Contrasting Effects of Forest Type and Stand Age on Soil Microbial Activities: An Analysis of Local Scale Variability

Abstract

Understanding the functioning of different forest ecosystems is important due to their key role in strategies for climate change mitigation, especially through soil C sequestration. In controlled laboratory conditions, we conducted a preliminary study on six different forest soils (two coniferous, two deciduous, and two mixed sites comprising trees of different ages) collected from the same region. The aim was to explore any differences and assess seasonal changes in soil microbial parameters (basal respiration BR, microbial biomass Cmic, metabolic quotient qCO2, dehydrogenase activity DHA, and Cmic:Corg ratio). Indicator- and forest-specific seasonality was assessed. In addition to litter input, soil parameters (pH, nutrient content, texture and moisture) strongly regulated the analyzed microbial indicators. PCA analysis indicated similarity between mature mixed and deciduous forests. Among annual mean values, high Cmic and DHA with simultaneously low qCO2 suggest that the mature deciduous stand was the most sustainable in microbial activities among the investigated forest soils. Research on the interrelationship between soil parameters and forest types with different tree ages needs to be continued and extended to analyze a greater number of forest and soil types.

Effect of Organic Manure and Moisture Regimes on Soil Physiochemical Properties, Microbial Biomass Cmic:Nmic:Pmic Turnover and Yield of Mustard Grains in Arid Climate

“…During crop growth, the microbial biomass starts to decline and remains the minimum at the harvest stage. The decline in the microbial biomass during crop development and the maximum level of salinity is because of the concentration of salt in water, which badly effects the soil’s physico-chemical properties [ 42 ]. It has been reported that the microbial biomass of C mic and N mic decreases with increasing ECe in soil [ 37 ].…”

“…Vermicompost shows an enhancement over FYM based on circumstantial evidence because vermicompost contains the optimum nutrient C:N ratio and high-status-available nutrients, having hormones that increase the level of enzymes [ 19 ]. The humus colloidal complex is a valid reason to bring positive changes in soil properties because it is coupled with the good nutrient content of vermicompost and it directly contributes to the nutrient pool of the soil [ 16 , 42 ]. A higher amount of metabolite production and good photosynthetic efficiency during the vegetative growth via vermicompost ensured the continuous supply and gradual release of nutrients, resulting in a higher grain yield and stover yield because of the translocation of photosynthesis at different sinks [ 39 ].…”

Changes in soil microbial metabolic activity following long‐term forest succession on the central Loess Plateau, China

“…Forests can input large amounts of organic carbon into the soil through litter decomposition and fine root turnover, greatly promoting soil microbial growth (Cline & Zak, 2015; Deng et al, 2016). Soil basal respiration (BR), microbial biomass (MBC), microbial quotient ( q MB; ratio of MBC to SOC), and metabolic quotient ( q CO 2 ; ratio of BR to MBC) not only characterize soil microbial activities (Bargali et al, 2018; Shi et al, 2020), and can be used as an important parameter of substrate use efficiency caused by vegetation restoration changes (Walkiewicz et al, 2021). They play an important role in predicting the decomposition, release, and recycling of SOC by soil microorganisms (Liang et al, 2017).…”