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Soil Organic Matter and Soil Multifunctionality in Forest Ecosystems

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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: 20 May 2025 | Viewed by 6219

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Xiong Fang

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Guest Editor

College of Land Resources and Environment, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
Interests: carbon cycle; soil microbe; ecological stoichiometry; soil–plant interaction; soil aggregate; soil nutrient; forest restoration; plant diversity; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Yuzhe Wang

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Guest Editor

College of Juncao Science and Ecology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: soil biogeochemistry; soil organic carbon; greenhouse gas emissions; pyrogenic carbon; forest management; fire ecology; ecological restoration

Prof. Dr. Xingkai Xu

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Guest Editor

State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Physics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100029, China
Interests: soil respiration; methane and nitrous oxide flux; organic matter decomposition; nitrogen transformation; nitrogen leaching; nitrogen deposition; dissolved organic matter; climate change; 13C of soil-respired CO2
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Prof. Dr. Xiankai Lu

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Guest Editor

South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China
Interests: nitrogen biogeochemistry; soil carbon sequestration; climate change; forest ecology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil organic matter (SOM), an important organic component in soils, plays an important role in maintaining soil fertility, ecosystem function, food security, and global change. Globally, soil scientists have made long-term and great efforts to improve our understanding of SOM dynamics and functions as well as its responses to global environmental change. Soil multifunctionality is an important part of ecosystem multifunctionality. Studying soil multifunctionality and its driving factors can help us understand the comprehensive functions of soil better, providing a reference for the reasonable management and evaluation of soil ecosystems. With the long-term efforts of soil scientists and the application of new technologies and methods, studies of SOM cycling and soil multifunctionality have made great progress, but they still face many difficulties and challenges, especially in the context of global environmental change. A better understanding of forest SOM cycling and soil multifunctionality will facilitate the understanding of soil ecological processes and ecosystem service functions that can be applied to ecological and forestry practices. This Special Issue is aimed at providing selected contributions on advances in soil SOM cycling and soil multifunctionality in forest ecosystems in a changing world.

We encourage research in all these areas, including, but not limited to, the following: SOM formation and decomposition; soil carbon, nitrogen, or phosphorus cycling; greenhouse gas emissions from soils; mechanisms of SOM biogeochemistry; soil multifunctionality; soil ecological stoichiometry; biodiversity; forest restoration; forest management; forest succession; and climate change.

Dr. Xiong Fang
Dr. Yuzhe Wang
Prof. Dr. Xingkai Xu
Prof. Dr. Xiankai Lu
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

soil organic carbon
nutrient cycling
soil multifunctionality
soil microbial
biodiversity
climate change
forest restoration
forest succession
forest management

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 5053 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Variations in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi Communities During Wetland and Forest Succession in Northeast China

by Mingyu Wang, Chunying Zheng, Mengsha Li, Wenmiao Pu, Rongtao Zhang, Yingnan Liu and Xin Sui

Forests 2025, 16(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010045 - 30 Dec 2024

Viewed by 450

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the changes in the communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and their driving factors across eight vegetation succession stages in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China, original natural wetland (NW), wetland edge (EW), shrub-invaded wetland (IW), shrub-dominated wetland (DW), young-Betula forest (YB), mature-Betula forest (MB), Populus and Betula mixed forest (PB), and conifer forest (CF), using Illumina MiSeq sequencing. As this research has revealed, significant differences exist in soil physicochemical indicators, including moisture content (MC), pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), available nitrogen (AN), total phosphorus (TP), and available phosphorus (AP). As vegetation succession progresses, the diversity and structure of AMF communities also undergo changes, with the Simpson diversity index being highest in coniferous forests (CF) and the Abundance-based Coverage Estimator (ACE) and Chao1 indices being elevated in shrub-dominated wetlands (PB). Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analysis reveals distinct differences in AMF communities across various succession stages. Furthermore, stacked bar charts indicate that the genus Glomus dominates in most wetland and forest succession stages but is nearly absent in CF, where it is replaced by the genus Paraglomus. Canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) demonstrates that SOC has a more significant impact on AMF communities during the EW stage of succession, while AP and TP exert greater influence during the CF stage as well as the MB and YB stages. AN, on the other hand, plays a more prominent role in shaping AMF communities during the IW and NW stages. PICRUSt2 predictions reveal that enzymes such as alcohol dehydrogenase and L-aminoadipate-semialdehyde dehydrogenase are most abundant in YB, whereas pathways like 4-amino-2-methyl-5-diphosphomethylpyrimidine biosynthesis are most enriched in IW. These findings uncover the close interplay between soil physicochemical properties and AMF community dynamics, aiming to deepen our understanding of the relationships among soil physicochemical properties, AMF community changes, and succession dynamics in wetland and forest ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Organic Matter and Soil Multifunctionality in Forest Ecosystems)

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18 pages, 4046 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unfolding the Roles of Particulate- and Mineral-Associated Organic Carbon in Soil Microbial Communities

by Haiyan Sun, Fei Sun, Xiaoli Deng, Naleen Storn and Shubo Wan

Forests 2025, 16(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16010027 - 27 Dec 2024

Viewed by 647

Abstract

Forest succession is a rapid approach that can be used to increase soil carbon (C) stocks. It is crucial to understand how forest succession influences microbial community assembly and soil carbon fractions to improve carbon sequestration strategies. This present work analyzed microbial communities in forest succession, and the effects of particulate-associated organic C (POC) and mineral-associated organic C (MAOC) on microbial community structure and assembly in forest succession in Changbai Mountains, China. Compared to cropland, primary forest increased MAOC by 35% and POC by 43%, suggesting the importance of POC for microbial assembly processes, offering insights into forest restoration practices to enhance soil carbon sequestration. As succession proceeds, weak environmental selection facilitated the reduced deterministic processes, whereas local ecological and dispersal drift were elevated. Such shifts in fungal and bacterial communities could be mostly triggered by soil pH. Considering that POC was important, shifts in assembly processes can be determined by resource availability rather than succession sequences. Such findings conform to the neutral hypothesis, suggesting that POC exerts a negligible effect on analyzing microbial community assembly in forest succession. Overall, this present work sheds more light on the important effects of POC and MAOC on modeling different microbial communities and community assembly in forest succession. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Organic Matter and Soil Multifunctionality in Forest Ecosystems)

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14 pages, 2718 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Enhanced Carbon Storage in Mixed Coniferous and Broadleaf Forest Compared to Pure Forest in the North Subtropical–Warm Temperate Transition Zone of China

by Wenbin Xu, Beibei Zhang, Qing Xu, Deqiang Gao, Haijun Zuo, Ranran Ren, Ke Diao and Zhicheng Chen

Forests 2024, 15(9), 1520; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15091520 - 29 Aug 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1314

Abstract

Enunciating the carbon storage across various types of forests is a precondition for comprehending forest ecosystem carbon cycling. However, previous studies regarding forest carbon storage were primarily conducted in the general temperature zones, with a limited understanding of carbon storage in different forest types within climate transition zones. In this study, we employed biomass models to explore the carbon storage in three types of natural secondary forests (Pinus armandii forest, Quercus aliena forest, and Q. aliena–P. armandii mixed forest) in the transition zone between the northern subtropical and warm temperate regions of China. Furthermore, we used the variance decomposition analysis and random forest model to determine the key factors influencing carbon storage in three types of natural secondary forests. Our results indicated that the carbon storage of wood and soil layers in the Q. aliena–P. armandii mixed forest was significantly higher than that in the P. armandii and Q. aliena forests. Total carbon storage was ranked as follows: Q. aliena–P. armandii mixed forest (266.09 t/ha) > P. armandii forest (222.89 t/ha) > Q. aliena forest (212.46 t/ha). Our results also revealed that carbon storage of the wood layer was jointly regulated by environmental factors, plant physiological characteristics, and soil properties, while soil carbon storage was mainly affected by soil properties. These results highlight the significant advantages of mixed conifer–broadleaf forests in carbon storage, emphasizing the importance of mixed natural secondary forests in carbon cycling and ecosystem services. This study provides scientific evidence for enhancing forest carbon sink functions and developing forest conservation and management policies to combat climate change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Organic Matter and Soil Multifunctionality in Forest Ecosystems)

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16 pages, 5270 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical and Microbial Differences of Root and Rhizosphere Soil among Different Provenances of Fokienia hodginsii

by Hao-Lan Liu, Tengfei Zhu, Xinyi Wen, Qing Zhao, Yao Chen, Yun-Zi Wang, Jian Li and Shunde Su

Forests 2024, 15(6), 1005; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15061005 - 7 Jun 2024

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Abstract

Aims: Fokienia hodginsii is a threatened conifer tree species, known as the dominant nursery-grown species capable of colonizing the challenging woodland environments in southern China due to its strong root penetrating ability. The ecological phenotype of Fokienia hodginsii is not well documented during its breeding process, which limits the potential planting area and its ecological function. This study aims to understand how Fokienia hodginsii associates with microbes to conduct its key ecological function and provide a theoretical basis for further improving the forest nursery management of Fokienia hodginsii. Methods: This study explored the ecological traits of 11 main Fokienia hodginsii provenances in a homogeneous garden experiment by analyzing their nutrient utilization strategies and associated microbial features in the rhizosphere soil and roots. Results: The study found that the paramount difference in the rhizosphere soil among provenances is in Ca and Fe content. Some microbial communities, namely Crenarchaeota, Verrucomicrobiota, and Desulfobacterota, were positively correlated with the amounts of the soil nutrient elements, whereas Abditibacteriota and Dependentiae were negatively correlated. The abundance of N- and Fe-related bacteria in the Fu Jian Chang Ting (FJCT) provenance was significantly higher than that in other provenances, while the C-, P-, K-, and Mg-related fungal communities, respectively, had higher abundances in the FJCT, Fu Jian Long Yan (FJLY), Fu Jian Gu Tian (FJGT), and Fu Jian Xian You (FJXY) provenances than the others. The impacts of the Gui Zhou Li Ping (GZLP), Hu Nan Dao Xian (HNDX), Jiang Xi Shang Yao (JXSY), and Guang Dong Shi Xing (GDSX) provenances on the rhizosphere soil are similar, but the differences in nutrient utilization arise from the plant itself. Conversely, the root nutrient contents of the FJCT, Fu Jian You Xi (FJYX), Fu Jian An Xi (FJAX), FJLY, Fu Jian De Hua (FJDH), FJGT, and FJXY provenances are highly correlated with soil nutrient features. Conclusions: For the native provenances, their economic traits are better than the exotic provenances. The native provenances are more sensitive to local soil conditions, so they should benefit more from human interventions, rendering them more suitable for artificial cultivation. The growth of the exotic provenances is less affected by the soil environment, making them better suited for the ecological transformation of forest stands and soil improvement. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Organic Matter and Soil Multifunctionality in Forest Ecosystems)

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13 pages, 3387 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Canopy Nitrogen Addition and Understory Vegetation Removal on Nitrogen Transformations in a Subtropical Forest

by Saif Ullah, Wenfei Liu, Jawad Ali Shah, Fangfang Shen, Yingchun Liao, Honglang Duan, Guomin Huang and Jianping Wu

Forests 2024, 15(6), 962; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15060962 - 31 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 972

Abstract

The management of understory vegetation and anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition has significantly resulted in a nutrient imbalance in forest ecosystems. However, the effects of canopy nitrogen addition and understory vegetation removal on N transformation processes (mineralization, nitrification, ammonification, and leaching) along with seasonal variations (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) remain unclear in subtropical forests. To fill this research gap, a field manipulation experiment was conducted with four treatments, including: (i) CK, control; (ii) CN, canopy nitrogen addition (25 kg N ha⁻¹ year⁻¹); (iii) UR, understory vegetation removal; and (iv) CN+UR, canopy nitrogen addition plus understory vegetation removal. The results revealed that CN increased net mineralization and nitrification by 294 mg N m⁻² month⁻¹ in the spring and 126 mg N m⁻² month⁻¹ in the winter, respectively. UR increased N mineralization and nitrification rates by 618 mg N m⁻² month⁻¹ in the summer. In addition, CN effectively reduced N leaching in the spring, winter, and autumn, while UR increased it in the spring and winter. UR increased annual nitrification rates by 93.4%, 90.3%, and 38.9% in the winter, spring, and summer, respectively. Additionally, both net N ammonification and annual nitrification rates responded positively to phosphorus availability during the autumn. Overall, UR potentially boosted nitrification rates in the summer and ammonification in the spring and winter, while CN reduced N leaching in the spring, winter, and autumn. Future research should integrate canopy nitrogen addition, understory vegetation removal, and phosphorus availability to address the global N deposition challenges in forest ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Organic Matter and Soil Multifunctionality in Forest Ecosystems)

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15 pages, 2564 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Response of Soil CO₂ Emission to Addition of Biochar and Dissolved Organic Carbon along a Vegetation Restoration Gradient of Subtropical China

by Yulin Zhu, Xinghao Tang, Yunpeng Huang, Jing Jiang and Xiong Fang

Forests 2024, 15(5), 753; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15050753 - 25 Apr 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1106

Abstract

Biochar, as a soil amendment, has been widely confirmed to increase soil carbon sequestration. However, how biochar addition affects soil carbon changes during the vegetation restoration process is still unclear, which constrains our ability to explore biochar’s application in the technology of soil carbon sequestration in forests. We conducted an incubation experiment on biochar and dissolved organic matter (DOM) addition to soil at three stages of revegetation (degraded land (DS), plantation forest (PS), and secondary natural forest (NS) in Changting County in Fujian province, China) to investigate the effects of vegetation restoration, biochar, DOM, and their interaction on soil CO₂ emission and its relative mechanisms. We found that the accumulative release of CO₂-C in the NS and PS soils was 7.6 and 6.8 times higher, respectively, in comparison to that from the DS soil. In the DS, biochar addition significantly increased the accumulative release of CO₂-C, soil pH, NH₄⁺-N content, qCO₂, phenol oxidase, and peroxidase activities. Peroxidase activities were positively correlated with the accumulative release of CO₂-C, and oxidase was the most important direct factor influencing the accumulative release of CO₂-C in the DS. However, the accumulative release of CO₂-C, soil NH₄⁺-N content, qCO₂, β-glucosidase, and N-acetylglucosaminidase activities was significantly reduced after the application of biochar in the PS and NS. These two hydrolases were positively associated with the accumulative release of CO₂-C, and hydrolase was the most vital direct factor influencing the accumulative release of CO₂-C from the PS and NS soils. The positive effect of DOM addition on CO₂ emission under biochar application declined with a vegetation restoration age increase. Our results indicated that biochar could alter microbial physiological processes, inhibit qCO₂ and hydrolase activities, and further decrease CO₂ emission in relatively fertile soil from the PS and NS; but in the relatively barren soil from the DS, biochar might promote CO₂ emission by stimulating microorganisms to enhance qCO₂ and oxidase activities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Organic Matter and Soil Multifunctionality in Forest Ecosystems)

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