A platform for research: civil engineering, architecture and urbanism
Changes in soil microbial metabolic limitations after half-century forest restoration in degraded tropical lands
Due to increasing anthropogenic pressure, over half of the world’s tropical forests are reforested or afforested secondary forests or plantations. The recovery pace and potential of these forests depend largely on soil microbially-mediated biogeochemical cycling. Here we measured soil extracellular enzyme activities and quantified microbial metabolic limitations using a vector analysis in a bare land (BL, representing the original state before restoration), two afforested sites [i.e. a restored secondary forest (MF) and a managed Eucalyptus exserta plantation (EP)] and a nearby undisturbed forest (UF) in south China. Results showed that soil microbial metabolisms were co-limited by carbon (C) and phosphorus (P) across the four forests. Both microbial C and P limitations were higher in BL than UF. Microbial C limitation significantly reduced after restoration only in MF when compared to BL, but it was still higher than that in UF. Interestingly, microbial P limitation significantly enhanced after restoration in both EP and MF when compared to BL, and it did not differ between the two restored forests. Structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that microbial C limitation was primarily attributed to microbial C use efficiency, while microbial P limitation was co-driven by plant biomass, microbial C use efficiency and soil P availability. These findings suggest microbial C limitation could be gradually recovered after forest restoration in southern China, which would facilitate soil organic carbon accumulation. However, the enhanced microbial P limitation after forest restoration underlines the necessity to develop optimal P management in these restored forests.
Changes in soil microbial metabolic limitations after half-century forest restoration in degraded tropical lands
Due to increasing anthropogenic pressure, over half of the world’s tropical forests are reforested or afforested secondary forests or plantations. The recovery pace and potential of these forests depend largely on soil microbially-mediated biogeochemical cycling. Here we measured soil extracellular enzyme activities and quantified microbial metabolic limitations using a vector analysis in a bare land (BL, representing the original state before restoration), two afforested sites [i.e. a restored secondary forest (MF) and a managed Eucalyptus exserta plantation (EP)] and a nearby undisturbed forest (UF) in south China. Results showed that soil microbial metabolisms were co-limited by carbon (C) and phosphorus (P) across the four forests. Both microbial C and P limitations were higher in BL than UF. Microbial C limitation significantly reduced after restoration only in MF when compared to BL, but it was still higher than that in UF. Interestingly, microbial P limitation significantly enhanced after restoration in both EP and MF when compared to BL, and it did not differ between the two restored forests. Structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that microbial C limitation was primarily attributed to microbial C use efficiency, while microbial P limitation was co-driven by plant biomass, microbial C use efficiency and soil P availability. These findings suggest microbial C limitation could be gradually recovered after forest restoration in southern China, which would facilitate soil organic carbon accumulation. However, the enhanced microbial P limitation after forest restoration underlines the necessity to develop optimal P management in these restored forests.
Changes in soil microbial metabolic limitations after half-century forest restoration in degraded tropical lands
Minghui Hu (author) / Yiren Zhu (author) / Jianling Li (author) / Xianyu Yao (author) / Yuanliu Hu (author) / Xiaolin Huang (author) / Yonghui Li (author) / Deqiang Zhang (author) / Qi Deng (author)
2024
Article (Journal)
Electronic Resource
Unknown
Metadata by DOAJ is licensed under CC BY-SA 1.0
Restoration strategies and actions in mediterranean degraded lands
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2000
|