Soil Nutrient Cycling and Microbial Dynamics in Forests: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2026 | Viewed by 5

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
Interests: plant–soil interaction; forest ecology; forest management
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Guest Editor
College of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
Interests: carbon cycle; N deposition; plant–soil interaction; soil biology and function
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Guest Editor
College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350108, China
Interests: forest ecology; climate change; silicon cycle; carbon cycle; plant–soil interaction
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In terrestrial ecosystems, forests cover an estimated 4.1 billion hectares and store up to 56% of both above- and below-ground terrestrial carbon; thus, they have come to play an important role in maintaining ecosystem structure and driving ecosystem function. The circulation of soil mineral nutrients, which is primarily driven by soil microorganisms, supports the growth, regeneration and productivity of forests. In recent years, the scientific community has learned about the turnover of key mineral nutrients between plants and soil and its microbe-driven mechanisms. However, there are still some gaps in our understanding of how soil nutrients and microbial communities affect processes and functions in global forest ecosystems. For example, the roles of stoichiometric properties, the biotic link between above-ground plants and below-ground microbes, and the interactions between macro- and micro-nutrients in growth and carbon sequestration call for more study, especially against a background of global climate and human disturbance. We encourage researchers to submit studies on soil nutrient cycling and related microbial mechanisms in forest ecosystems, including case studies, meta-analysis studies, and model studies, to this Special Issue to promote knowledge and management strategies of forest ecosystems.

You are welcome to browse the first edition of this Special Issue, “Soil Nutrient Cycling and Microbial Dynamics in Forests”, at https://www.mdpi.com/journal/forests/special_issues/4GVMPM2MQ5.

Prof. Dr. Songze Wan
Prof. Dr. Jianping Wu
Dr. Shaofei Jin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • soil nutrients
  • soil microbes
  • soil–food web
  • soil function
  • soil water
  • climate change
  • forest management practice
  • decomposition

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