Differences in top-soil features between beech-mixture and Norway spruce forests of the Šumava Mts.

Abstract

Top-soil samples were taken from four mountain forest ecosystems in the Bohemian Forest to compare the processes in European beech-mixture (fs) and Norway spruce (Pa) dominating ecosystems. Selected plots can be grouped into two types of forest ecosystems which are conditioned by position on the natural altitudinal gradient. Several chemical features (content of organic matter, properties of humic and fulvic acids, releasable P, Ca, Mg, Fe and Al content) were compared with the species structure of oribatid mite communities in the same samples. Strict differences between both ecosystem types were discovered. Statistically significant differences were detected in Mg content (0.42 mg/g in fs ecosystems compared to 0.30 mg/g in Pa ecosystems) and in organic matter quality (the ratio of carbon content in humic acids to carbon content in total humus acids was 0.53 in fs ecosystems and 0.66 in Pa ecosystems) and quantity (e.g. content of humic acid carbon was 59 and 86 mg/g in fs and Pa ecosystems, respectively). Different dynamics of organic matter decomposition and nutrient movement lead to some opposite correlations among the soil chemical features: correlation between total ash and soluble ash (r = +0.96 and -0.86 in the fs and Pa ecosystems, respectively) and total ash -P content correlation (r = +0.76 and -0.92 in the fs and Pa ecosystems, respectively) can be mentioned as examples. The oribatid mite communities are markedly distinct in both ecosystem types, although parameters of species diversity and abundance are similar. Different correlations were revealed between the parameters of mite community structure (e.g. species diversity and total mite abundance) and top-soil chemical features. The correlation structure is different in both ecosystem types. It indicates differences in leading variables determining the oribatid community structure in the beech mixture ecosystem or in the Norway spruce one.

Soil microarthropods in non‐intervention montane spruce forest regenerating after bark‐beetle outbreak

“…The opposite trend was recorded in forests undergoing bark beetle gradation. There were lower total abundance (approximately 80-100 000 ind./m 2 ) and number of species compared to our results from the regenerating forest, and oribatid community was even more dominated by T. velatus (Mateˇjka and Stary´2009).…”

“…The results obtained in the regenerating forest were compared with data from unaffected, mature spruce forest and from bark-beetle gradation. Data for comparison were taken from literature (Siira-Pietika¨inen et al 2001;Stary´2003;Materna 2004;Mateˇjka and Stary´2009;Č uchta et al 2012;L ó sˇkova´et al 2013;Farska´et al 2014). We used principal component analysis (PCA) to show main gradients in the communities.…”

Effect of site conditions and tree species composition on physico-chemical properties of soil environment in the Western Carpathians area

“…The HA and HA/FA ratio rises with the increasing proportion of spruce. A higher content of humic acids under spruce stands than under beech stands was reported by Matějka et Starý (2009). The evaluation of humus quality according to the HA/FA ratio is problematic in humification horizons and need not fulfil the hypothesis presented by Note: S 1 -instantaneous content of exchange base cations (mmol/kg); T (CEC) -cation exchange capacity (mmol/kg);V -base saturation (%) some authors (Zacanda et al 2003, Slepetiene et Slepetys 2005) that humus quality rises with the increasing content of humic acids.…”

“…This hypothesis was confirmed by the study of Kacálek et al (2010), who evaluated the soilimprovement influence of tree species on the formation of forest floor in the afforestation of agricultural lands at the foothills of the Orlické hory Mts. Matějka et Starý (2009) laid out an experiment in the Šumava Mts., where the condition of top soil layers was compared under spruce and beech stands. In their study these authors reported a higher content of magnesium under beech stands.…”

“…Some studies aimed at vegetation-soil relations have demonstrated that in relation to the species composition forest stands substantially change the humus status and simultaneously nutrient content in the soil (Ulbrichová et al 2005;Podrázský et Ulbrichová 2004;, creating conditions for their persistence in an ecosystem and for the persistence of an ecosystem in the given shape or more frequently for a change in the species composition of stands (further development of the ecosystems concerned) (Van Breemen et Finzi 1998;Binkley et Giardina 1998;Finizi et al 1998). Norway spruce has been proved to exert a degradation effect on the soil (Podrázský et Viewegh 2009;Matějka et Starý 2009). Litterfall of this tree species causes acidification of the top layer of soil (Fabianek et al 2009, and in general, lower base saturation (Binkley et Valentine 1991;Augusto et al 2003) and in some cases a higher amount of aluminium (Hagen-Thorn et al 2004) were found out under Norway spruce trees.…”