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Forests
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Soil Fertility as a Driver in Forest Ecosystems
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Soil Fertility as a Driver in Forest Ecosystems

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (1 May 2022) | Viewed by 2621

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Frank S. Gilliam

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of West Florida, Pensacola, FL 32514, USA
Interests: plant ecology; forest ecology; terrestrial ecosystems; forest herbaceous layer communities; longleaf pine, nitrogen biogeochemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Given our dependence on crops for food, it is not surprising that more is known about agricultural soils than forest soils. However, in many ways, forest ecosystems have comprised an integral part of human existence for even longer, providing food, fiber, and habitat; maintaining the atmospheric balance of O2 and CO2; and providing musical, artistic, and poetic inspiration. Thus, it is essential to understand the complex ways in which forest soil fertility represents an integral component of forest ecosystems. This has become increasingly relevant as forests throughout the biosphere have been chronically exposed to a variety of anthropogenic influences that represent deleterious effects on their structure and function. In the distant past, this would include indiscriminate forest harvesting. More recently, such influences include the deposition of pollutants, including nitrogen (N). Currently, anthropogenic global warming threatens forests in many ways that include changes to soil fertility. In this Special Issue of Forests, we explore, on a global scale, the central importance of the fertility of forest soil in maintaining the structure and function of forest ecosystems, especially in the context of changes (excess versus decline) in N deposition and climate change.

Prof. Dr. Frank S. Gilliam
Guest Editor

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 soil fertility
  • temperate forests
  • tropical forests
  • boreal forests
  • climate change
  • biodiversity
  • biogeochemistry

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 2294 KiB  
Article
Effects of Irrigation and Nitrogen Application on Soil Nutrients in Triploid Populus tomentosa Stands
by Runzhe Zhang, Lishui Nie, Mengyao Huang, Hao Yang, Ce Shi, Yifan Wei, Lianjun Song, Jialei Zhu, Huijuan Bo, Jiang Wang and Haoliang Nie
Forests 2022, 13(7), 1046; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13071046 - 2 Jul 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2126
Abstract
Irrigation and nitrogen application directly affect the availability and distribution of soil nutrients. Understanding the response of soil nutrients to long-term water–fertilizer coupling conditions is helpful to improve the management and use efficiency. Irrigation was divided into three gradient levels, which accounted for [...] Read more.
Irrigation and nitrogen application directly affect the availability and distribution of soil nutrients. Understanding the response of soil nutrients to long-term water–fertilizer coupling conditions is helpful to improve the management and use efficiency. Irrigation was divided into three gradient levels, which accounted for 45%, 60%, and 75% (W1, W2, and W3) of the field water holding capacity. Based on pure nitrogen, four levels of nitrogen application were set: 0.0, 101.6, 203.2, and 304.8 kg·hm−2 (N0, N1, N2, and N3). We measured tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH), and we analyzed the chemical properties of the soil at 0–40 cm depth, from 2007 to 2020. The ranges of DBH, tree height, individual volume, and stand volume were 5.80–25.25 cm, 6.10–16.47 m, 0.01–0.37 m3, and 11.76–481.47 m3·hm−2, respectively. The contents of organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, and available potassium in the soil ranged from 8.60 g·kg−1 to 18.72 g·kg−1, from 0.21 g·kg−1 to 0.79 g·kg−1, from 8.09 mg·kg−1 to 47.05 mg·kg−1, and from 90 mg·kg−1 to 322 mg·kg−1, respectively. Soil pH value decreased rapidly at a rate of 0.31 units per year for the first five years. Irrigation and nitrogen application, and their interaction, had significant (p < 0.01) effects on soil total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium, and nitrate-nitrogen. We suggest maintaining the field water holding capacity above 60%, with a nitrogen application rate of 203.2 kg·hm−2, to save water, maintain soil fertility, and optimize soil nitrogen supply. Our study aimed to achieve scientific and accurate fertilization of Populus tomentosa stands over different periods, to alleviate the decline of soil fertility, and to improve the utilization rate of water and fertilizer through long-term nutrient monitoring. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil Fertility as a Driver in Forest Ecosystems)
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