Soil Enzyme Activity Changes in Different-Aged Spruce Forests of the Eastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau

Activities of selected soil enzymes (invertase, acid phosphatase, proteinase,catalase, peroxidase and polyphenoloxi-dase) were determined under different spruce forests withrestoration histories of 5, 13, 18, 23, 27 years and an old growth forest over 400 years old in theeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, China, and their possible use as indicators of ecosystems healthwere analyzed. Plots 10 X 10 m with 4 replications were established to investigate three hypotheses:soil enzyme activities a) would increase with the restoration process; b) would be greater insurface soils than at lower depths; and c) would be correlated to selected physicochemicalproperties. Results showed that as the forests developed after restoration, invertase and peroxidaseactivities usually increased up to the 23 year point. Also soil enzyme activities were associatedwith surface soils and decreased with depths, suggesting that in earlier restoration stages surfaceaddition of organic fertilizer to soils might be more effective than additions at depth. In the 0-20cm soil, there were significant correlations (P < 0.01 or < 0.05) between some soil enzymeactivities and some selected chemical properties. Therefore, temporal changes in enzyme activitiesshould be included as an indicator when evaluating sustainable forest management practices.

Temperature Effects on Seed Dormancy Relieving of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq

The seed dormancy relieving of Fritillaria thunbergii Miq required 50 days at 8～10℃and 80 days at 3～5℃ In order to study the physiological basis for seed dormancy relieving,peroxidase,acid phosphatase and proteins were assayed by spectrophotometric analysis and electrophoresis The results showed that peroxidase activity and acid phosphatase activity increased and new bands were detected in protein pattems as the seeds were treated with low temperature,these changes resulted in the seed dormancy relieving

Impacts of Forest Gaps on Soil Properties After a Severe Ice Storm in a Cunninghamia lanceolata Stand

During January–February 2008, a severe ice storm caused significant damages to forests in southern China, creating canopy gaps and changing soil nutrient availability and enzyme activity. To understand the relationships between gap size, changes in the soil environment and the effects that these changes have on soil processes, we investigated the effects of gap size on soil chemical and biological properties in the forest gaps in a Cunninghamia lanceolata stand in northern Guangdong Province, southern China. Ten naturally created gaps, five large(80–100 m^2) and five small(30–40 m^2), were selected in the stand of C.lanceolata. The large gaps showed a significant increase in light transmission ratio and air and soil temperatures and a decline in soil moisture, organic matter,N and P compared with the small gaps and the adjacent canopy-covered plots in the 0–10 cm soil. The differences in organic matter and nutrient levels found between the large and small gaps and the canopy-covered plots may be related to changes in environmental conditions. This indicated rapid litter decomposition and increased nutrient leaching in the large gaps. Moreover, the lowest levels of catalase, acid phosphatase and urease activities occurred in large gaps because of the decline in their soil fertility. Large forest gaps may have a region of poor fertility, reducing soil nutrient availability and enzyme activity within the C.lanceolata stand.