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Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2023) | Viewed by 16793

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Dr. Liming Yin

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Guest Editor

Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, China
Interests: soil carbon stabilization; plant–soil interaction; rhizosphere priming

Prof. Dr. Peng Wang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Interests: root exudates and SOM dynamics; plant–microbe–soil interactions; plant functional traits and ecosystem processes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Maire Holz

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Group of Isotope Biogeochemistry and Gas Fluxes, Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e.V., Müncheberg, Germany
Interests: soil conservation; microbiology; biogeochemical cycling; carbon sequestration

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forest soils play important roles in the maintenance of ecosystem goods and services, biodiversity conservation, the mitigation of global climate change, and adaptation, mainly due to being the largest form of soil carbon (and nitrogen) storage. The important role of plant effects in soil carbon formation, decomposition and stabilization is becoming increasingly recognized by the scientific community. Scientists have devoted significant attention to these soil carbon processes over the last few decades. However, many critical questions remain to be addressed, e.g., the extent to which a plant and/or plant community affects soil carbon stabilization and destabilization at individual, plot, regional and landscape scales; the relative contribution of plant carbon input aboveground versus belowground to soil carbon decomposition versus formation; and the relative importance of potential influences related to plant species, communities, soil properties, climate conditions and microbe-derived variables and their responses to management activities. We thus explore the processes, patterns, and mechanisms of plant effects on soil carbon stabilization in forest ecosystems under human disturbance, including but not limited to the following items: carbon decomposition, destabilization, formation, stabilization, and the interactions with biological and/or abiotic factors such as plant diversity, carbon input, aggregation, etc. Plant effects on other processes (e.g., nutrient cycling) are also of interest. We encourage studies from all fields, including experimental studies, reviews, and models, to contribute to this Special Issue in order to promote knowledge and adaptation strategies for forest soil conservation, management, and future development.

Dr. Liming Yin
Dr. Peng Wang
Dr. Maire Holz
Guest Editors

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Keywords

soil carbon stabilization
plant community composition
soil biota
soil physical protection
litter decomposition
aboveground–belowground interactions
forest management

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 2308 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Root Production and Microbe-Derived Carbon Inputs Jointly Drive Rapid Soil Carbon Accumulation at the Early Stages of Forest Succession

by Ruiqiang Liu, Yanghui He, Zhenggang Du, Guiyao Zhou, Lingyan Zhou, Xinxin Wang, Nan Li, Enrong Yan, Xiaojuan Feng, Chao Liang and Xuhui Zhou

Forests 2022, 13(12), 2130; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13122130 - 12 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1525

Abstract

Plants and microbes are the primary drivers in affecting the formation and accrual of soil organic carbon (SOC) for natural ecosystems. However, experimental evidence elucidating their underlying mechanisms for SOC accumulation remains elusive. Here, we quantified plant and microbial contributions to SOC accrual in successional subtropical forests by measuring leaf-, root-, and microbial biomarkers, root and leaf litter inputs, and microbial C decomposition. The long-term monitoring results showed that SOC accumulated rapidly at the early-successional stage, but changed little at the mid- and late-successional stages. SOC accrual rate was positively correlated with fine-root production and microbial C turnover, but negatively with annual litterfall. Biomarker data exhibited that the rapid SOC accumulation was jointly driven by root- and microbe-derived C inputs from the early- to mid-successional stages. In contrast, aboveground litterfall considerably contributed to soil C accrual from the mid- to late-successional stages compared to belowground processes, although SOC accumulation is low. Our study revealed the importance of root production and microbial anabolism in SOC accrual at the early stages of forest succession. Incorporating these effects of belowground C inputs on SOC formation and accumulation into earth system models might improve model performance and projection of long-term soil C dynamics. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms)

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11 pages, 1851 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Litter Inputs Control the Pattern of Soil Aggregate-Associated Organic Carbon and Enzyme Activities in Three Typical Subtropical Forests

by Shanshan Wang, Zhongqian Wang, Bo Fan, Xiahua Mao, Heng Luo, Feiyan Jiang, Chenfei Liang, Junhui Chen, Hua Qin, Qiufang Xu and Shuai Shao

Forests 2022, 13(8), 1210; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13081210 - 01 Aug 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1748

Abstract

Soil extracellular enzyme activities among aggregate fractions are critical to short-term microbial activity and long–term carbon dynamics in forest ecosystems, but little is known regarding the effects of forest types on the soil enzyme activities in different soil aggregate fractions. Three typical subtropical forest types (Broadleaved forest, Moso bamboo forest and Chinese fir forest) were selected, and undisturbed soil samples (0–15 cm) were collected. We investigated the effects of forest types on aggregate stability (mean weight diameter, geometric mean diameter and fractal dimension), aggregate–associated organic carbon (OC) and the functionality of five enzymes (cellobiohydrolase, β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, N–acetylglucosaminidase, leucine aminopeptidase) of different aggregate fractions (>2 mm, 0.25–2 mm, 0.053–0.25 mm and <0.053 mm). The results showed that the proportion of macro-aggregates, aggregate stability and macro–aggregates associated–carbon content and storage were higher in broadleaved and Moso bamboo forests than in Chinese fir forests, indicating that forest types influence the distribution of total soil OC among aggregate fraction classes and would delay the loss of OC in broadleaved and Moso bamboo forests. We also found that the extracellular enzymes were higher in aggregates of broadleaved forests and Moso bamboo forests. SEM (structural equation model) analysis also supported significantly positive relationships between litter quantity and aggregate enzyme activity, and indirect impact of litter quantity and litter C/N ratio together with soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil aggregate organic C content (SAOCC) on aggregate enzyme activity. The results of this study indicate that forest types showed large impact on aggregate-associated OC and enzyme activities, and the litter input of different forest types is the main control on enzyme activity among different aggregate fractions, and thus may play an important role in adjusting the sink capacity and stability of SOC. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms)

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13 pages, 2339 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nitrogen Addition Decreases Rhizodeposition by Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) Seedlings and Its Distribution in Soil Aggregates

by Bohan Chen, Jiao Wang, Xuan Duan, Fengxia Zhao, Weidong Zhang, Xin Guan, Longchi Chen, Qingkui Wang, Silong Wang and Qingpeng Yang

Forests 2022, 13(8), 1166; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13081166 - 23 Jul 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1438

Abstract

Rhizodeposition-derived carbon plays an important role in plant nutrient acquisition and soil carbon sequestration. However, how nitrogen deposition affects the distribution of rhizodeposition-derived carbon into aggregate classes (macrogagregates, microaggregates, and silt and clay) is unclear. We conducted a nitrogen addition experiment on Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook) seedlings with continuously labeled ¹³CO₂ for 120 days. Plant growth and the distribution of rhizodeposition-derived carbon into aggregate classes were assessed. Results showed that nitrogen additionconsiderably increased the ratio of aboveground to belowground biomass, but not aboveground and belowground biomass. Compared with the control, nitrogen addition resulted in a significantdecreaseby 52% inrhizodeposition-derived carbon in bulk soil.We found that more rhizodeposition-derived carbon was incorporated into macroaggregate, followed by microaggregate, and silt and clay regardless of nitrogen addition. The rhizodeposition-derived carbon was significantly decreased by 40% in macroaggregate, 60% in microaggregate, and 61% in silt and clay after nitrogen addition. Nitrogen addition and aggregate classes had no interactive effect on the rhizodeposition-derived carbon. Our results suggest that nitrogen deposition decreases the rhizodeposition of Chinese fir and its distributionin aggregate classes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms)

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15 pages, 1995 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dissolved Organic Carbon Flux Is Driven by Plant Traits More Than Climate across Global Forest Types

by Yuhuang Ji, Yanghui He, Junjiong Shao, Huiying Liu, Yuling Fu, Xinyue Chen, Yang Chen, Ruiqiang Liu, Jing Gao, Nan Li, Guiyao Zhou, Lingyan Zhou and Xuhui Zhou

Forests 2022, 13(7), 1119; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13071119 - 16 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1643

Abstract

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is one of the most important components in the global carbon cycle, which is largely influenced by climate and plant traits. Although previous studies have examined the impacts of climatic factors (e.g., mean annual temperature (MAT) and precipitation (MAP)) or plant traits (e.g., leaf area index, leaf nitrogen) on DOC, the relative importance of climate and plant traits on DOC flux remains unclear on a global scale. In this study, we compiled 153 pairs of DOC observational data from 84 forest sites to explore the relative importance of climate and plant traits on DOC flux with a linear mixed model, variance partitioning, and random forest approaches. Our results showed that DOC fluxes from throughfall and the litter layer were higher in broadleaved forests than those in coniferous forests. Throughfall-DOC flux increased significantly with MAT and MAP in coniferous forests, but that from the litter layer showed no significant correlations with climate factors. In broadleaved forests, throughfall-DOC flux increased with potential evapotranspiration (PET), while that from the litter layer was positively correlated with MAT. Meanwhile, throughfall-DOC flux had negative relationships with specific leaf area (SLA), leaf nitrogen content (LN), and leaf phosphorus content (LP) in broadleaved forests, but it showed a positive correlation with SLA in coniferous forests. Litter-layer-DOC flux increased with LN in broadleaved forests, but this correlation was the opposite in coniferous forests. Using the variance partitioning approach, plant traits contributed to 29.0% and 76.4% of the variation of DOC from throughfall and litter layer, respectively, whereas climate only explained 19.1% and 8.3%, respectively. These results indicate that there is a more important contribution by plant traits than by climate in driving the spatial variability of global forest DOC flux, which may help enhance forest management as a terrestrial carbon sink in the future. Our findings suggest the necessity of incorporating plant traits into land surface models for improving predictions regarding the forest carbon cycle. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms)

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14 pages, 1661 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rhizosphere Effects along an Altitudinal Gradient of the Changbai Mountain, China

by Changfu Huo, Jiayu Lu, Liming Yin, Peng Wang and Weixin Cheng

Forests 2022, 13(7), 1104; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13071104 - 14 Jul 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1325

Abstract

Rhizosphere effects (REs) play important roles in regulating carbon (C) and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about the REs of mature trees in the field, especially at the ecosystem scale. This study aimed to explore the variation and patterns of REs in natural ecosystems. Here, combining soil monoliths with an adhering soil (shaking fine roots) method was adopted to sample paired rhizosphere soil and bulk soil along an altitudinal gradient. Based on the relative REs and the percentage of rhizosphere soil mass, the REs on soil C and net nitrogen mineralization rates (C_min and net N_min) at the ecosystem scale were estimated. Our results showed that the REs on soil processes, soil microbial biomass C and extracellular enzyme activities (β-glucosidase and N-acetyl-glucosaminidase activities), and soil chemical properties (total C, total N, inorganic N, extractable P, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Mn) were significantly positive across altitudinal sites, while soil pH was significantly negative. Although the relative REs on investigated variables varied significantly among altitudes, the relative REs did not show a clear trend with the increased altitudes. Across altitudes, the mean magnitude of ecosystem-level REs on C_min and net N_min were 19% (ranging from 4% to 48%) and 16% (ranging from 3% to 34%), respectively. Furthermore, the magnitude of ecosystem-level rhizosphere effects increased linearly with the increased altitudes. The altitudinal patterns of ecosystem-level RE mainly depend on the percentage of rhizosphere soil mass. In conclusion, our results provided a set of new evidence for the REs, and highlighted the need to incorporate REs into land C and N models. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms)

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15 pages, 1862 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Soil Respiration in Planted and Naturally Regenerated Castanopis carelesii Forests during Three Years Post-Establishment

by Zhihua Wei, Chengfang Lin, Chao Xu, Decheng Xiong, Xiaofei Liu, Shidong Chen, Tengchiu Lin, Zhijie Yang and Yusheng Yang

Forests 2022, 13(6), 931; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13060931 - 14 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2079

Abstract

Reforestation through assisted natural regeneration usually accumulates more biomass carbon than through tree planting, but its effects on soil respiration (Rs) and its components, autotrophic respiration (Ra) and heterotrophic respiration (Rh), are poorly understood despite the importance in forest carbon cycling. In this study, we clear-cut part of a 35-year-old secondary Castanopsis carelesii (C. carelesii) forest and reforested the logged land with C. carelesii via two approaches—active tree planting and assisted natural regeneration—and measured Rs, Ra, and Rh as well as soil temperature and moisture in these forests. In the first two years following reforestation, Rs, Ra and Rh rates were mostly reduced in the two young forests compared to the secondary forest, likely due to reduced photosynthate production and thus carbon substrate input associated with the clear-cut. However, the Rh:Rs ratio was significantly greater in the young plantation than in the other two forests in the first two years, suggesting a greater loss of soil organic carbon from the young plantation. In the third year, the mean Rs, Rh, and Ra rates of the young forest established via assisted natural regeneration were similar to those of the secondary forest, but significantly greater than those of the young plantation. The rates of Rs, Rh, and Ra mostly increased exponentially with increasing soil temperature in all forests, but mostly lack significant relationships with soil moisture. These findings indicate that, compared with reforestation via tree plantation, assisted natural regeneration not only reduced the loss of soil organic carbon via soil respiration, but also had a more rapid recovery of soil respiration to the level of the secondary forest. Our study highlights that, in addition to temperature, carbon substrate availability is also important in regulating soil respiration following reforestation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms)

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12 pages, 1731 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Liming on the Morphologies and Nutrients of Different Functional Fine Roots of Cunninghamia lanceolata Seedlings

by Xin Yu, Xin Guan, Fuming Xiao, Weidong Zhang, Qingpeng Yang, Qingkui Wang, Silong Wang and Longchi Chen

Forests 2022, 13(6), 822; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13060822 - 25 May 2022

Viewed by 1328

Abstract

Soil acidification is an important cause of the productivity decline of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook)—one of the most important timber species in China. Although liming is an effective measure for reversing the effects of soil acidification, the effects on the morphologies and nutrients of different functional roots remain ambiguous. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effects of liming on fine root traits of Chinese fir seedlings between two root function types (absorptive roots (AR) and transport roots (TR)). Chinese fir seedlings with equal performance were planted in each pot with two acidification soils (pH 3.6 and pH 4.3) and three levels of liming (0, 1000, and 4000 kg CaO ha⁻¹). Our data showed that liming had no effect on the root biomass (RB) of AR and TR in mildly acidified soil, but it decreased the RB in severely acidified soil. Specific root length (SRL) of AR and TR were significantly increased by 24% and 27% with a high liming dose in mildly acidified soil, respectively. The specific root areas (SRA) of AR and TR were significantly increased by 10% and 22% with a high liming dose in mildly acidified soil, respectively. Furthermore, root N concentrations were significantly increased by 26% and 30% in AR and TR with a high liming dose in mildly acidified soil, respectively. Root P concentration of AR was significantly increased by 21% with a high liming dose in mildly acidified soil while root Ca concentration was significantly increased with all treatments. A similar trend was also observed in the Ca/Al ratio of roots. Both low and high doses of liming decreased the root Al concentration of AR by 26% and 31% in mildly acidified soil, respectively; however, there was no significant effect on TR in both soils. Our findings indicated that liming could alleviate Al toxicity to fine roots and increase root investment efficiency and absorption capacity. Liming also had coordinate effects on SRL, SRA, Root tissue density (RTD), N, P, Ca and Ca/Al between AR and TR. Our study suggested that to gain a comprehensive understanding of plant growth strategy, researchers in future studies must consider different functional roots rather than just the absorption part. Our results also revealed that the root system became more “acquisitive” due to the remediation of Al toxicity, which may be an important mechanism underlying the increment of the productivity of Chinese fir plantations undergoing liming. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms)

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16 pages, 2786 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Utilization of Glycine by Microorganisms along the Altitude Changbai Mountain, China: An Uptake Test Using ¹³C,¹⁵N Labeling and ¹³C-PLFA Analysis

by Yan Xue, Zhijie Wu, Lili Zhang, Wei Bai, Dongpo Li, Lijie Yang, Ping Gong, Zhanbo Wei, Yuchao Song, Lei Cui, Kaikuo Wu and Furong Xiao

Forests 2022, 13(2), 307; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13020307 - 14 Feb 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2125

Abstract

External organic nitrogen (N) inputs can contrastingly affect the transformation and availability of N in forest soils, which is an important potential N resource and is possibly vulnerable to soil properties. Little is known about the transformation and availability of external small molecule organic N in forest soils and the underlying microbial mechanisms. Soil samples from Changbai Mountain at different altitudes (from 750 m to 2200 m) that ranged widely in soil properties were incubated with ¹³C, ¹⁵N-labeled glycine. The fate of ¹⁵N-glycine and the incorporation of ¹³C into different phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) were measured at the same time. The addition of glycine promoted gross N mineralization and microbial N immobilization significantly. Mineralization of glycine N accounted for 6.2–22.5% of the added glycine and can be explicable in the light of a readily mineralizable substrate by soil microorganisms. Assimilation of glycine N into microbial biomass by the mineralization-immobilization-turnover (MIT) route accounted for 24.7–52.1% of the added label and was most mightily affected by the soil C/N ratio. We also found that the direct utilization of glycine is important to fulfill microorganism growth under the lack of available carbon (C) at upper elevations. The labeled glycine was rapidly incorporated into the PLFAs and was primarily assimilated by bacteria, indicating that different groups of the microbial community were answerable to external organic N. G+ bacteria were the main competitors for the exogenous glycine. Increased intact incorporation of glycine into microbial biomass and the concentration of PLFAs in general, particularly in G+ bacteria, suggest a diversified arrangement to response changes in substrate availability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms)

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13 pages, 7609 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Shift from Acquisitive to Conservative Root Resource Acquisition Strategy Associated with Increasing Tree Age: A Case Study of Fraxinus mandshurica

by Zuwang Li, Zhi Liu, Guoqiang Gao, Xinlei Yang and Jiacun Gu

Forests 2021, 12(12), 1797; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12121797 - 17 Dec 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2366

Abstract

Tree age has an important effect on the form and function of fine roots. Previous studies have focused on the variations in root morphological and chemical traits among tree ages, while less attention has been given to the physiological traits, impeding a full understanding of the relationship between root resource acquisition strategy and tree age. Here, we measured root morphological (diameter, specific root length, specific root area and tissue density), chemical (nitrogen concentration) and physiological (respiration and exudation rate) traits of young, middle-aged and mature trees of Fraxinus mandshurica in a temperate secondary forest in northeastern China. Our overall aim was to determine how root traits and related resource acquisition strategy change with tree age. The results showed that from young to mature trees, root diameter gradually increased, but specific root length, specific root area, root nitrogen concentration, respiration and exudation rates all decreased, and the significant differences were mainly found between young and mature trees. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed that the relationships of root respiration and exudation rates to root morphological and chemical traits depended on tree age and the specific traits examined, but these correlations were all significant except for root tissue density when the data were pooled across all tree age classes. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the conservative traits represented by root diameter, and the acquisitive traits such as root respiration and exudation rates and related morphological and chemical traits, occupied two ends of the first axis, respectively, while root tissue density occupied one end of the second axis, partially confirming the conceptual framework of “root economics space”. Standardized major axis (SMA) analysis of root exudation and respiration rates showed that young trees allocated more root carbon flux to the formation of root exudation, compared to middle-aged and mature trees. Our findings suggest that root resource acquisition strategy in F. mandshurica appears to shift from an absorptive to conservative strategy associated with increasing tree age, which may have substantial consequences for individual growth and interspecific competition, as well as belowground carbon allocation in ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Effects on Soil Carbon Stabilization in Forests: Patterns, Processes and Mechanisms)

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