Soil chronosequence derived from landslides on the upper reach of Minjiang River,western China

Soil chronosequences derived from landslides with certain time series are the great avenue to elevate our understanding on the processes of pedogenesis,nutrient dynamics,and ecosystem evolution.However,the construction of reliable soil chronosequence from historical landslides remains intricate.Here,we presented a 22,000-year soil chronosequence from multiple landslides on the upper reach of Minjiang River,western China.The variation in a variety of pedogenesis indices and soil nutrients verified the reliability of the chronosequence.The silica-alumina ratio and silica sesquioxide ratio decreased significantly with soil age.This reflected the enrichment of Al/Fe/Ti oxides but the depletion of Si oxides with the soil development.Meanwhile,the values of the Chemical Index of Weathering and the Chemical Index of Alteration increased significantly with soil age,especially from 5 to 89 years.These variations were attributed to the soil weathering,which led to the destruction of soil minerals with the rapid loss of most of cations(e.g.,K,Na,Ca,and Mg)during the soil development.The concentrations of carbon and nitrogen in topsoil increased with soil age,and the carbon accumulation rate slowed significantly from 5,500 to 22,000 years.The total phosphorus concentrations decreased with soil age,suggesting the gradual loss of soil phosphorus with soil development.The results indicate that the landslide chronosequence established on the upper reach of Minjiang River is reliable and delineates a long-term soil development process,which will provide a great platform for further improvement of biogeochemical theories and understanding sustainable vegetation restoration.

Changes in Soil C and N Contents and Mineralization Across a Cultivation Chronosequence of Paddy Fields in Subtropical China

Dynamics of soil organic matter in a cultivation chronosequence of paddy fields were studied in subtropical China.Mineralization of soil organic matter was determined by measuring CO2 evolution from soil during 20 days of laboratoryincubation. In the first 30 years of cultivation, soil organic C and N contents increased rapidly. After 30 years, 0-10 cmsoil contained 19.6 g kg-1 organic C and 1.62 g kg-1 total N, with the corresponding values of 18.1 g kg-1 and 1.50g kg-1 for 10-20 cm, and then remained stable even after 80 years of rice cultivation. During 20 days incubation themineralization rates of organic C and N in surface soil (0-10 cm) ranged from 2.2% to 3.3% and from 2.8% to 6.7%,respectively, of organic C and total N contents. Biologically active C size generally increased with increasing soil organicC and N contents. Soil dissolved organic C decreased after cultivation of wasteland to 10 years paddy field and thenincreased. Soil microbial biomass C increased with number of years under cultivation, while soil microbial biomass Nincreased during the first 30 years of cultivation and then stabilized. After 30 years of cultivation surface soil (0-10 cm)contained 332.8 mg kg-1 of microbial biomass C and 23.85 mg kg-1 of microbial biomass N, which were 111% and 47%higher than those in soil cultivated for 3 years. It was suggested that surface soil with 30 years of rice cultivation insubtropical China would have attained a steady state of organic C content, being about 19 g kg-1.

Changes in Soil Properties of Paddy Fields Across a Cultivation Chronosequence in Subtropical China

Rice production plays a crucial role in the food supply of China and a better understanding of the changes in paddy soil fertility and the management effects is of practical importance for increasing rice productivity. In this study, field sampling in a typical red soil region of subtropical China, Jiangxi Province, was used to observe changes in the soil physical, chemical, and biological properties in a cultivation chronosequence of paddy fields. After cultivation, clay (< 0.002 mm) content in the soil…

Nitrogen Mineralization in Soils Along a Vegetation Chronosequence in Hong Kong

This research examined nitrogen mineralization in the top 10 cm of soils along a vegetation gradient in Hong Kong at sites where fire has been absent for 0, 1, 3, 6 and 17 years (at the time of the study), and the relationships between N mineralization and successional development of vegetation in the absence of fire. The sites including a newly burnt area (S1), short grassland (S2), tall grassland (S3), mixed tall grassland and shrubland (S4), and woodland (S5) were selected,and the in situ core incubation method was used to estimate nitrogen mineralization. Throughout the 60-day incubation in four periods, more nitrogen was mineralized at the S3 and S4 sites, the predominantly grassland sites, which contained the highest levels of soil organic matter (SOM) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), than the S1 site, while immobilization occurred at the S2 and S5 sites. Leaching loss decreased with successional development of the vegetation, in the order of S1 ＞ S2 ＞ S3 ＞ S4 ＞ S5. The pattern of nitrogen uptake with ecological succession was less conspicuous, being complicated by the immediate effect of fire and possibly the ability of the woodland species to extract nitrogen from the deeper ground.In the absence of fire for 3 to 6 years, the build-up of SOM and TKN was accompanied by active mineralization, thus paving the way for the invasion of shrub and tree species. A close relationship existed between nitrogen mineralization and ecological succession with this vegetation gradient. Inherent mechanisms to preserve nitrogen in a fire-prone environment including immobilization and uptake and the practical relevance of nitrogen mineralization to reforestation are discussed.

Variations of bacterial and fungal communities along a primary successional chronosequence in the Hailuogou glacier retreat area(Gongga Mountain, SW China)

New terrestrial habitats have emerged and a primary succession has developed in the retreat area （29°34＇N, 102°oo＇E, 2951-2886 m） after the retreat of the Hailuogou glacier. To investigate soil microbial changes along the primary successional chronosequence, mixed soil samples were collected at six sites at different ages （2 young sites, 2 mid-aged sites, and 2 old sites）. The RNA was extracted and amplified. Bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal 18S rRNA were analyzed using high-throughput 454 pyrosequencing analysis. Overall, pyrosequeneing showed that Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Baeteroidetes and Actinobacteria were the main bacterial phyla, and the fungal communities were strongly dominated by the phyla Ascomyeota and Basidiomyeota in the retreat area. The Shannon diversity index （Hshannon） of bacteria was 6.5 - 7.9, and that of fungi was 2.2 - 4.1 in these sites. For the bacterial communities, diversity and evenness values were highest on the mid-age sites and were relatively low on the young trend was observed for the and old sites. A similar fungal communities. In contrast, soil properties showed significant linear distributional trends （increase or decrease） with the age of the site. Combining the linear change patterns of soil properties, the highest values of bacterial and fungal evenness and diversity in the mid-aged sites indicated that there was less environmental stress and more niches for microbial communities in the middle successional stage compare with other stages. In addition, our analysis showed that microbial communities were the main drivers that build a soil organic matter pool to expedite pedogenesis for ecosystem succession. This primary succession in the Hailuogou glacier retreat area is developing rapidly compared with that in other glacier retreats.

Changes in soil organic carbon and aggregate stability following a chronosequence of Liriodendron chinense plantations

The objectives for this study were to determine changes in soil organic carbon(SOC)components and water-stable aggregates for soil profi les from diff erent ages of plantations of Liriodendron chinense and to clarify which organic carbon component is more closely associated with the formation and stability of soil aggregates.Three layers of soil(depths 0–20 cm,20–40 cm,40–60 cm)were collected from young,half-mature and mature stages of L.chinense.SOC,readily oxidizable organic carbon,chemically stable organic carbon and aggregate composition were determined.Intermediate stable organic carbon,the microbial quotient and aggregate stability(mean weight diameter)were calculated.SOC and aggregate stability in the L.chinense plantation did not increase linearly with an increase in L.chinense age;rather,they fi rst decreased,then increased with increasing age of L.chinense.The microbial quotient had a negative eff ect on the level of organic carbon and the stability of aggregates,while chemically stable organic carbon had a positive eff ect,which explained 55.0%and 19.3%of the total variation,respectively(P<0.01).Therefore,more attention should be paid of these two indicators in the future.

Carbon stock in Korean larch plantations along a chronosequence in the Lesser Khingan Mountains, China

Carbon （C） dynamics are central to understanding ecosystem restoration effects within the context of Grain for Green Project （GGP）. GGP stared in China since 2003 to improve the environment. Despite its importance, how total forest ecosystem C stock （FECS） develops fol- lowing land-use changes from cropland to plantation is poorly under- stood, in particular the relationship of C allocation to pools. We quanti- fied C pools in a chronosequence ranging from 0 to 48 years, using com- plete above- and below-ground harvests based on detailed field inventory Stands were chosen along a succession sequence in managed plantations of Korean larch （Larix olgensis Henry.）, a native planting species in the Lesser Khingan Mountains, Northeast of China. The FECS of Korean larch plantation （KLP） were dynamic across stand development, chang- ing from 88.2 Mg.ha-1 at cropland, to 183.9 Mg.ha·-1 as an average of forest C from 7- through 48-year-old plantation. In a 48-year-old mature KLP, vegetation comprises 48.63% of FECS and accounts for 67.66% of annual net C increment （ANCI）. Soil is responsible for 38.19% and 13.53% of those, and with the remainders of 13.18% and 18.81% in down woody materials. Based on comparisons of our estimate to those of others, we conclude that afforestation of Korean larch plantation is a valid approach to sequester carbon.

Changes in Soil Composition and Floral Coverage on a Glacial Foreland Chronosequence in Southern Iceland

The land surface in front of the Skaftafellsj?kull in southern Iceland, exposed by ice recession commencing about the start of the twentieth century, constitutes a foreland with a maximum age of about 100 years and a more distal outwash plain. The ages of different surfaces within this sequence are constrained by moraines of known or estimated ages. Across this chronosequence, we measured at various sites the extent of floral coverage of the surface, the soil carbon and nitrogen contents of the substrate and the soil CO2 flux rate. All measured parameters exhibit values increasing with distance from the ice front, which correlates approximately with age. The strongest correlations are seen between distance and the carbon and nitrogen concentrations of the soil. Marked horizonation of the soil is observed only on the oldest surfaces (100+ years).

Evolution and significance of soil magnetism of basalt-derived chronosequence soils in tropical southern China

Soil samples were collected from eight basalt- derived chronosequence soils with the ages of 0.01, 0.58, 0.92, 1.33, 2.04, 3.04, 3.76 and 6.12 Ma respectively from Leizhou Peninsula and northern Hainan Island of tropical southern China. Magnetic parameters of magnetic susceptibility (MS), percentage of frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility (FDS%), anhysteretic remanent magnetization (ARM), saturation isothermal remanent magnetization (SIRM), soft and hard isothermal remanent magnetization (IRMs and IRMh) of the collected samples were measured to study the evolution and the significance of the magnetism with soil age. The results show that the magnetic parameters changed fast from Primosols to Ferrosols (0.01 ~ 0.92 Ma) but slowly at Ferralosols stage (1.33 Ma~), it suggests a stable phase occurred for soil magnetism at Ferralosols, the existence of this phase could be supported by the little changes in the contents of clay, Fet and Fed. Obvious differences existed in the values of magnetic parameters between Ferralosols and other soil types (Primosols and Ferrosols), FDS%: Ferralosols > 10%, Primosols and Ferrosols –8· SIm3·kg–1, Primosols and Ferrosols > 8000 × 10–8 SIm3·kg–1, thus, it is possible to differentiate Ferralosols from other soil types in tropical region by using magnetic indices.

Disparity in soil bacterial community succession along a short time-scale deglaciation chronosequence on the Tibetan Plateau

Global warming leads to deglaciations in high-elevation regions,which exposes deglaciated soils to microbial colonization.Disparity in year-to-year successional patterns of bacterial community and influencing factors in freshly deglaciated soils remain unclear.We explored the abundance of bacterial 16S rRNA gene and community succession in deglaciated soils along a 14-year chronosequence after deglaciation using qPCR and Illumina sequencing on the Tibetan Plateau.The results showed that the abundance of bacterial 16S rRNA gene gradually increased with increasing deglaciation age.Soil bacterial community succession was clustered into three deglaciation stages,which were the early(zero-year old),transitional(1-7 years old)and late(8-14 years old)stages.A significantly abrupt bacterial community succession occurred from the early to the transitional stage(P<0.01),while a mild succession(P=0.078)occurred from the transitional to the late stage.The bacterial community at the early and transitional stages were dominated by Proteobacteria,while the late stage was dominated by Actinobacteria.Less abundant(<10%)Acidobacteria,Gemmatimonadetes,Verrucomicrobia,Chloroflexi,Planctomycetes,unclassified bacteria dominantly occurred in the transition and late stage and Cyanobacteria in the early stage.Total organic carbon(24.7%),post deglaciation age(21%),pH(16.5%)and moisture(10.1%)significantly contributed(P<0.05)to the variation of bacterial community succession.Our findings provided a new insight that short time-scale chronosequence is a good model to study yearly resolution of microbial community succession.

Soil chronosequence and biosequence on old lake sediments of the Burdur Lake in Turkey

The Burdur Lake is located in the southwest of Turkey,and its area has decreased by 40% from 211 km^(2) in 1975 to 126 km^(2) in 2019.In this study,we investigated how the soil has changed in the lacustrine material.Three soil profiles were sampled from the former lakebed(chronosequence profiles:P1,2007;P2,1994;and P3,1975),and three soil profiles under different land use types(biosequence profiles:P4,native forest vegetation;P5,agriculture;and P6,lakebed)were sampled.The chronosequence and biosequence soil profiles represented various distances from the Burdur Lake and showed different stages of lacustrine evolution.Soil electrical conductivity(EC;18.1 to 0.4 dS m^(-1)),exchangeable Na^(+)(34.7 to 1.4 cmol kg^(-1))and K^(+)(0.61 to 0.56 cmol kg^(-1)),and water-soluble Cl^(-)(70.3 to 2.1 cmol L^(-1))and SO_(4)^(2-)(275.9 to 25.0 cmol L^(-1))decreased with increasing distance from the Burdur Lake,whereas the A horizon thickness(10 to 48 cm),structure formation(0 to 48 cm),gleization-oxidation depth(0 to 79 cm),and montmorillonite and organic matter(OM;25.9 to 46.0 g kg^(-1))contents increased in the chronosequence soil profiles.The formation of P3 in the chronosequence and P5 in the biosequence soil profiles increased due to longer exposure to pedogenic processes(time,land use,vegetation,etc.).Changes in EC,exchangeable cation(Na^(+) and K^(+))and water-soluble anion(Cl^(-) and SO_(4)^(2-))concentrations of the salt-enriched horizon,OM,gleization-oxidation depth,A horizon thickness,and structure formation of the chronosequence and biosequence soil profiles(especially the topsoil horizon)were highly related to the distance from the Burdur Lake,time,and land use.

Changes in ecosystem carbon stocks in a grassland ash (Fraxinus excelsior) afforestation chronosequence in Ireland

Aims Government policy in Ireland is to increase the national forest cover from the current 10%to 18%of the total land area by 2020.This represents a major land use change that is expected to impact on the national carbon(C)stocks.While the C stocks of ecosystem bio-mass and soils of Irish grasslands and coniferous forests have been quantified,little work has been done to assess the impact of broad-leaf afforestation on C stocks.Methods In this study,we sampled a chronosequence of ash(Fraxinus excel-sior)forests aged 12,20,27,40 and 47 years on brown earth soils.A grassland site,representative of the pre-afforestation land use,was sampled as a control.Important Findings Our results show that there was a significant decline(P<0.05)in the carbon density of the soil(0-30 cm)following afforestation from the grassland(90.2 Mg C ha^(−1))to the 27-year-old forest(66.7 Mg C ha^(−1)).Subsequently,the forest soils switched from being a C source to a C sink and began to sequester C to 71.3 Mg C ha^(−1) at the 47-year-old forest.We found the amount of C stored in the above-and belowground biomass increased with age of the forest stands and offset the amount of C lost from the soil.The amount of C stored in the above-and belowground biomass increased on average by 1.83 Mg C ha^(−1) year^(−1).The increased storage of C in the biomass led to an increase in the total ecosystem C,from 90.2 Mg C ha^(−1) at the grassland site to 162.6 Mg C ha^(−1) at the 47-year-old forest.On a national scale,projected rates of ash afforestation to the year 2020 may cause a loss of 290752 Mg C from the soil compared to 2525936 Mg C sequestered into the tree biomass.The effects of harvesting and reforestation may further modify the development of ecosystem C stocks over an entire ash rotation.

Soil calcium content as the driving factor for vegetative structure and soil microbial function diverging across a fire chronosequence of the boreal forests in northeast China

The role of biophysical variables in constructing community structure changes with the time since fire.The major objective of this study is to verify the transition stage and its underlying variables for the postfire forest and soil microbial function in the boreal forested area of China.A 50-year fire chronosequence was presented,and biomass of forbs,shrubs and woody plants was separately weighted to assess their contribution to the whole community with the year since fire(YSF).Simultaneously,soil biophysical properties were measured for stands in different time periods after fire.Soil microbial functions,i.e.growth efficiency(GE)and carbon use efficiency(CUE),were calculated based on ecoenzymatic and soil nutrient stoichiometry.In terms of vegetative structure,forbs’proportion decreased from 75%to 1.5%,but the proportion of woody plants increased from 0.04%to 70%across this fire chronosequence.GE and CUE of soil microorganisms averaged 0.242 and 0.236 and were significantly higher in 9,15 and 31 YSF than in 2 and 3 YSF.Soil metal content was significantly increased at the late stage of this fire chronosequence,and soil calcium content showed a positive correlation with woody plant biomass and a negative correlation with soil microbial function.Overall,the present work highlights that the time period of 15 and 31 YSF is a hallmark stage for aboveground vegetative structure and soil microbial function to change in different trends and that the calcium content may partly account for these two divergent trajectories.

Adsorption and desorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) in paddy soils cultivated for various years in the subtropical China

The adsorption and desorption of Cu（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ） on upland red soil,and paddy soils which were originated from the upland soil and cultivated for 8,15,35 and 85 years,were investigated using the batch method.The study showed that the organic matter content and cation exchange capacity （CEC） of the soils are important factors controlling the adsorption and desorption of Cu（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ）.The 15-Year paddy soil had the highest adsorption capacity for Pb（Ⅱ）,followed by the 35-Year paddy soil.Both the 35-Year paddy soil and 15-Year paddy soil adsorbed more Cu（Ⅱ） than the upland soil and other paddy soils.The 15-Year paddy soils exhibited the highest desorption percentage for both Cu（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ）.These results are consistent with the trend for the CEC of the soils tested.The high soil CEC contributes not only to the adsorption of Cu（Ⅱ） and Pb（Ⅱ） but also to the electrostatic adsorption of the two heavy metals by the soils.Lower desorption percentages for Cu（Ⅱ） （36.7% to 42.2%） and Pb（Ⅱ） （50.4% to 57.9%） were observed for the 85-Year paddy soil.The highest content of organic matter in the soil was responsible for the low desorption percentages for the two metals because the formation of the complexes between the organic matter and the metals could increase the stability of the heavy metals in the soils.

Forest succession in post-agricultural Larix olgensis plantations in northeast China

In order to understand the management of regional vegetation,numerical classification and ordination are widely used to investigate community distribution and vegetation features.In particular,two-way indicator-species analysis programs(TWINSPAN)classifies plots and species into different groups.De-trended correspondence analysis(DCA)and canonical correspondence analysis(CCA)reflects the relationship between community and site conditions.Afforestation with Larix olgensis Herry.Plantations is a suitable restoration strategy on post-agricultural fields in the Lesser Khingan Mountains.The results of this study show how these plantations develop over time to establish a reliable pathway model by measuring and clarifying the succession process.Twenty-eight L.olgensis plantations along a 48-year chronosequence of afforestation were investigated with a quadrat sampling method.Species composition,community structure attributes of diversity,and site conditions were analyzed.Communities were classified by TWINSPAN into five successional stages:immature,juvenile,mid-aged,nearmature and mature.Classifications were validated by DCA and CCA analysis.Site conditions such as soil and litter thickness,soil organic matter,soil density,and pH were measured.Successional stages varied in community composition and species population,accompanied by time from afforestation and a gradient of site conditions.This gradient showed changes in vegetation occurrence and diversity coinciding with changes in soil conditions.The study showed that L.olgensis plantations had marked predominance in growth and were associated with improved soil fertility and the formation of a stable plant community.

The establishment and development of Haloxylon ammodendron promotes salt accumulation in surface soil of arid sandy land

Haloxylon ammodendron, a representative C_4 succulent xerophyte and salt-secreting plant, is widely used in vegetation reestablishment programs to stabilize shifting sand, and is one of the dominant shrubs in the shelter belt used to control desertification in the desert-oasis ecotone in northwestern China. In this study, we collected soil samples in an age sequence of 0-, 2-, 5-, 13-, 16-, 31-, and 39-year-old H. ammodendron plantations to assess the effects of the shrub on soil fertility and salinity. Results show that SOC and total N concentrations increased significantly with increasing plantation age and increased 5.95-(in the interspaces) to 9.05-fold(under the canopy) and 6.15-to 8.46-fold at the 0-5 cm depth at the 39-year-old plantation compared with non-vegetated sandy land. Simultaneously, H. ammodendron establishment and development resulted in significant salt accumulation in the surface layer. On average, total soil salt content at the 0-5 cm and 5-20 cm depth increased 16.8-fold and 4.4-fold, respectively, compared with non-vegetated sandy land. The increase of total salt derived mostly from the accumulation of SO_4^(2-), Ca^(2+) and Na^+ with H. ammodendron development. The accumulation in salinity was more significant than the increase in fertility, suggesting that improved soil fertility did not limit the impact of salinization. The adverse effect of salt accumulation may result in H. ammodendron plantation degradation and impact community stability in the long run.

How do soil fauna and soil microbiota respond to beech forest growth?

The dynamics and performance of soil biota during forest rotation were studied in monoculture beech stands forming a chronosequence of four different age-classes(30,62,111,153 yr).Biomass was monitored in major groups of microflora,microfauna,mesofauna,and macrofauna.Resource availability(litter layer,soil organic mater),biomass of the two dominant decomposer groups(microflora,earthworms)as well as the biomass of mesofauna and microfauna were found to remain quite stable during forest succession.Nevertheless,the marked increase of the biomasses of primary decomposers(fungi,saprophagous macroinvertebrates)in the 62-year-old stand,followed by an increase of the biomasses of macropredators in the 111-year-old stand,indicate substantial changes of several components of edaphic communities during forest development.However,constant values of soil respiration suggest that the overall performance of the soil food web does not change during beech forest succession.Thus,the decomposer system of lowland managed beech forests on calcareous soils seems to be very stable over time.We suggest that earthworm activity might have masked impacts of forest development on other soil biota and led to an astounding stability of decomposer assemblages during beech forest rotation.

Assessing Spatial Patterns of Plant Communities at Varying Stages of Succession

There is a well known connection between the structural complexity of vegetative stands and ecosystem properties. Developing methods to quantify this structural complexity is an important goal for ecologists. We present an efficient and easily implemented field technique for calculating the shape of forest canopies, and the shape of forest stands as succession occurs, using fractal geometry. Fractal geometry can be used to describe complex, non-Euclidean objects that are common in natural systems. We tested the use of this tool in 22 vegetative and forested plots in Western New York State, USA. We found an asymptotic relationship for fractal dimension (D) as a function of basal area (BA;r2= 0.68). In a randomization test to investigate the robustness of D to different tree canopy shapes, we found that D was sensitive to canopy shape switching, suggesting that the method is able to differentiate among similar forests comprised of species having different shaped crowns. We conclude that the shape is conserved in vegetative areas as they progress from one stage of succession to the next (range of mean D: 2.56 to 2.68 across stages). Furthermore, we conclude that the shape filling properties—i.e., distribution of trunks and limbs in a forested area, measured as mean distance—are also conserved across vegetational chronosequences (F = 1.3189, df = 8, 3, p = 0.3341).

Prairie Restoration Effects on Near-Surface Soil Nutrient Changes Over Time in the Ozark Highlands Region of Northwest Arkansas

The Ozark Highlands is a unique botanical transition zone where native prairie and forest once co-existed, but conversion to managed agricultural landuse has severely reduced the extent of native tallgrass prairie. Quantifying soil nutrient changes over time can contribute to improved understanding of the importance of soil fertility in prairie restoration success. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of prairie ecosystem [i.e., chronosequence of four prairie restorations and a native prairie (NP)] and soil moisture regime (SMR;aquic and udic) on the change in extractable soil nutrients over a 12-yr period from 2005 to 2017 in the Ozark Highlands region of northwest Arkansas. Soil Ca content decreased over time (P ≤ 0.05) in the 17-year-old-aquic and NP-udic combinations, which did not differ and averaged ?55.7 kg?ha?1?yr?1, but did not change over time in all other ecosystem-SMR combinations. Soil Na content also decreased over time (P ≤ 0.05) in the 17-year-old-aquic combination (?0.7 kg?ha?1?yr?1), but did not change over time in any of the other ecosystem-SMR combinations. Averaged across SMR, soil P content decreased over time (P ≤ 0.05) in the 17-year-old restoration (?1.6 kg?ha?1?yr?1), while did not change over time in the other three restorations and NP. Soil K, Mg, and Zn content changes over time did not differ (P > 0.05) among ecosystem or between SMRs. Soil nutrient changes are manifestations of soil organic matter dynamics over time and contribute to the inherent soil fertility status of an ecosystem, which needs to be balanced for proper ecosystem functioning and restoration success.

Bacterial community network complexity and role of stochasticity decrease during primary succession

In microbial ecology,there is limited understanding of the mechanisms governing patterns in community structure across space and time.Here,we studied the changes of bacterial co-occurrence network structure over four primary successional soils after glacier retreat,including a sand dune system and three glacier foreland series,varying in timescale from centuries to millennia.We found that in all series,network structure was most complex in the earliest stages of succession,and became simpler over time.Richness and abundance of keystone species and network stability also declined over time.It appears that with less productive,nutrient poor and physiologically extreme conditions of early succession,closer interactions among bacterial species are ecologically selected for.These may take the form of consortia(with positive interactions)or stronger niche exclusion(with negative interactions).Additionally,we quantified the relative roles of different structuring processes on bacterial community using a bin-based null model analysis(iCAMP).With each successional series,community composition was initially governed by stochasticity,but as succession proceeded there was a progressive increase in deterministic selection over time,correlated with decreasing pH.Overall,our results show a consistency among the four series in long-term processes of community succession,with more integrated networks and greater stochasticity in early stages.