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Forests
Special Issues
Plant Debris Decomposition and Soil Organic Matter Formation
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Plant Debris Decomposition and Soil Organic Matter Formation

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2022) | Viewed by 5103

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhenfeng Xu

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Guest Editor
Institute of Ecology and Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Interests: litter and root decomposition; organic matter formation; carbon and nutrient cycling
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Xiangyin Ni

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou 350007, China
Interests: litter decomposition; soil organic matter formation; soil biogeochemistry
Dr. Rui Yin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Helmholtz-Centre for Environmental Research-UFZ, Department of Community Ecology, Theodor-Lieser-Strasse 4, 06110 Halle (Saale), Germany
Interests: litter decomposition; fauna- and microbe-mediated decomposition; forest ecosystems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant debris decomposition drives a series of key soil processes, including the formation of soil organic matter. Soil organic matter stores more carbon than global vegetation and atmospheric systems combined; however, the ‘decomposition–formation’ nexus between plant debris and soil organic matter, as well as the biological role of soil involved, are poorly understood in the context of global change. This Special Issue aims to: (1) explore the ‘decomposition–formation’ linkages between plant debris (i.e., foliar and root) and soil organic matter across forest ecosystems; and (2) further evaluate the effects of abiotic (e.g., temperature and moisture) and biotic (e.g., microbes and fauna) factors on these ‘decomposition–formation’ processes. We invite contributions that evaluate the decomposition patterns and controls of carbon and nutrient released from plant debris, and the formation and stabilization of plant-derived soil organic matter by presenting evidence from case studies on global syntheses. Studies evaluating the interactions of plant debris inputs and soil organic matter formation, as well as the contribution of soil biota to these processes, are warmly welcomed. Papers submitted to this Special Issue are expected to advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the plant pathways of soil organic matter formation, which is a critical step necessary to better represent the fate of carbon in soil biogeochemical models.

Prof. Dr. Zhenfeng Xu
Prof. Dr. Xiangyin Ni
Dr. Rui Yin
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

  • plant debris decomposition
  • soil organic matter formation
  • soil biota mediation
  • forest ecosystems
  • carbon and nutrient cycling

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 3325 KiB  
Article
Dynamics of Enzyme Activities during the Decomposition of Castanopsis carlesii Leaf Litter in the Forest Canopy and Forest Floor in a Mid-Subtropical Area
by Ling Zhu, Wentao Wei, Ruobing Wu, Xiaoyue Zhang, Hongrong Guo, Dingyi Wang and Fuzhong Wu
Forests 2022, 13(11), 1944; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111944 - 18 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1392
Abstract
Enzyme activity plays a pivotal role in leaf litter decomposition, but the variations have not been well addressed in the forest canopy with amounts of leaf litter. Therefore, eight enzymes related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization were checked during Castanopsis carlesii leaf [...] Read more.
Enzyme activity plays a pivotal role in leaf litter decomposition, but the variations have not been well addressed in the forest canopy with amounts of leaf litter. Therefore, eight enzymes related to carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus mineralization were checked during Castanopsis carlesii leaf litter decomposition in the forest canopy and on the forest floor from April 2021 to February 2022. The results displayed that most enzyme activities were lower in the forest canopy compared to the forest floor during litter decomposition, except for acid phosphatase, polyphenol oxidase, and peroxidase activities. Moreover, enzyme stoichiometry and enzyme vector features indicated that the microbes in both habitats were limited by carbon and phosphorus during litter decomposition. Much stronger carbon limitation was detected on the forest floor, while phosphorus limitation was higher in the forest canopy. Phosphorus limitation was weakened, but carbon limitation was strengthened in the forest canopy with leaf litter decomposition. Additionally, the redundancy analysis revealed that air temperature dominated the variations in enzyme activities during litter decomposition in the forest canopy, and litter mass-loss rate in each period explained much more dynamics on the forest floor compared with those in the forest canopy. These results provide new insight into a comprehensive understanding of litter decomposition in subtropical forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Debris Decomposition and Soil Organic Matter Formation)
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11 pages, 2282 KiB  
Article
Characteristics of Soil Organic Carbon Fractions and Stability along a Chronosequence of Cryptomeria japonica var. sinensis Plantation in the Rainy Area of Western China
by Xin Han, Xuan Liu, Zhiwei Li, Jiao Li, Yaling Yuan, Han Li, Li Zhang, Sining Liu, Lixia Wang, Chengming You, Bo Tan and Zhenfeng Xu
Forests 2022, 13(10), 1663; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13101663 - 10 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1330
Abstract
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is critical for carbon cycling and sequestration in forest ecosystems. However, how stand age affects SOC components and stability still remains poorly understood. Here, soil samples (0–20 cm) were collected from Cryptomeria japonica var. sinensis (L. f.) D. Don [...] Read more.
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is critical for carbon cycling and sequestration in forest ecosystems. However, how stand age affects SOC components and stability still remains poorly understood. Here, soil samples (0–20 cm) were collected from Cryptomeria japonica var. sinensis (L. f.) D. Don plantations of seven stand ages (6, 12, 23, 27, 32, 46, 52 a) in the rainy area of western China. SOC fractions, including soil particulate organic carbon (POC), easily oxidizable carbon (EOC), labile organic carbon (LOC), recalcitrant organic carbon (ROC), and light fraction organic carbon (LFOC), were determined to explore the nature of carbon components and stability across a chronosequence of C. japonica plantation. Soil carbon fractions first increased and then trended to be stable with an increase in stand age. SOC concentrations were the largest in mature forests (27 or 32 a), but the concentrations of other carbon components often peaked in early over-mature forests (46 a). The concentrations of all carbon fractions were the lowest in the young forests (6 a). The ratios of ROC/SOC increased and LOC/SOC decreased with increasing stand age. Almost all carbon fractions were positively correlated with soil bulk density and negatively correlated with soil moisture. The allometric exponent of ROC or HFOC and soil physicochemical properties was higher as compared to LOC and LFOC. The results noted in this study indicate that SOC components often accumulate fast over the first 20 years of afforestation and SOC stability increases with increasing stand age for C. japonica plantation in this specific region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Debris Decomposition and Soil Organic Matter Formation)
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13 pages, 2280 KiB  
Article
Response of Soil Net Nitrogen Mineralization to a Litter in Three Subalpine Forests
by Li Zhang, Yulian Yang, Zebin Jiao, Zihao Chen, Ya Shen, Yao Liu, Linhui Zhang, Lixia Wang, Sining Liu, Qinggui Wu and Han Li
Forests 2022, 13(4), 597; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040597 - 11 Apr 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1660
Abstract
Forest litter accumulation can regulate the soil microclimate and alter nutrient distribution, but the effects of litter quality and seasonal differences on soil nitrogen (N) mineralization are still uncertain. The effects of litter change on the rates of net N mineralization, nitrification, and [...] Read more.
Forest litter accumulation can regulate the soil microclimate and alter nutrient distribution, but the effects of litter quality and seasonal differences on soil nitrogen (N) mineralization are still uncertain. The effects of litter change on the rates of net N mineralization, nitrification, and ammonification were studied through in situ incubation experiments in coniferous, mixed, and broad-leaved forests in the eastern Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau. Two litter treatments were established, one to allow the litter to enter the soil normally (remain litter) and the other to prevent the litter from entering the soil (remove litter). Soil samples were collected at the freezing (FS), thawing (TS), early growing (EGS), late growing (LGS), and early freezing (EFS) seasons during the 1.5-year incubation period. Compared to coniferous forests, the effects of litter removal on the net ammonification, nitrification, and N mineralization rates were more pronounced in broad-leaved forests, mainly during the growing and thawing seasons. Structural equation modeling indicated that microbial biomass N (MBN) was a common factor affecting the net ammonification, nitrification, and N mineralization rates in the three forest soils. The coniferous forest microbial biomass carbon (MBC), mixed forest soil moisture, broad-leaved forest soil N concentration, and C:N ratio were the unique influencing factors of the different forest types. The results showed that the effect of litter distribution on the soil net N mineralization mainly depended on forest type and season, suggesting that the litter composition and productivity in different seasons and forest types may alter the soil N cycling processes in subalpine forest ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Debris Decomposition and Soil Organic Matter Formation)
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