Microbial biomass in subtropical forest soils： effect of conversion of natural secondary broad-leaved forest to Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation

Conversion of natural secondary broad-leaved forest to Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation is a common management practice in subtropical China. In this study, we compared soil physico-chemical properties, microbial biomass in one natural secondary broad-leaved forest and two C. lanceolata plantation sites to estimate the effects of forest conversion on soil microbial biomass at the Huitong Experimental Station of Forestry Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Concentrations of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, NH4^＋-N and microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen were much lower under C. lanceolata plantations as compared to natural secondary broad-leaved forest. Soil microbial biomass C in the first and second rotation of C. lanceolata plantations was only 53%, 46% of that in natural secondary broad-leaved forest, and microbial biomass N was 97% and 79%, respectively. The contribution of microbial biomass C to soil organic C was also lower in the plantation sites. However, the contribution of microbial N to total nitrogen and NH4^＋-N was greater in the C. lanceolata plantation sites. Therefore, conversion of natural secondary broad-leaved forest to C. lanceolata plantation and continuous planting of C. lanceolata led to the decline in soil microbial biomass and the degradation of forest soil in subtropical China.

Role of urban remnant evergreen broad-leaved forests on natural restoration of artificial forests in Chongqing metropolis

The effects of urban remnant natural evergreen broad-leaved forest (EBLF) on the restoration of artificial pine forests surrounding it were studied with reference to species composition,biodiversity,dominant species and stand structure on Mt. Tieshanping in Chongqing metropolis,Southwest China. The seeds from the remnant EBLF naturally facilitate the restoration process of artificial Pinus massoniana forests near it. The similarity of species composition between the artificial Pinus massoniana forests and the remnant EBLF and biodiversity index of the artificial Pinus massoniana forests decrease as the distance from the remnant EBLF increases. Castanopsis carlesii var. spinusa is the dominant species in the ground vegetation,shrub layer and sub-tree layer of the Pinus massoniana forests near the remnant EBLF. However,the natural restoration processes of those farther away from the remnant EBLF are restricted for the absence of seed source of the inherent components of the remnant EBLF,and the anthropogenic measures should be taken to facilitate the restoration process.

Carbon Reserve Characteristics of Arbor Layer in Mid-subtropical Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest

In this paper, secondary forest of Pinus massoniana , coniferous-broad-leaved mixed forest and broad-leaved evergreen forest were taken as research objects, to explore carbon reserve of arbor layer and its spatial distribution characteristics. At different succession stages, the sequence of organic carbon content in each organ was secondary forest of P. massoniana > coniferous-broad-leaved mixed forest> broad-leaved evergreen forest. Carbon reserve of arbor layer was the highest in broad-leaved evergreen forest, which was 129.34 t/hm 2, followed by coniferous-broad-leaved mixed forest (95.83 t/hm 2), and the minimum was 85.27 t/hm 2 in secondary forest of P. massoniana . In each stand type, the sequence of carbon reserve of each organ in arbor layer was trunk>root>branch>leaf>bark. Carbon reserve of arbor layer mainly concentrated in trunk, and the proportion to carbon reserve of arbor layer declined from secondary forest of P. massoniana to broad-leaved evergreen forest, while it had increasing relationship in root. In secondary forest of P. massoniana , coniferous-broad-leaved mixed forest and broad-leaved evergreen forest, individual with the diameter more than 20 cm accounted for the majority of carbon reserve in the arbor layer.

Biomass Characteristics of the Arbor Layer in Different Stands of the Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forest

In this paper, the Pinus massoniana forest in the early stage of succession, the coniferous broad-leaved mixed forest in the middle stage of succession, and the evergreen broad-leaved forest in the late stage of succession were studied, and the biomass and its spatial distribution characteristics of the tree layer in different succession stages of the ecosystem were discussed. The results showed that the biomass of the arbor layer was the highest in the evergreen broad-leaved forest, which was 292.51 t/ hm2, followed by the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, which was 206.87 t/hm2, and the Pinus massoniana forest, which was 171.76 t/hm2. The biomass of trunks accounted for the largest proportion in the total biomass of the arbor layer, which reduced from the Pinus massoniana forest to the evergreen broad-leaved forest. The proportion of the biomass of roots in the total biomass of the arbor layer increased from the Pinus massoniana forest to the evergreen broad-leaved forest. The biomass of the diameter class above 20 cm in the Pinus massoniana forest, the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest and the evergreen broad-leaved forest accounted for a large proportion of total biomass.

Carbon storage of a subtropical forest ecosystem: a case study of the Jinggang Mountain National Nature Reserve in south-eastern China

The carbon cycle of forest ecosystems plays a key role in regulating CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. Research on carbon storage estimation of forest ecosystems has become a major research topic. However, carbon budgets of subtropical forest ecosystems have received little attention. Reports of soil carbon storage and topographic heterogeneity of carbon storage are limited. This study focused on the Jinggang Mountain National Nature Reserve as an example of a mid-subtropical forest and evaluated soil and vegetation carbon storage by field sampling combined with GIS, RS and GPS technology. We classified the forest into nine forest types using ALOS high-resolution remote sensing images. The evergreen broad-leaved forest has the largest area, occupying 26.5% of the total area, followed by coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forests and warm temperate coniferous forest, occupying 24.2 and 22.9%, respectively. The vegetation and soil carbon storage of the whole forest ecosystem were 1,692,344 and 5,514,707 t, with a carbon density of 7.4 and 24.2 kg/m^2, respectively, which suggests that the ecosystem has great carbon storage capacity. The topographic heterogeneity of the carbon storage was also analysed. The largest vegetation storage and soil storage is at 700–800 and 1000–1100 m, respectively. The vegetation carbon storage is highest in the southeast, south and southwest.

Long-term response of living forest biomass to extensive logging in subtropical China

Forest disturbance and recovery are critical ecosystem processes,but the temporal patterns of disturbance have not been studied in subtropical China.Using a tree-ring analysis approach,we studied post-logging above-ground(ABG)biomass recovery dynamics over a 26-year period in four plots with different degrees of logging disturbance.Before logging,the ABG biomass ranged from 291 to 309 t ha-1.Soon after logging,the plots in primary forest,secondary forest,mixed forest and singlespecies forest had lost 33,91,90 and 100%of their initial ABG biomass,respectively.Twenty-six years after logging,the plots had regained 147,62,80 and 92%of their original ABG biomass,respectively.Over the 26 years following logging,the mean CAI(Current annual increment)were 10.1,5.5,6.4 and 10.8 t ha^-1 a^-1 and the average MAI(Mean annual increment)8.7,2.5,5.6 and 7.8 t ha^-1 a^-1 for the four forest types,respectively.The results indicate that subtropical forests subjected to moderate logging or disturbances do not require intensive management and single-species plantings can rapidly restore the above-ground biomass to levels prior to heavy logging.