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Forests
Special Issues
Forest Plant, Soil, Microorganisms and Their Interactions—2nd Edition
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Forest Plant, Soil, Microorganisms and Their Interactions—2nd Edition

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 1908

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Fuxi Shi

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Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
Interests: forest ecology; biogeochemistry; isotope; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Xianwei Wang

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Guest Editor
Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun 130102, China
Interests: peatland; carbon cycle; climate change
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Yang Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
Interests: forest soil phosphorus cycling; forest soil microbial ecology; forest management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jiusheng Ren

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, East China University of Technology, Nanchang 330013, China
Interests: soil microbes; soil microbial interaction; soil carbon cycling; plant-soil interaction
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forests are the most important terrestrial ecosystem in the word as they can provide diverse ecosystem services such as food production, biodiversity conservation, sand storm prevention, water and soil conservation, nutrient cycling, carbon sequestration, etc. It is well known that plants, soils, and microbes do not exist in isolation in forest ecosystems; rather, they are tightly linked to one another. However, there are still many gaps in our understanding of the plants, soils, microorganisms, and their interactions in forest ecosystems. We welcome to this Special Issue the contribution of studies on plant functional traits, soil chemical processes, soil carbon cycling, soil microbial diversity, and their interactions in forests, including case studies, meta-analysis, and model studies, with the aim of promoting forest management. 

Dr. Fuxi Shi
Dr. Xianwei Wang
Dr. Yang Zhang
Dr. Jiusheng Ren
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

  • plant functional traits
  • soil carbon cycling
  • soil nitrogen cycling
  • soil phosphorus cycling
  • soil microbial diversity
  • plant–soil interactions
  • microbe–plant–soil interplay

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4310 KiB  
Article
Functional Potential and Network-Based Insights into the Rhizosphere Microbiomes of Quercus mongolica and Larix kaempferi Stands
by Seok Hui Lee, Jun Young Park, Su Hong Jeon, Dae Sol Kim, Su Ho Lee, Yeong Dae Park and Jun Won Kang
Forests 2025, 16(6), 883; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16060883 - 23 May 2025
Abstract
Evaluating forest functional indicators is essential for effective forest management planning. In this study, we conducted a metagenome-based comparative analysis of the rhizosphere soils from a natural Quercus mongolica stand and an artificial Larix kaempferi stand on Mt. Gariwang, Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea. [...] Read more.
Evaluating forest functional indicators is essential for effective forest management planning. In this study, we conducted a metagenome-based comparative analysis of the rhizosphere soils from a natural Quercus mongolica stand and an artificial Larix kaempferi stand on Mt. Gariwang, Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea. Both stands originally belonged to the same natural forest and represent the current dominant tree species. Bacterial communities were affected more by climate than by tree species. A bacterial co-occurrence network analysis showed more complex interactions in the Q. mongolica than in L. kaempferi. Conversely, fungal communities were affected more by tree species than by climate. Specifically, the Q. mongolica stand had a high ratio of saprotrophic fungi, whereas the L. kaempferi stand exhibited a higher ratio of fungi associated with nutrient decomposition and harbored a high proportion of fungi that form ectomycorrhizae with long-distance exploration types. These fungal traits serve as indicators of soil ecological changes in Q. mongolica and L. kaempferi stands. Our comparative analysis of the microbial communities of Q. mongolica and L. kaempferi, representative plantation species in the Republic of Korea, revealed seasonal and host species–specific bacterial and fungal associations, and fungal communities were less variable than bacterial communities and more accurately reflected host tree traits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Plant, Soil, Microorganisms and Their Interactions—2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 3642 KiB  
Article
Soil Carbohydrates and Glomalin-Related Soil Proteins Affect Aggregate Characteristics in Chinese Fir Plantations with Different Stand Types
by Zhiyao Wang, Lei Du, Xianyu Yao, Yili Guo, Shaoming Ye and Shengqiang Wang
Forests 2025, 16(3), 444; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16030444 - 28 Feb 2025
Viewed by 631
Abstract
Soil carbohydrates and glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSPs), as important components of soil organic matter, are the essential basis for maintaining soil aggregate stability. They interact with each other and influence each other. Exploring the relationships and mechanisms of action between these two components [...] Read more.
Soil carbohydrates and glomalin-related soil proteins (GRSPs), as important components of soil organic matter, are the essential basis for maintaining soil aggregate stability. They interact with each other and influence each other. Exploring the relationships and mechanisms of action between these two components and soil aggregates is of great significance for improving soil quality and promoting the sustainable development of forest stands. This study focused on investigating soil aggregate composition (including >2, 2–1, 1–0.25, and <0.25 mm fractions) and stability (as indicated by the mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD)) as well as aggregate-associated carbohydrates and GRSP components in Chinese fir plantations with different stand types, including Chinese fir × Michelia macclurei (stand I), Chinese fir × Mytilaria laosensis (stand II), and pure Chinese fir (stand III). The results indicated that in the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil layer, the MWD and GMD of the two mixed Chinese fir stands were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of the pure Chinese fir stand. The contents of carbohydrates and GRSP in the soil also showed similar trends. This suggests that mixed Chinese fir stands (especially the Chinese fir × Michelia macclurei) enhance soil aggregate stability as well as the contents of carbohydrates and GRSP in the soil. The results also revealed that although both carbohydrates and GRSP significantly contribute to the formation and stability of large soil aggregates, PLS-PM analysis showed that in the 0–20 cm and 20–40 cm soil layer, the path coefficient of GRSP to aggregate stability was 0.840 and 0.576, while that of carbohydrates was 0.134 and 0.398. Therefore, compared with carbohydrates, GRSP (especially the easily extractable fraction of GRSP) has a more pronounced effect on soil aggregate stability. This finding provides a scientific basis and practical guidance for enhancing the productivity of Chinese fir plantations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Plant, Soil, Microorganisms and Their Interactions—2nd Edition)
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19 pages, 3591 KiB  
Article
Effects of Fertilization on Soil Physicochemical Properties and Enzyme Activities of Zanthoxylum planispinum var. Dingtanensis Plantation
by Yurong Fu, Yanghua Yu, Shunsong Yang, Guangguang Yang, Hui Huang, Yun Yang and Mingfeng Du
Forests 2025, 16(3), 418; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16030418 - 25 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 377
Abstract
Zanthoxylum planispinum var. Dingtanensis (hereafter Z. planispinum) has excellent characteristics, including Ca and drought tolerance. It can flourish in stony soils, and it is used as a pioneer plant in karst rocky desertification control. However, soil degradation, coupled with the removal of [...] Read more.
Zanthoxylum planispinum var. Dingtanensis (hereafter Z. planispinum) has excellent characteristics, including Ca and drought tolerance. It can flourish in stony soils, and it is used as a pioneer plant in karst rocky desertification control. However, soil degradation, coupled with the removal of nutrients absorbed from the soil by Z. planispinum’s fruit harvesting, exacerbates nutrient deficiency. The effects of fertilization on soil nutrient utilization and microbial limiting factors remain unclear. Here, we established a long-term (3 year) field experiment of no fertilization (CK), organic fertilizer + chemical fertilizer + sprinkler irrigation (T1), chemical fertilizer + sprinkler irrigation (T2), chemical fertilizer treatment (T3), and leguminous (soybean) + chemical fertilizer + sprinkler irrigation (T4). Our findings indicate that fertilization significantly improved the nutrient uptake efficiency of Z. planispinum, and it also enhanced urease activity compared with CK. T1 increased soil respiration and improved water transport, and the soil nutrient content retained in T1 was relatively high. It delayed the mineralization rate of organic matter, promoted nutrient balance, and enhanced enzyme activity related to the carbon and nitrogen cycle. T4 caused soil acidification, reducing the activity of peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO). The soil microbial community in the Z. planispinum plantation was limited by carbon and phosphorus, and T1 mitigated this limitation. This study indicated that soil nutrient content regulated enzymatic activity by influencing microbial resource limitation, with organic carbon being the dominant factor. Overall, we recommend T1 as the optimal fertilization strategy for Z. planispinum plantations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Plant, Soil, Microorganisms and Their Interactions—2nd Edition)
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12 pages, 4779 KiB  
Article
Impact of Systematic Groups of Microorganisms on Dehydrogenase Activity in Soils Within Quercetum montanum typicum Forest Community
by Boris Najdovski, Simonida Djuric, Saša Pekeč, Marina Milović, Saša Orlović and Andrej Pilipovic
Forests 2025, 16(2), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/f16020322 - 12 Feb 2025
Viewed by 624
Abstract
This study reveals the mutual interaction of the abiotic (climate) and biotic (bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi) factors and their impact on dehydrogenase enzyme activity in the soil within the Quercetum montanum typicum forest community at the National Park “Frushka gora” in the Vojvodina [...] Read more.
This study reveals the mutual interaction of the abiotic (climate) and biotic (bacteria, actinomycetes and fungi) factors and their impact on dehydrogenase enzyme activity in the soil within the Quercetum montanum typicum forest community at the National Park “Frushka gora” in the Vojvodina Province of Serbia. A total of 32 field visits were conducted between 2014 and 2017 to obtain site-specific data on air and soil temperature and humidity, and soil sampling for further microorganisms’ abundance and dehydrogenase activity determination through lab analysis. The key findings indicate that climate conditions, particularly variations in air temperature and humidity, significantly impact dehydrogenases and are positively impacted by soil bacteria and actinomycetes, although the effect of fungi varies. Climate conditions, particularly variations in air temperature and humidity, significantly impact the abundance of soil microorganisms, and further positively impact the dehydrogenase activity. These findings underscore the importance of understanding the interplay between abiotic and biotic factors in soil ecosystems for sustainable environmental management and to support soil fertility and health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Plant, Soil, Microorganisms and Their Interactions—2nd Edition)
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