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Forests
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Distribution Dynamics of Nutrients and Trace Elements in Forest Soil
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Distribution Dynamics of Nutrients and Trace Elements in Forest Soil

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 18 December 2024 | Viewed by 4581

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Michael Englisch

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Austrian Forest Research Center, Seckendorff Gudent Weg 8, A-1131 Vienna, Austria
Interests: soil oganic carbon; soil nutririon; geochemistry; forest humus; trace elements

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The main nutrients such as N, Ca, Mg, K and P as well as trace elements such as iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), boron (B), and molybdenum (Mo) needed to promote tree growth mainly come from forest soil. They are part of the cycle of soil nutrients. Too low or too high content of (trace) elements may inhibit the growth and development of trees and change the composition of vegetation species to a certain extent. Trace elements are not only involved in carbon and nitrogen metabolism and redox reactions in trees, but also in important physiological processes such as biological nitrogen fixation and chlorophyll synthesis.

Soil organic matter content is an important indicator for evaluating soil fertility and affects soil nutrient cycling. With the continuous decomposition and transformation of litter, soil nutrients are accumulated within the topsoil, but in biologically active soils within the entire soil profile. Increasing attention is payed to the distribution characteristics and contents of soil trace elements and other nutrients and their relationships with soil restoration and vegetation growth.

The biological cycle of nutrients in forest ecosystems is a very complex process. It is affected by environmental factors and biological characteristics of tree species. Additionally, with the different functions and states of each element in the tree, the cycle characteristics of each element are also significantly different.

This Special Issue aims to build a communication platform for monitoring and simulation of nutrient distribution and dynamics in forest ecosystems, and to analyze the relationships between trace elements and organic matter content in forest soils. We welcome manuscripts on the following topics, including but not limited to:

  1. Accumulation of organic matter and trace elements in forest soil;
  2. Forest soil nutrient distribution;
  3. The cycle process of various nutrient elements in forest soil;
  4. Characteristics and balance of soil nutrients in different forests, etc.

A better understanding of the soil nutrient cycle is considered a scientific basis for rational utilization of land resources and management of forest soil nutrient content and as well as forest soil fertility.

Dr. Michael Englisch
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

  • trace elements
  • nutrients
  • nutrient cycle
  • humus
  • soil carbon content

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 2181 KiB  
Article
Restoration of Aegiceras corniculatum Mangroves May Not Increase the Sediment Carbon, Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Stocks in Southeastern China
by Naxu Hu, Long Wei, Yi Zhou, Meilin Wu and Jianxiang Feng
Forests 2024, 15(1), 149; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15010149 - 11 Jan 2024
Viewed by 761
Abstract
Mangrove ecosystems play important roles in mitigating climate change but are suffering from an area decrease. The sediment in a mangrove ecosystem is a crucial component in estuarine carbon and nutrient cycles. However, it is unclear whether the restoration of mangroves enhances their [...] Read more.
Mangrove ecosystems play important roles in mitigating climate change but are suffering from an area decrease. The sediment in a mangrove ecosystem is a crucial component in estuarine carbon and nutrient cycles. However, it is unclear whether the restoration of mangroves enhances their sediment carbon sequestration and nutrient storage. To investigate the restoration effects of native Aegiceras corniculatum mangrove forests, the contents and density of sediment organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) were quantified in an unvegetated mudflat (MF), an area with mature A. corniculatum (AC), and two restored A. corniculatum mangroves planted in 2002 (02AC) and 2008 (08AC) in Quanzhou, southeastern China. Compared with the MF, mangrove restoration increased the SOC and TN contents in the sediment, primarily at the 0–40 cm depth for SOC and 0–20 cm for TN, while the TP content was not impacted by restoration. The sediment under AC showed a higher SOC content only at the 0–10 cm and 20–40 cm depths compared to restored 02AC and 08AC. The restoration of A. corniculatum mangroves did not significantly increase the stock of sediment SOC, TN, and TP relative to the MF, which might be attributed to the decrease in bulk density and the relatively short restoration period. Thus, further continuous monitoring is needed to verify whether the sediment carbon pool can be promoted on a longer-term scale by the restoration of A. corniculatum. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Distribution Dynamics of Nutrients and Trace Elements in Forest Soil)
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14 pages, 2808 KiB  
Article
Impact of Simulated Acid Rain on Soil Base Cations Dissolution between Eucalyptus Pure Plantations and Eucalyptus–Castanopsis fissa Mixed Plantations
by Tong Wu, Saif Ullah, Lianxiang Zhong, Yuanyuan Xu, Guoyu Wei and Mei Yang
Forests 2023, 14(11), 2159; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14112159 - 30 Oct 2023
Viewed by 910
Abstract
The soils of Eucalyptus pure plantations and Eucalyptus–Castanopsis fissa mixed plantations were studied using soil column leaching experiments with acid solutions to mimic the effects of acid rain on the soils. This helped researchers learn more about how soil base ions react to [...] Read more.
The soils of Eucalyptus pure plantations and Eucalyptus–Castanopsis fissa mixed plantations were studied using soil column leaching experiments with acid solutions to mimic the effects of acid rain on the soils. This helped researchers learn more about how soil base ions react to acid deposition and their ability to protect the soil from excessive acidity under pure and mixed-species plantations. The results showed that acid rain leaching increased the leaching loss, desorption, and desorption rate of soil base ions while decreasing the soil pH value, adsorption, and adsorption rate of soil base ions. The soil pH value and the leaching loss ranges of K+, Na+, and Mg2+ were all greater in the pure plantations than in the mixed plantations, while the leaching range of Ca2+ was greater in the mixed plantation than in the pure plantations. In the two types of plantations, the adsorption rates of Ca2+ and Na+ in the mixed plantations were higher than in the pure plantations, while K+ and Mg2+ showed higher adsorption rates in the pure plantations than in the mixed plantations. Therefore, soil pH and base ions were greatly affected by the pH value of acid rain. Compared with the pure plantations, the establishment of Eucalyptus–Castanopsis fissa mixed plantations can slow soil acidification and leaching of K+, Na+, and Mg2+ and contribute to the adsorption of Ca2+ and Na+, which is beneficial for the soil nutrient fixation of Eucalyptus plantations. The mixed plantations were found to increase the exchange reaction between H+ and base ions, thereby improving the acid buffer performance of the soil. This, in turn, helped to mitigate the decline in soil fertility. Therefore, establishment of Eucalyptus–Castanopsis fissa mixed-species plantations can slow down the impact of acid rain on soil acidification in artificial plantation land to a certain extent and play an important role in optimizing the plantation structure of Eucalyptus stands and maintaining their productivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Distribution Dynamics of Nutrients and Trace Elements in Forest Soil)
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15 pages, 1764 KiB  
Article
Effects of Heavy Metals on Nitrogen in Soils of Different Ecosystems in the Karst Desertification of South China
by Le Zhang, Kangning Xiong and Panteng Wan
Forests 2023, 14(7), 1497; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14071497 - 21 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1245
Abstract
Nitrogen, as a crucial limiting nutrient in terrestrial ecosystems, plays a vital role in determining land quality. Heavy metals, as drivers of soil substance transformation, are important indicators for assessing ecosystem function. Currently, the relationship between soil nitrogen and heavy metals in karst [...] Read more.
Nitrogen, as a crucial limiting nutrient in terrestrial ecosystems, plays a vital role in determining land quality. Heavy metals, as drivers of soil substance transformation, are important indicators for assessing ecosystem function. Currently, the relationship between soil nitrogen and heavy metals in karst desertification areas remains unclear. Therefore, this study focuses on the soil of grassland, forest, and agroforestry ecosystems in a karst desertification area to investigate the relationship between heavy metals and nitrogen distribution using ecological stoichiometry. The findings revealed the following: (i) Total nitrogen (TN) and available nitrogen (AN) exhibited the trend of agroforestry * > forest > grassland, while soil microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) showed the trend of forest * > grassland * >> agroforestry; (ii) Chromium (Cr), Ferrum (Fe), Niccolum (Ni), and Plumbum (Pb) showed the trend of agroforestry * > grassland > forest, while Cuprum (Cu) demonstrated the trend of agroforestry > grassland > forest, and Zincum (Zn) exhibited the trend of grassland > forest * >> agroforestry. The Nemerow comprehensive pollution index were 0.77 for grassland, 0.69 for forest, and 0.94 for agroforestry; (iii) The sensitivity of soil nitrogen and heavy metals ranked as grassland > agroforestry > forest. The research findings aim to provide a scientific reference for karst desertification control, ecological protection and restoration, and enhancement of ecosystem function. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Distribution Dynamics of Nutrients and Trace Elements in Forest Soil)
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19 pages, 3543 KiB  
Article
Soil Nutrient, Salinity, and Alkalinity Responses of Dendrocalamopsis oldhami in High-Latitude Greenhouses Depending on Planting Year and Nitrogen Application
by Zixu Yin, Xiao Zhou, Dawei Fu, Xuan Zhang, Liyang Liu, Zhen Li and Fengying Guan
Forests 2023, 14(6), 1113; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061113 - 27 May 2023
Viewed by 1291
Abstract
This study explored the viability of greenhouse cultivation of Dendrocalamopsis oldhami under the “South Bamboo North Transplanting” initiative. In this study, the effects of planting year and nitrogen application on changes in soil nutrient levels, salinity, and alkalinity over the plant growth period [...] Read more.
This study explored the viability of greenhouse cultivation of Dendrocalamopsis oldhami under the “South Bamboo North Transplanting” initiative. In this study, the effects of planting year and nitrogen application on changes in soil nutrient levels, salinity, and alkalinity over the plant growth period were explored. After the introduction and planting of bamboo in 2017, a soil layer with a thickness of 0–40 cm was sampled at the end of the shooting stage in the greenhouse between 2017 and 2019 (late August), and the bamboo shoot yield and standing culm density were measured. Following the application of nitrogen to the bamboo groves in 2019, three nitrogen levels were established: no nitrogen (N1:0 g grove−1), medium nitrogen (N2:540 g grove−1), and high nitrogen (N3:1080 g grove−1). Soil layers at depths of 0–20 and 20–40 cm were sampled during the shoot elongation stage (late May) and at the end of the shooting stage (late August). The yield and nutrient content of bamboo shoots under different nitrogen treatments were also investigated. The results showed that Ca2+ and HCO3− were the main salt ions in greenhouse soil. With later planting years, the total number of cations (Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, and K+) decreased, whereas the total number of anions (HCO3−, SO42−, NO3−, and Cl−) increased, resulting in a decrease in the percentage of exchangeable sodium (ESP), pH, and electrical conductivity (EC). The diameter at breast height, individual weight, and quantity of bamboo shoots increased annually, and the standing culm density increased by 1.4 times. Each year, the total nitrogen content decreased, whereas the alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium contents increased. Nitrogen application resulted in a significant decrease in ESP and pH and an increase in the total anion, cation, and EC values. It also reduced soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, available phosphorus, and available potassium. Nitrogen application increased the number of bamboo shoots, total yield, and accumulation of N and P; however, there was no significant difference between N2 and N3. In conclusion, the salinization of calcareous soil was alleviated, and the available nutrients were activated following the introduction of D. oldhami from south to north. The mineralization rates of organic matter and soil fertility increased. Soil acidification and EC decreased at the end of the shoot stage. Nitrogen application acidified the soil, and the yield and soil salt accumulation increased with increasing nitrogen levels. The nutrient uptake efficiencies of nutrients at high nitrogen levels were lower than those at medium nitrogen levels. Therefore, soil salt concentrations with values 0.26 < EC < 0.42 hindered the nutrient uptake of D. oldhami. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Distribution Dynamics of Nutrients and Trace Elements in Forest Soil)
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