Influence of tree species on soil microbial residue accumulation and distribution among soil aggregates in subtropical plantations of China

Ecological Processes

Research

Shengen Liu¹  Yanli Jing²  Longchi Chen³  Qingkui Wang³  Xuechao Zhao⁴  Peng Tian⁵  Zhaolin Sun⁵ 

[1] College of Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences, China Three Gorges University, 443000, Yichang, China;Ecology Security and Protection Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Mianyang Teachers’ College, 621000, Mianyang, China;Huitong Experimental Station of Forest Ecology, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, 110016, Shenyang, China;Huitong Experimental Station of Forest Ecology, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, 110016, Shenyang, China;Huitong Experimental Station of Forest Ecology, CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, 110016, Shenyang, China;University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100049, Beijing, China;School of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, 230036, Hefei, China;

关键词: Tree species;    PLFA;    Amino sugar;    Soil aggregate;    Subtropical plantation;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13717-023-00444-x

 received in 2023-04-17, accepted in 2023-06-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMicrobial residues are significant contributors to stable soil organic carbon (SOC). Soil aggregates effectively protect microbial residues against decomposition; thus, microbial residue accumulation and distribution among soil aggregates determine long-term SOC stability. However, how tree species influence accumulation and distribution of soil microbial residues remains largely unknown, hindering the chances to develop policies for SOC management. Here, we investigated microbial residue accumulation and distribution in soil aggregates under four subtropical tree species (Cunninghamia lanceolata, Pinus massoniana, Michelia macclurei, and Schima superba) after 29 years of afforestation.ResultsAccumulation of microbial residues in the 0–10 cm soil layer was 13.8–26.7% higher under S. superba than that under the other tree species. A structural equation model revealed that tree species affected the accumulation of microbial residues directly by altering fungal biomass. Additionally, tree species significantly affected microbial residue distribution and contribution to SOC in the top 20 cm soil. In particular, microbial residue distribution was 17.2–33.4% lower in large macro-aggregates (LMA) but 60.1–140.7% higher in micro-aggregates (MA) under S. superba than that under the other species in the 0–10 cm soil layer, and 14.3–19.0% lower in LMA but 43–52.1% higher in MA under S. superba than that under C. lanceolata and M. macclurei in the 10–20 cm soil layer. Moreover, the contribution of microbial residues to SOC was 44.4–47.5% higher under S. superba than under the other tree species. These findings suggest a higher stability of microbial residues under S. superba than that under the other studied tree species.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate that tree species influence long-term microbial persistence in forest soils by affecting accumulation and stabilization of microbial residues.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

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