Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Huan Li, Guangli Liu, Haiping Luo, Renduo Zhang
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the effects of labile organic carbon (LOC) input on the turnover of soil organic matter (SOM) in subtropical forests. The findings showed that LOC input reduced the priming effects of SOM decomposition and aided carbon storage in the soil.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xu Li, Luis Carlos Ramos Aguila, Jinchu Luo, Yue Liu, Ting Wu, Zhiyang Lie, Xujun Liu, Yan Cheng, Fen Jiang, Juxiu Liu
Summary: The establishment of forest plantations is a great alternative for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation. This study evaluates the impacts of different stand ages on the carbon storage capacity of Castanopsis hystrix plantations ecosystems. Results show that carbon stocks and sequestration rates increase with stand age, indicating the potential of these plantations for continuous forest growth and carbon storage.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Xiangyin Ni, Chengfang Lin, Guangshui Chen, Jinsheng Xie, Zhijie Yang, Xiaofei Liu, Decheng Xiong, Chao Xu, Kai Yue, Fuzhong Wu, Yusheng Yang
Summary: The rapid conversion of natural broadleaved forests to plantations in subtropical China has led to a significant decline in soil fertility. This decline is primarily due to lower litter production and slow nutrient release in plantations compared to natural forests.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Jackson Freitas Brilhante de Sao Jose, Mauricio Roberto Cherubin, Luciano Kayser Vargas, Bruno Brito Lisboa, Josileia Acordi Zanatta, Elias Frank Araujo, Cimelio Bayer
Summary: This study assessed the effects of different intensity Eucalyptus harvest residue management on soil quality and forest productivity. The results indicated that removing Eucalyptus harvest residues from sandy soils can have adverse impacts on soil quality and forest productivity.
JOURNAL OF FORESTRY RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Xiaolin Chen, Mingyan Hu, Gaochao Zheng, Han Y. H. Chen
Summary: Soil organic carbon (SOC) is crucial for supporting ecosystem functions and services, but its content and distribution are uncertain after the conversion of primary forests to plantations and secondary forests. Our study in subtropical China found that SOC content differed significantly between forest types and soil depths, with primary and secondary forests having higher SOC content than Chinese fir plantations in topsoil. However, SOC content did not increase with stand age within plantations or secondary forests. We also found that mineral-associated organic carbon was higher in Chinese fir plantations, indicating a need to conserve primary forests and protect secondary forests and plantations.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Zongyao Qian, Rui Gu, Kun Gao, Dejun Li
Summary: Plant species diversity (PSD) has beneficial effects on soil organic carbon (SOC) accumulation, and this study explores the mechanisms underlying the stimulative effects of PSD on SOC pools in a subtropical forest. The study finds that PSD enhances soil lignin accumulation through three mechanisms: stimulating plant detritus inputs, increasing reactive minerals for enhanced lignin protection, and lowering microbial C limitation for reduced lignin degradation. These findings provide valuable insights into SOC dynamics under PSD alteration and can be integrated into Earth system models for more accurate predictions.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Zafar Siddiq, Muhammad Umar Hayyat, Amin U. Khan, Rashid Mahmood, Laila Shahzad, Rabia Ghaffar, Kun-Fang Cao
Summary: This study assessed the carbon stocks and biomass allocation of two dominant species, Acacia modesta and Olea ferruginea, in a subtropical dry forest in Pakistan. The results showed higher biomass proportion in the above-ground parts of the harvested trees, and developed models for estimating carbon stocks.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Qian Yue, Jianfei Sun, Jonathan Hillier, Jing Sheng, Zhi Guo, Puping Zhu, Kun Cheng, Genxing Pan, Yunpeng Li, Xin Wang
Summary: This study assessed the impact of green manure rotation and application on rice yield and soil properties in the agricultural region of the Yangtze River, China. The results showed that green manure significantly increased rice yield and soil organic carbon. Factors such as green manure application rates, duration, nitrogen application rates, and initial soil conditions were identified as important drivers for rice yield and soil organic carbon changes.
Article
Ecology
Xinyu Zhao, Weiqiang Zhang, Yingjie Feng, Qifeng Mo, Yuqiao Su, Brian Njoroge, Chao Qu, Xianhua Gan, Xiaodong Liu
Summary: This study investigates the changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil moisture during subtropical forest restoration, highlighting the regulatory mechanism of SOC on soil water content. The results demonstrate the importance of SOC in optimizing soil structure and enhancing soil water retention, as well as influencing soil nutrient content and stoichiometric ratio, ultimately leading to changes in soil water content.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elaine Mitchell, Clemens Scheer, David Rowlings, Francesca Cotrufo, Richard T. Conant, Peter Grace
Summary: Over 10% of Australia's grasslands are considered degraded, leading to interest in managing these ecosystems to increase soil carbon sequestration. Climate is a key factor affecting residue mass loss and the formation of particulate organic matter and mineral-associated organic matter, highlighting the need for targeted grassland restoration methods.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Lingqiao Kong, Fei Lu, Enming Rao, Zhiyun Ouyang
Summary: This study assessed the carbon sinks of forest and shrub in the Dongting Lake Basin from 2000 to 2020 using remote sensing data. The results showed a rapid increase in carbon sink in the area, driven by improvements in biomass carbon density. Low carbon density forests and shrubs played a significant role in carbon sink, and carbon sink from new afforestation also showed substantial growth. These findings highlight the huge carbon sequestration potential of the forest and shrub ecosystems in the Dongting Lake Basin.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Alexandra Sandhage-Hofmann, Anja Linstaedter, Liana Kindermann, Simon Angombe, Wulf Amelung
Summary: Increasing elephant populations result in a loss of tree carbon storage, but contrary to the second hypothesis, soil organic carbon stocks actually increase with higher elephant densities. This increase in SOC is mainly found in the topsoil and is due to the formation of SOC from woody biomass.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Forestry
Hailun Wang, Jiachen Wang, Ying Zhang, Gongxiu He, Shizhi Wen
Summary: The effects of stand age and soil layer on the temporal and spatial distribution of soil organic carbon (SOC) in Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations were investigated. The results showed that SOC distribution exhibited spatiotemporal heterogeneity and surface aggregation. SOC increased with stand age and decreased with soil depth. Forest growth and soil enzyme activity were important factors affecting SOC distribution.
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
(2023)
Article
Forestry
Xuekun Cheng, Tao Zhou, Shuhan Liu, Xiaobo Sun, Yufeng Zhou, Lin Xu, Binglou Xie, Jianping Ying, Yongjun Shi
Summary: Subtropical forests are important for the global carbon cycle and climate change mitigation. This study examined the effects of climate factors on soil carbon in subtropical forest ecosystems in Zhejiang Province. Results showed an increase in soil organic carbon (SOC) content but a decrease in soil alkali-hydrolyzed nitrogen (SAN) content over a ten-year period. Analysis identified winter and spring as the main drivers for SOC increase in the 0-10 cm and 10-30 cm soil depths, with precipitation positively correlated with SOC accumulation during these seasons. The study suggests that increasing winter precipitation or irrigation can enhance carbon sequestration capacity in subtropical forest soils.
Article
Forestry
Zongyao Qian, Zi Fan, Wanxia Peng, Hu Du, Peilei Hu
Summary: Plant diversity affects the accumulation of plant-derived lignin and the storage of soil organic carbon (SOC), but little is known about the degradation dynamics of lignin from plants to soil. This study found that the content and biochemical characteristics of lignin in plant leaves differ among species, and different plant species also affect the content of lignin in litter. Lignin compounds gradually disintegrate from plant leaves to litter and then to soil, indicating the contribution of plant-derived lignin to the formation and accumulation of SOC.