Nutrients and Biota in Forest Soils
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 411
Special Issue Editors
Interests: meso- and macrofauna; biodiversity; pre-mining and post-mining ecosystem; agroecosystem; vermicomposting
Interests: agriculture; soil science; greenhouse gas; garden soils
Interests: forest soils; mycorrhizal symbiosis; gas soil emissions; roots
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Nearly 30% of the earth's land is taken up by forests. A forest is both a living environment and an ecosystem. As an ecosystem, a forest is a functioning complex and dynamic community of plants, animals and microorganisms. During the development of the forest, needles, leaves, cones, twigs, tree bark and the remains of the ground cover begin to fall to the ground, as a result of which a plant litter layer is formed. Plant litter and the decomposition of the plant litter are key in terrestrial ecosystems, as they control the availability of plant nutrients and thereby the entire process of primary production. The biodiversity in forest soil is extremely high. A significant portion of the life activity takes place on the ground and in the upper layer of the soil. The main biological components of forest soil are plant roots, fungi, microbes and soil fauna, all of which participate in the functioning of the forest ecosystem by refining and decomposing organic matter. Soil plays an important part in natural cycles, including the nutrient cycling cycle, which involves soil organic matter, such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus, being absorbed and stored in the soil. Soil biota consumes large amounts of nutrients that move from one trophic level to another in the food chain. As a result, the soil biota mediates ecosystem services, with the most important being the decomposition and dynamics of organic matter, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, energy flow, water regime and preservation of water reserves in the soil and for plant growth. In order for future generations to be able to enjoy the benefits of forests, it is important to maintain and preserve forest ecosystems. To achieve this, we need knowledge, and in order to gain that knowledge, we need scientists and their research. Since forests have such large roles to play, in this Special Issue, we focus on forest nutrients and biota.
Dr. Annely Kuu
Dr. Merrit Shanskiy
Dr. Michail Orfanoudakis
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
- nutrient cycling
- plant–soil interactions
- soil biota and diversity
- soil food webs
- ecosystem services
Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue
- Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
- Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
- Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
- External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
- e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.
Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.
