Differential linkages between soil respiration components and microbial community structures under long-term forest conversion

Zhao, Rudong; He, Mei; Liu, Feng

doi:10.1007/s11368-022-03160-9

Differential linkages between soil respiration components and microbial community structures under long-term forest conversion

Soils, Sec 5 • Soil and Landscape Ecology • Research Article
Published: 10 February 2022

Volume 22, pages 1252–1262, (2022)
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Abstract

Purpose

Soil respiration (Rs) can be significantly impacted by land-use change (LUC). This study aimed to determine the response of Rs components (i.e., heterotrophic respiration (Rh) and autotrophic respiration (Ra)) to long-term forest conversion and explore their associations with soil microbial community (SMC) structures.

Materials and methods

Three plantations converted from natural forest 36 years ago were investigated: Cryptomeria fortune (CF), Cunninghamia lanceolata (CL), and Metasequoia glyptostroboides (MG), with the control of an adjacent natural forest (NF). In each forest site, Rh and Ra were measured using the root trenching method during the growing season. SMC structures in trenched and rhizosphere soils (0–10 cm depth) were analyzed.

Results

We observed an evident differentiation between SMC structures in trenched and rhizosphere soils across forest types. SMC structural dynamic in trenched soil was primarily driven by the ratio of dissolved organic carbon © to dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and bulk density, whereas that in rhizosphere soil was primarily driven by DON and pH. During the growing season, both Rh and Ra were greater in MG than in NF, but they showed non-significant differences among NF, CF, and CL. The Rh pattern was primarily modified by the SMC structure (e.g., arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF)) and soil temperature, whereas the Ra pattern was primarily modified by the SMC structure in rhizosphere soil (e.g., gram-positive bacteria (GP)) in addition to fine root quality and soil temperature.

Conclusions

Rh and Ra patterns were jointly modified by SMC structure and microenvironment over long-term forest conversion, emphasizing the underlying roles of plant community attributes and forest management in soil C emission into the atmosphere.

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Abbreviations

Rs:: Soil respiration
Rh:: Heterotrophic respiration
Ra:: Autotrophic respiration
LUC:: Land-use change
PLFA:: Phospholipid fatty acid
PVC:: Polyvinyl chloride
RDA:: Redundancy analysis
SMC:: Soil microbial community
ACT:: Actinomycetes
GP:: Gram-positive bacteria
GN:: Gram-negative bacteria
AMF:: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
F:B:: The ratio of fungi to bacteria
GP:GN:: The ratio of GP to GN
NF:: Natural forest
CL:: Cunninghamia lanceolata Plantation
MG:: Metasequoia glyptostroboides Plantation
CF:: Cryptomeria fortune Plantation
MMST:: Mean monthly soil temperature
SWC:: Soil water content
BD:: Bulk density
SOC:: Soil organic carbon
TN:: Total nitrogen
C:N:: The ratio of SOC to TN
DOC:: Dissolved organic carbon
DON:: Dissolved organic nitrogen
TDN:: Total dissolved N
DIN:: Dissolved inorganic nitrogen
MBC:: Microbial biomass carbon
AP:: Available phosphorus
Bfr:: Fine root biomass
Cfr:: Fine root carbon content
Nfr:: Fine root nitrogen content
C:Nfr:: The ratio of Cfr to Nfr

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31700462, 31870465). We thank the Badagongshan National Nature Reserve Administration for providing logistical support.

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Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 43007, China
Rudong Zhao & Feng Liu
State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
Mei He

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Rudong Zhao
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Mei He
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Correspondence to Feng Liu.

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Zhao, R., He, M. & Liu, F. Differential linkages between soil respiration components and microbial community structures under long-term forest conversion. J Soils Sediments 22, 1252–1262 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03160-9

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Received: 21 December 2021
Accepted: 02 February 2022
Published: 10 February 2022
Issue Date: April 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03160-9

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Differential linkages between soil respiration components and microbial community structures under long-term forest conversion