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Patterns of δ13C and δ15N in soil profiles under seasonally dry evergreen and deciduous tropical forests

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Abstract

Aims

Evergreen and deciduous forests can coexist at different spatial scales in the seasonally dry tropics of Southeast Asia. At present, the main drivers for their differences in soil carbon (C) stock remains unclear. We aim to characterize the patterns of C and nitrogen (N) isotope ratios in soil profiles of two forest types to get a better understanding of how soil organic matter (SOM) pools are maintained under different types of forest ecosystem.

Methods

We analyzed the coupled trends in the natural abundances of C and N isotopes (δ13C and δ15N) in leaf litter, and mineral soil and its density fractions, collected from eight sites in Cambodian tropical forests.

Results

The mean value of the beta coefficient, which was calculated as the slope of the regression line for δ13C values against the logarithm of the C concentration and can serve as a natural indicator for SOM turnover, was − 1.9, while the Δ15N, which was the difference in δ15N between the leaf litter and mineral soil at 15 − 30 cm depth, was 6.2‰. Contrary to our expectations, these indexes did not differ significantly between evergreen and deciduous forest types.

Conclusions

The absence of clear difference in beta coefficients and Δ15N values between forest types was considered as derived from counteracting effects of several factors, e.g., tree biomass, precipitation and soil mineralogy, associated with multiple processes of C and N cycles. We especially highlighted the significant role of soil acidity in characterizing SOM cycles in seasonally dry tropical forests.

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Data availability

The dataset generated and analyzed during the current study is available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Abbreviations

SOM:

Soil organic matter

SOC:

Soil organic carbon

C:

Carbon

N:

Nitrogen

Alox and Feox:

Aluminum and iron oxides extractable by acid ammonium oxalate

Aldc and Fedc:

Aluminum and iron oxides extractable by dithionite citrate bicarbonate

Alpp and Fepp:

Aluminum and iron oxides extractable by sodium pyrophosphate

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Acknowledgements

The authors are deeply grateful for the technical advice on isotopic analysis by Dr. Rumiko Nakashita (FFPRI); the coordination between Cambodian and Japanese researchers by Mr. Thy Sum (Ministry of Environment, Cambodia), Mr. Chann Sophal (formerly Forestry administration, Cambodia), and Dr. Keizo Hirai (FFPRI); and the information on N deposition and tree biomass by Dr. Naoyuki Yamashita (FFPRI) and Dr. Yoshiyuki Kiyono (formerly FFPRI), respectively. This research was funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists, no. 23710028).

Funding

This research was funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists, no. 23710028).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kyushu Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), 4–11–16 Kurokami, Chuo-ku, 860–0862, Kumamoto, Japan

    Jumpei Toriyama & Taiki Mori

  2. Department of Forest Soils, FFPRI, 1 Matsunosato, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305–8687, Japan

    Akihiro Imaya

  3. Faculty of Agriculture, Shinshu University, 8304 Minami-minowa, Kami-ina, 399–4598, Nagano, Japan

    Ayumi Tanaka-Oda

  4. Ministry of Environment, Cambodia, #48, Samdech Preah Sihanouk Blvd., Phnom Penh, Cambodia

    Mao Hak

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  1. Jumpei Toriyama
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Contributions

Jumpei Toriyama and Akihiro Imaya contributed to the study conception and design. Sample collection and preparation were performed by Jumpei Toriyama and Mao Hak. Chemical analysis was conducted by Jumpei Toriyama, Akihiro Imaya, and Ayumi Tanaka-Oda. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Jumpei Toriyama and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors have read and approve the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jumpei Toriyama.

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Toriyama, J., Imaya, A., Tanaka-Oda, A. et al. Patterns of δ13C and δ15N in soil profiles under seasonally dry evergreen and deciduous tropical forests. Plant Soil 489, 681–696 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06055-x

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