Effects of understory removal on soil respiration and microbial community composition structure in a Chinese fir plantation

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2015.0076

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Soil respiration (R_s) is the largest fraction of carbon flux in forest ecosystems, but the effects of forest understory removal on R_s in Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolate) plantations is poorly understood. In order to quantify the effects of forest understory removal on R_s and microbial community composition, a field experiment was conducted in a subtropical Chinese fir plantation. Methods Forest understory was removed manually in June 2012. R_s was measured monthly using a LI-COR 8100 infrared gas analyzer from July 2012 through July 2014. Soil temperature and moisture were also measured at 5 cm depth at the time of R_s measurements. Surface soil (0-10 cm) samples were collected in July 2013 and 2014, respectively, and the soil microbial community structures were determined by phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) analysis. Important findings R_s decreased by 32.8% over a two-year period following understory removal (UR), with a greater rate of decrease in the first year (42.9%) than in the second year (22.2%). The temperature sensitivity of R_s was affected by UR, and was 2.10 and 1.87 in the control and UR plots, respectively. UR significantly reduced the concentration of fungal PLFAs by 18.3%, but did not affect the concentration of bacterial PLFAs, resulting in an increase in the fungal:bacterial ratio; it significantly increased the concentration of gram-positive bacterial PLFAs by 24.5%, and the ratio of gram-positive to gram-negative bacterial PLFAs after one year of treatment, but decreased the concentration of gram-positive bacterial PLFAs by 9.4% and the ratio of gram-positive to gram-negative bacterial PLFAs after two years of treatment. The results suggested that R_s and microbial community composition were both affected by UR in Chinese fir plantation, and the effects were dependent of the duration following the UR treatment.

Key words: CO2 efflux, Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation, phospholipid fatty acid, temperature sensitivity, understory removal

HE Tong-Xin,LI Yan-Peng,ZHANG Fang-Yue,WANG Qing-Kui. Effects of understory removal on soil respiration and microbial community composition structure in a Chinese fir plantation[J]. Chin J Plan Ecolo, 2015, 39(8): 797-806.

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https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2015/V39/I8/797

Figures/Tables 7

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微生物群落 Soil microbial community	磷酸脂肪酸标记物 Phospholipid fatty acid biomarkers	文献 Reference
细菌 Bacteria	i14:0; i15:0; a15:0; i16:0; 16:1ω7t; i17:0; a17:0; 18:1ω7c; cy19:0	Frostegård et al., 1993
真菌 Fungi	18:1ω9; 18:2ω6,9	Bossio et al., 1998
革兰氏阳性细菌 Gram-positive bacteria	i14:0; i15:0; a15:0; i16:0; i17:0; a17:0	Waldrop & Firestone, 2004; Sampedro et al., 2006
革兰氏阴性细菌 Gram-negative bacteria	16:1ω7t; 17:1ω8c; 18:1ω7c; cy17:0; cy19:0	Sampedro et al., 2006
放线菌 Actinomycete	10Me 16:0; 10Me 17:0; 10Me18:0	Frostegård et al., 1993

微生物群落 Soil microbial community	磷酸脂肪酸标记物 Phospholipid fatty acid biomarkers	文献 Reference
细菌 Bacteria	i14:0; i15:0; a15:0; i16:0; 16:1ω7t; i17:0; a17:0; 18:1ω7c; cy19:0	Frostegård et al., 1993
真菌 Fungi	18:1ω9; 18:2ω6,9	Bossio et al., 1998
革兰氏阳性细菌 Gram-positive bacteria	i14:0; i15:0; a15:0; i16:0; i17:0; a17:0	Waldrop & Firestone, 2004; Sampedro et al., 2006
革兰氏阴性细菌 Gram-negative bacteria	16:1ω7t; 17:1ω8c; 18:1ω7c; cy17:0; cy19:0	Sampedro et al., 2006
放线菌 Actinomycete	10Me 16:0; 10Me 17:0; 10Me18:0	Frostegård et al., 1993

	2013		2014
	对照 Control	林下植被剔除 Understory removal	对照 Control	林下植被剔除 Understory removal
可溶性有机碳 Dissolved organic carbon (mg·kg^-1)	406.70 ± 7.70^a	373.20 ± 21.60^a	591.00 ± 26.50^a	510.90 ± 4.00^b
微生物生物量碳 Microbial biomass carbon (mg·kg^-1)	403.40 ± 12.30^a	274.60 ± 31.70^b	425.00 ± 5.60^a	377.90 ± 5.60^b
NH₄⁺-N (mg·kg^-1)	15.30 ± 0.50^b	19.50 ± 1.10^a	13.80 ± 0.50^a	13.70 ± 0.20^a
NO₃^–-N (mg·kg^-1)	7.70 ± 0.30^a	2.60 ± 0.50^b	2.80 ± 0.20^a	2.50 ± 0.30^a
有效磷 Available phosphorus (mg·kg^-1)	1.40 ± 0.10^a	0.80 ± 0.20^b	2.40 ± 0.10^a	1.80 ± 0.10^b
pH值 pH value	3.60 ± 0.02^a	3.60 ± 0.02^a	3.60 ± 0.02^a	3.60 ± 0.01^a
根系生物量 Root biomass (Mg·hm^-2)			0.40 ± 0.03^b	0.80 ± 0.01^a
根中碳含量 Root C content (%)			45.90 ± 0.40^a	46.70 ± 0.01^a
根中氮含量 Root N content (%)			0.60 ± 0.03^a	0.40 ± 0.02^b

	2013		2014
	对照 Control	林下植被剔除 Understory removal	对照 Control	林下植被剔除 Understory removal
可溶性有机碳 Dissolved organic carbon (mg·kg^-1)	406.70 ± 7.70^a	373.20 ± 21.60^a	591.00 ± 26.50^a	510.90 ± 4.00^b
微生物生物量碳 Microbial biomass carbon (mg·kg^-1)	403.40 ± 12.30^a	274.60 ± 31.70^b	425.00 ± 5.60^a	377.90 ± 5.60^b
NH₄⁺-N (mg·kg^-1)	15.30 ± 0.50^b	19.50 ± 1.10^a	13.80 ± 0.50^a	13.70 ± 0.20^a
NO₃^–-N (mg·kg^-1)	7.70 ± 0.30^a	2.60 ± 0.50^b	2.80 ± 0.20^a	2.50 ± 0.30^a
有效磷 Available phosphorus (mg·kg^-1)	1.40 ± 0.10^a	0.80 ± 0.20^b	2.40 ± 0.10^a	1.80 ± 0.10^b
pH值 pH value	3.60 ± 0.02^a	3.60 ± 0.02^a	3.60 ± 0.02^a	3.60 ± 0.01^a
根系生物量 Root biomass (Mg·hm^-2)			0.40 ± 0.03^b	0.80 ± 0.01^a
根中碳含量 Root C content (%)			45.90 ± 0.40^a	46.70 ± 0.01^a
根中氮含量 Root N content (%)			0.60 ± 0.03^a	0.40 ± 0.02^b

	Q₁₀	R_s= ae^bTW ^c				n
	Q₁₀	a	b	c	r	n
对照 Control	2.10	0.27	0.078	0.11	0.94^**	24
林下植被剔除 Understory removal	1.87	1.44	0.061	-0.39	0.84^**	24