Changes in Soil Organic Carbon Fractions and Fungal Communities, Subsequent to Different Management Practices in Moso Bamboo Plantations

Abstract

Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) has an extremely fast growth rate and major carbon sequestration potential. However, little information is available on the dynamics of soil C accumulation and fungi communities related to different management practices. Here, we investigated changes in the soil organic carbon (SOC) fractions and fungal communities of a Moso bamboo plantation under three different management practices (M0: undisturbed; M1: extensively managed; and M2: intensively managed). Compared with M0, SOC levels were reduced by 41.2% and 71.5% in M1 and M2, respectively; furthermore, four SOC fractions (C1: very labile; C2: labile; C3: less labile; and C4: nonlabile) and the carbon management index (CMI) were also significantly reduced by plantation management. These practices further altered fungal communities, for example, by increasing Basidiomycota and Mortierellomycota, and by decreasing Ascomycota and Rozellomycota. Pyrenochaeta, Mortierella, Saitozyma, and Cladophialophora were identified as keystone taxa. Soil fungal communities were significantly related to the pH, NH4-N, AP, C3, and the C4 fractions of SOC. Random forest modeling identified soil C3 and Mortierella as the most important predictors of the CMI. Our results suggest that reducing human interference would be beneficial for fungal community improvement and C sequestration in Moso bamboo plantations.

Effects of on- and off-year management practices on the soil organic C fractions and microbial community in a Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) forest in subtropical China

“…The mechanism of on-and off-year management practices affect soil SOC by changing soil microbial communities Soil microbial communities can be characterized by their physicochemical properties (Rousk et al, 2010;Li and Liu, 2019;Zhang et al, 2022). The different plant growth status and related management measures in the on-year and off-year caused the change in soil physicochemical properties, consequently, resulted in the shift of soil microbial communities.…”

Metagenomic insights into the characteristics of soil microbial communities in the decomposing biomass of Moso bamboo forests under different management practices

“…The soil samples and their physiochemical properties used in this study were recently published ( Zhang et al, 2022 ). The study area was Anji County (30°31′–30°14′N, 119°37–119°15′ E) in Zhejiang Province, China.…”

“…Three sites in the study area (3 × 2 km) were chosen for investigation in May 2021 based on similarities to the initial site conditions found in previous studies ( Yang et al, 2019 ; Zhang et al, 2022 ). At each site, three comparable stands (M0, M1, and M2) with similar forest-land characteristics, such as soil type, elevation, slope gradient, and other features, were chosen.…”

“…Two management practices are used in Moso bamboo plantations: intensive management (such as fertilizer application, tillage, and removal of understory vegetation) and extensive management (including selective and regular harvesting of bamboo stems and shoots) (Yang et al, 2019). Previous studies have also found a relationship between different management approaches and soil C dynamics in Moso bamboo plantations (Li et al, 2013;Yang et al, 2019;Zhang et al, 2022). Specifically, Li et al (2013) indicated that longterm intensive management practice decreases SOC storage and alters SOC chemical compositions, such as increased alkyl C and carbonyl C contents and decreased O-alkyl C and aromatic C contents.…”

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Bian F and Yang C (2022) Metagenomic insights into the characteristics of soil microbial communities in the decomposing biomass of Moso bamboo forests under different management practices.

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