Abstract

The sustainable management of forest plantations by keeping the harvest residues on site improves the soil’s chemical, physical and biological properties while constituting an important nutrient reserve. Our objectives were: (a) to identify and quantify the characteristics of Eucalyptus dunnii, Eucalyptus grandis and Eucalyptus globulus that affect the decomposition rates of harvest residues, as well as indicators that can explain the process and (b) to quantify the potential recycling of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) to the soil from residue decomposition and the quantitative and qualitative differences between the species. We analyzed the information of five commercial plantations of Uruguay. At the harvest, the biomass of leaves, thin and thick branches, bark and their respective N, P, K, Ca and Mg contents were quantified. At each site, bags with samples of the different residues were left to decompose and were periodically collected throughout 24 months. Eucalyptus dunnii presented the largest amounts of residues of all parts. The decomposition rates of the different residues depended on their chemical constitution, part size and the species. Eucalyptus dunnii leaves showed the shortest half-life (0.94 years), while the bark of the same species presented the longest (5.62 years). Total nitrogen and carbon (total and soluble) contents, which can be easily determined, emerged as good predictors for half-life estimation. The release patterns of nutrients depended more on their dynamics in the plant and their parts than on the species itself. The results highlight the importance of nutrient recycling to ensure the sustainability of the productive system in the medium and long term. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Nutrient Cycling and Microbial Dynamics in Forests)

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