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Forests
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Biogeochemical Cycles in Forests
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Biogeochemical Cycles in Forests

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 December 2024 | Viewed by 4452

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Hao Zhang

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Guest Editor
Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changsha 410125, China
Interests: karst forest; functional trait; stoichiometry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Robert G. Qualls

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
Interests: forest biogeochemistry; wetland biogeochemistry; succession and ecosystem development; effects of climatic warming and CO2 fertilization on forest soils; soil organic matter chemistry; microbial ecology; chlorine chemistry in water; ultraviolet light disinfection
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Qifeng Mo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Guangdong Key Laboratory for Innovative Development and Utilization of Forest Plant Germplasm, College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou 510642, China
Interests: plantation; nitrogen and phosphorus; soil nitrogen; soil carbon; non-structural carbohydrates; nitrogen deposition

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

A forest is an ecosystem composed of the biological community (including plants, animals and microorganisms) with trees as the main body and the abiotic environment (light, heat, water, air, soil, etc.). As the largest carbon stores and the most economical carbon absorbers on land, it is estimated that more than half of the carbon in terrestrial ecosystems is stored in forest ecosystems. Under the influence of global climate change and human interference, major elements (C, N, P, etc.) and trace metal elements (Pb, Cd, etc.) undergo biogeochemical cycle and migration process in the vegetation–water–soil system, thus realizing a variety of forest ecosystem services. In recent years, with the development of isotope, molecular biology, the geochemical cycle model and geographic information technology, the studies on forest biogeochemical cycles have made great progress. To reflect the latest research on biogeochemical cycles in forest ecosystems, we encourage studies from all fields that deal with the nutrient circle, plant stoichiometry, microbial stoichiometry, soil stoichiometry and the element cycle model from a field-to-region scale, to contribute to this Special Issue in order to enrich forest biogeochemistry theories and provide the basis for forest ecosystem management.

Prof. Dr. Hao Zhang
Prof. Dr. Robert G. Qualls
Dr. Qifeng Mo
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

  • forest ecosystem
  • nutrient circle
  • soil microorganism
  • ecological stoichiometry
  • global change
  • carbon pool
  • element cycle model

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2317 KiB  
Article
Growing Jatropha curcas L. Improves the Chemical Characteristics of Degraded Tropical Soils
by Renaud Massoukou Pamba, Vincent Poirier, Pamphile Nguema Ndoutoumou and Terence Epule Epule
Forests 2024, 15(10), 1709; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15101709 - 27 Sep 2024
Viewed by 634
Abstract
Intensive agriculture in tropical regions is the main cause of soil impoverishment, reducing its productivity. Studies based on soil restoration methods are being implemented, including the use of plants such as Jatropha curcas L., which could have the capacity to improve the agronomic [...] Read more.
Intensive agriculture in tropical regions is the main cause of soil impoverishment, reducing its productivity. Studies based on soil restoration methods are being implemented, including the use of plants such as Jatropha curcas L., which could have the capacity to improve the agronomic properties of degraded soils in the tropics. The aim of this study is, therefore, to demonstrate that J. curcas L. can improve the characteristics of degraded tropical soil. Between October 2019 and November 2022, we evaluated the effect of spacing, planting material type and age, as well as their interactions, on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations and pH at two depths (i.e., 0–10 and 10–20 cm) in the soil. The results reveal that after three years of J. curcas L. growth, C concentration and soil pH increased significantly (p < 0.001) at both depths, while N concentration increased significantly between 0 and 10 cm only. Plants grown from cuttings improved soil pH at 10–20 cm depth more (p = 0.012) than those grown from seeds. Three years after planting, soil N concentration under J. curcas reached a value comparable to that of undisturbed adjacent soil. Overall, our results indicate that J. curcas is a plant that can contribute effectively to restoring degraded tropical soils, therefore contributing to limiting the deforestation of natural forests. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeochemical Cycles in Forests)
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15 pages, 3979 KiB  
Article
Accumulation of Glomalin-Related Soil Protein Regulated by Plantation Types and Vertical Distribution of Soil Characteristics in Southern China
by Miaolan Wu, Shaochun Zhang, Xiaojuan Gu, Zhihang He, Yue Liu and Qifeng Mo
Forests 2024, 15(8), 1479; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15081479 - 22 Aug 2024
Viewed by 743
Abstract
The glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) is an important component of soil organic carbon (SOC), which plays an important role in maintaining soil structural stability, soil carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) fixation. However, little is known about the GRSP content in soil and its [...] Read more.
The glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) is an important component of soil organic carbon (SOC), which plays an important role in maintaining soil structural stability, soil carbon (C), and nitrogen (N) fixation. However, little is known about the GRSP content in soil and its contribution to soil nutrients in plantations of different tree species. In this study, we determined the soil physicochemical characteristics and GRSP contents in different soil layers of four kinds of plantations, including Acacia mangium (AM), Pinus caribaea (PC), Eucalyptus urophylla (EU), and Magnoliaceae glanca (MG), to address how the plantation types affected the GRSP in different layers of soil in southern China. The results showed that with an increase in soil depth, the GRSP content decreased linearly, and the contribution rate of GRSP to SOC and total nitrogen (TN) in deep soil was 1.08–1.18 times that in surface soil. The tree species significantly affected the vertical distribution of GRSP in soil. Among the four plantations, the conifer species PC had the highest level of GRSP, while the N-fixing species AM had the lowest level. However, SOC, soil capillary porosity (CP), TN, soil water content (SWC), and total phosphorus (TP) were important factors regulating soil GRSP content. Additionally, the regulation effects of soil properties on GRSP were various in surface and deep soil among different plantations. In order to improve soil quality and C sequestration potential, conifer species can be planted appropriately, or conifer species and N-fixing species can be mixed to increase soil nutrient content and enhance soil structure and function in afforestation of southern China. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeochemical Cycles in Forests)
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32 pages, 7087 KiB  
Article
Biogeochemical Migration of Some Rare Elements in the “Leaf Debris–Soil” System of the Catenary Landscapes in Tropical Mountainous Forests in Southern Vietnam
by Yaroslav Lebedev, Anna Drygval, Cam Nhung Pham, Roman Gorbunov, Tatiana Gorbunova, Andrei Kuznetsov, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Van Thinh Nguyen and Vladimir Tabunshchik
Forests 2024, 15(7), 1251; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15071251 - 18 Jul 2024
Viewed by 890
Abstract
Expeditionary studies of the functioning of landscapes of mid-mountain monsoon (including fog) forests have been being conducted within the landscape and ecological station in the territory of the Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park and the adjacent Hon Giao since 2018 and are currently underway. [...] Read more.
Expeditionary studies of the functioning of landscapes of mid-mountain monsoon (including fog) forests have been being conducted within the landscape and ecological station in the territory of the Bidoup-Nui Ba National Park and the adjacent Hon Giao since 2018 and are currently underway. One of the research objectives is to clarify the biogeochemical migrations of the material composition of soils in the “leaf debris–soil” system. We have consistently studied natural objects for their material composition as well as the intensity and rate of involvement of chemical elements in physicochemical migration processes in the “leaf debris–soil” system. Our findings indicate an active influx of a select group of examined elements (Se, Pd, Ag, Cd, Sn, Bi), particularly Bi, Pd, Se, and Cd, through the leaf debris and the detachment of aboveground plant organs, warranting their integration into organogenic soil horizons. Subsequently, lateral migration (Pd, Cd, Se) ensues. Slope processes within subordinate landscape facets, in addition to soil moisture and aeration processes, contribute to the subsequent redistribution of elemental volumes introduced into organogenic soil horizons. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeochemical Cycles in Forests)
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15 pages, 8985 KiB  
Article
Macro- and Microelements and the Impact of Sub-Mediterranean Downy Oak Forest Communities on Their Composition in Rainwater
by Cam Nhung Pham, Roman Gorbunov, Vladimir Lapchenko, Tatiana Gorbunova and Vladimir Tabunshchik
Forests 2024, 15(4), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15040612 - 28 Mar 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1106
Abstract
In this study, we analyzed the content of chemical elements in rainwater and investigated the influence of forest cover on the composition of precipitation. The results obtained showed that the concentration of some elements in the rainwater collected under the forest canopy was [...] Read more.
In this study, we analyzed the content of chemical elements in rainwater and investigated the influence of forest cover on the composition of precipitation. The results obtained showed that the concentration of some elements in the rainwater collected under the forest canopy was higher than that in the open area. As part of the work, we calculated the enrichment factor and examined the sources of chemical elements in rainwater. We found that all macro-elements had increased values of the enrichment factors compared to the supporting elements of the Earth’s crust. Ca had the highest value. The values of the remaining elements (Sr, Pb, Mn, Cr, Ba, V, Fe) indicated their lithogenic and anthropogenic origins. We noted that the enrichment factor under the forest canopy was significantly lower than in the open area, indicating the dilution of these elements during water passage through the canopy. Elements such as Zn, Co, Cu, and Ni also had high enrichment factors, which indicate their anthropogenic origin. In the open area, most elements had an inverse relationship with pH, except for the alkali metals Na, Mg, and Ca, which had a positive relationship with the pH value. The concentration of K was not dependent on pH. In rainwater that had passed through the forest canopy, the concentrations of Na, Mg, and Ca were also not dependent on pH, while the concentration of K had an inverse relationship with pH. As the concentration of heavy metals in rainwater increases, the role of Na, Mg, and Ca in the process of water neutralization decreases. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeochemical Cycles in Forests)
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