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Forests
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Organic Carbon Pools and Storage in Forest Soil
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Organic Carbon Pools and Storage in Forest Soil

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 July 2020) | Viewed by 17854

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Alberto Agnelli

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Associate Professor of Pedology, Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, Università degli Studi di Perugia, Perugia, Italy
Interests: soil genesis; soil organic matter structure and dynamic; soil–plant interaction; rhizosphere; forest soils
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Soil comprises the largest pool of terrestrial C, and through soil organic matter (SOM) cycling, it represents either an important sink of atmospheric CO2 or a possible source of greenhouse gases. SOM includes a wide range of compounds at different decomposition stages derived from litter, root turnover, and microorganisms, and its dynamics is controlled by substrate quality, biological activity, soil type, vegetation and climate. Furthermore, the stability of soil organic C (SOC) is enhanced by interactions with minerals and by occlusion within organomineral complexes that make organic C less accessible to microbial attack.

Forest covers about 30% of the total world’s land area, and forest soils are generally considered active C sink, being less affected by anthropic disturbances than agricultural soils. However, although SOC cycling is key in forest ecosystems, the processes involved in the transformation of organic matter, from a pool to another, and its stabilization have not been fully understood and are further complicated by the ongoing climate change. Indeed, temperature can influence SOC cycling both directly, through its impact on microbial metabolism, and indirectly through long-term effects on soil properties. In addition, forest management is another important factor which can improve SOC sequestration by affecting nutrient availability, amount, and quality of organic matter, and many biogeochemical cycles.

For this Special Issue, we are asking papers reporting studies on soil organic C pools (including dead wood and litter), dynamic, and sequestration in forest soils that contribute to improve both basic knowledge on the mechanisms controlling the SOC cycling and on sustainable management strategies of forest ecosystems.

Prof. Alberto Agnelli
Guest Editor

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 organic matter
  • C sequestration
  • Organic matter fractionation
  • Organic–mineral complexes
  • Soil biological activity
  • Climate change
  • Forest management

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3127 KiB  
Article
The Conversion of Abandoned Chestnut Forests to Managed Ones Does Not Affect the Soil Chemical Properties and Improves the Soil Microbial Biomass Activity
by Mauro De Feudis, Gloria Falsone, Gilmo Vianello and Livia Vittori Antisari
Forests 2020, 11(8), 786; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11080786 - 22 Jul 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2155
Abstract
Recently, several hectares of abandoned chestnut forests (ACF) were recovered into chestnut stands for nut or timber production; however, the effects of such practice on soil mineral horizon properties are unknown. This work aimed to (1) identify the better chestnut forest management to [...] Read more.
Recently, several hectares of abandoned chestnut forests (ACF) were recovered into chestnut stands for nut or timber production; however, the effects of such practice on soil mineral horizon properties are unknown. This work aimed to (1) identify the better chestnut forest management to maintain or to improve the soil properties during the ACF recovery, and (2) give an insight into the effect of unmanaged to managed forest conversion on soil properties, taking in consideration sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) forest ecosystems. The investigation was conducted in an experimental chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) forest located in the northern part of the Apennine chain (Italy). We identified an ACF, a chestnut forest for wood production (WCF), and chestnut forests for nut production with a tree density of 98 and 120 plants ha−1 (NCFL and NCFH, respectively). WCF, NCFL and NCFH stands are the result of the ACF recovery carried out in 2004. After 15 years since the ACF recovery, generally, the effects on the main soil chemical properties were negligible. Some differences occurred for the water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and microbial biomass and its activity. NCFL showed the highest WSOC content in the uppermost soil horizon likely due to higher amount of roots which are source of labile organic compounds. The higher WSOC amount might explain the greatest amount of microbial biomass in the A horizon of NCFL. Furthermore, the microbial biomass harboring in the A horizon of NCFL has also shown both a better C use efficiency and a larger soil organic carbon immobilization in the microbial biomass itself. Our data would indicate that the ACF recovery into pure chestnut forests did not have negative impacts on soil chemical and biochemical properties, though chestnut stands for nut production with a low plant density are the most suitable ones. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Carbon Pools and Storage in Forest Soil)
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20 pages, 4483 KiB  
Article
Altitude and Vegetation Affect Soil Organic Carbon, Basal Respiration and Microbial Biomass in Apennine Forest Soils
by Luisa Massaccesi, Mauro De Feudis, Angelo Leccese and Alberto Agnelli
Forests 2020, 11(6), 710; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11060710 - 26 Jun 2020
Cited by 28 | Viewed by 3600
Abstract
Both altitude and vegetation are known to affect the amount and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) and the size and activity of soil microbial biomass. However, when altitude and vegetation changes are combined, it is still unclear which one has a greater [...] Read more.
Both altitude and vegetation are known to affect the amount and quality of soil organic matter (SOM) and the size and activity of soil microbial biomass. However, when altitude and vegetation changes are combined, it is still unclear which one has a greater effect on soil chemical and biochemical properties. With the aim of clarifying this, we tested the effect of altitude (and hence temperature) and vegetation (broadleaf vs pine forests) on soil organic carbon (SOC) and soil microbial biomass and its activity. Soil sampling was carried out in two adjacent toposequences ranging from 500 to 1000 m a.s.l. on a calcareous massif in central Italy: one covered only by Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold forests, while the other covered by Quercus pubescens Willd., Ostrya carpinifolia Scop. and Fagus sylvatica L. forests, at 500, 700 and 1000 m a.s.l., respectively. The content of SOC and water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) increased with altitude for the pine forests, while for the broadleaf forests no trend along the slope occurred, and the highest SOC and WEOC contents were observed in the soil at 700 m under the Ostrya carpinifolia forest. With regard to the soil microbial community, although the size of the soil microbial biomass (Cmic) generally followed the SOC contents along the slope, both broadleaf and pine forest soils showed similar diminishing trends with altitude of soil respiration (ΣCO2-C), and ΣCO2-C:WEOC and ΣCO2-C:Cmic ratios. The results pointed out that, although under the pine forests’ altitude was effective in affecting WEOC and SOC contents, in the soils along the broadleaf forest toposequence this effect was absent, indicating a greater impact of vegetation than temperature on SOC amount and pool distribution. Conversely, the similar trend with altitude of the microbial activity indexes would indicate temperature to be crucial for the activity of the soil microbial community. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Carbon Pools and Storage in Forest Soil)
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19 pages, 5624 KiB  
Article
Organic Carbon Storage and 14C Apparent Age of Upland and Riparian Soils in a Montane Subtropical Moist Forest of Southwestern China
by Xianbin Liu, Xiaoming Zou, Min Cao and Tushou Luo
Forests 2020, 11(6), 645; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11060645 - 05 Jun 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2539
Abstract
Upland and riparian soils usually differ in soil texture and moisture conditions, thus, likely varying in carbon storage and turnover time. However, few studies have differentiated their functions on the storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) in sub-tropical broad-leaved evergreen forests. In this [...] Read more.
Upland and riparian soils usually differ in soil texture and moisture conditions, thus, likely varying in carbon storage and turnover time. However, few studies have differentiated their functions on the storage of soil organic carbon (SOC) in sub-tropical broad-leaved evergreen forests. In this study, we aim to uncover the SOC storage and 14C apparent age, in the upland and riparian soils of a primary evergreen broad-leaved montane subtropical moist forest in the Ailao Mountains of southwestern China. We sampled the upland and riparian soils along four soil profiles down to the parent material at regular intervals from two local representative watersheds, and determined SOC concentrations, δ13C values and 14C apparent ages. We found that SOC concentration decreased exponentially and 14C apparent age increased linearly with soil depth in the four soil profiles. Although, soil depth was deeper in the upland soil profiles than the riparian soil profiles, the weighted mean SOC concentration was significantly greater in the riparian soil (25.7 ± 3.9 g/kg) than the upland soil (19.7 ± 2.3 g/kg), but has an equal total SOC content per unit of ground area around 21 kg/m2 in the two different type soils. SOC δ13C values varied between −23.7 (±0.8)‰ and −33.2 (±0.2)‰ in the two upland soil profiles and between −25.5 (±0.4)‰ and −36.8 (±0.4)‰ along the two riparian soil profiles, with greater variation in the riparian soil profiles than the upland soil profiles. The slope of increase in SOC 14C apparent age along soil depth in the riparian soil profiles was greater than in the upland soil profiles. The oldest apparent age of SOC 14C was 23,260 (±230) years BP (before present, i.e., 1950) in the riparian soil profiles and 19,045 (±150) years BP in the upland soil profiles. Our data suggest that the decomposition of SOC is slower in the riparian soil than in the upland soil, and the increased SOC loss in the upland soil from deforestation may partially be compensated by the deposition of the eroded upland SOC in the riparian area, as an under-appreciated carbon sink. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Carbon Pools and Storage in Forest Soil)
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13 pages, 4173 KiB  
Article
Determining the Distribution and Interaction of Soil Organic Carbon, Nitrogen, pH and Texture in Soil Profiles: A Case Study in the Lancangjiang River Basin, Southwest China
by Wenxiang Zhou, Guilin Han, Man Liu, Jie Zeng, Bin Liang, Jinke Liu and Rui Qu
Forests 2020, 11(5), 532; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11050532 - 10 May 2020
Cited by 37 | Viewed by 3245
Abstract
The profile distributions of soil organic carbon (SOC), soil organic nitrogen (SON), soil pH and soil texture were rarely investigated in the Lancangjiang River Basin. This study aims to present the vertical distributions of these soil properties and provide some insights about how [...] Read more.
The profile distributions of soil organic carbon (SOC), soil organic nitrogen (SON), soil pH and soil texture were rarely investigated in the Lancangjiang River Basin. This study aims to present the vertical distributions of these soil properties and provide some insights about how they interact with each other in the two typical soil profiles. A total of 56 soil samples were collected from two soil profiles (LCJ S-1, LCJ S-2) in the Lancangjiang River Basin to analyze the profile distributions of SOC and SON and to determine the effects of soil pH and soil texture. Generally, the contents of SOC and SON decreased with increasing soil depth and SOC contents were higher than SON contents (average SOC vs. SON content: 3.87 g kg−1 vs. 1.92 g kg−1 in LCJ S-1 and 5.19 g kg−1 vs. 0.96 g kg−1 in LCJ S-2). Soil pH ranged from 4.50 to 5.74 in the two soil profiles and generally increased with increasing soil depth. According to the percentages of clay, silt, and sand, most soil samples can be categorized as silty loam. Soil pH values were negatively correlated with C/N ratios (r = −0.66, p < 0.01) and SOC contents (r = −0.52, p < 0.01). Clay contents were positively correlated with C/N ratios (r = 0.43, p < 0.05) and SOC contents (r = 0.42, p < 0.01). The results indicate that soil pH and clay are essential factors influencing the SOC spatial distributions in the two soil profiles. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Carbon Pools and Storage in Forest Soil)
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13 pages, 2055 KiB  
Article
Soil Carbon Storage and Its Determinants in Forest Fragments of Differentiated Patch Size
by Chunyu Shen, Lei Ma, Jiaxi Hu, Liyang Huang, Yujuan Chen and Dongsheng Guan
Forests 2019, 10(11), 1044; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10111044 - 18 Nov 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2649
Abstract
Research Highlights: Soil carbon storage (SOC) decreased due to forest fragmentation through lower proportion of macroaggregate distribution, higher storage of fine roots and litter falls, and lower fine root production rate. Background and Objectives: Globally, forest fragmentation processes lead to enormous [...] Read more.
Research Highlights: Soil carbon storage (SOC) decreased due to forest fragmentation through lower proportion of macroaggregate distribution, higher storage of fine roots and litter falls, and lower fine root production rate. Background and Objectives: Globally, forest fragmentation processes lead to enormous losses of SOC in forests. We investigated SOC and its determinants in forest fragments experiencing edge disturbances in south China. Materials and Methods: Soil aggregate characteristics, dynamics of fine roots, and litter fall were studied from forest edges to interiors. Generalized linear mixed models were used to model the contributions of fine root and litter fall dynamics to carbon concentration in aggregates. Results: Large and small macroaggregates had higher proportion of aggregate distribution and contributed more carbon to SOC in all types of plots in the present study. SOC significantly increased from forest edges to interiors due to carbon concentration of these two aggregate types increasing from edges to interiors, while the proportion of different aggregate distributions was similar within each plot. The same trend was found with increasing forest patch size. Fine root biomass storage had the strongest impact on carbon concentration in large macroaggregates and microaggregates, with higher fine root biomass storage associated with lower carbon concentration. In addition, biomass storage and production rates of both fine roots and litter falls decreased from forest interiors to edges. Our results showed that SOC was significantly decreased due to the lower proportion of large and small macroaggregate distribution, and lower fine root production rate in forest fragments. Conclusions: SOC loss due to effects of forest fragmentation and forest edges occurred through decreased concentrations of soil aggregates and fine root production rates. Results from this study will enhance our ability to evaluate soil aggregate, fine root, and leaf litter fall contributions to SOC within forest fragments, and to suggest basic recommendations for the management and conservation of these forest fragments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Carbon Pools and Storage in Forest Soil)
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14 pages, 3230 KiB  
Article
Temporal and Spatial Changes of Soil Organic Carbon Stocks in the Forest Area of Northeastern China
by Shuai Wang, Qianlai Zhuang, Zijiao Yang, Na Yu and Xinxin Jin
Forests 2019, 10(11), 1023; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10111023 - 14 Nov 2019
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2876
Abstract
Forest soil organic carbon (SOC) accounts for a large portion of global soil carbon stocks. Accurately mapping forest SOC stocks is a necessity for quantifying forest carbon cycling and forest soil sustainable management. In this study, we used a boosted regression trees (BRT) [...] Read more.
Forest soil organic carbon (SOC) accounts for a large portion of global soil carbon stocks. Accurately mapping forest SOC stocks is a necessity for quantifying forest carbon cycling and forest soil sustainable management. In this study, we used a boosted regression trees (BRT) model to predict the spatial distribution of SOC stocks during two time periods (1990 and 2015) and calculated their spatiotemporal changes during 25 years in Liaoning Province, China. A total of 367 (1990) and 539 (2015) sampling sites and 9 environmental variables (climate, topography, remote sensing) were used in the BRT model. The ten-fold cross-validation technique was used to evaluate the prediction performance and uncertainty of the BRT model in two periods. It was found that the BRT model could account for 65% and 59% of SOC stocks, respectively for the two periods. MAP and NDVI were the main environmental variables controlling the spatial variability of SOC stocks. Over the 25-year period, the average SOC stocks increased from 5.66 to 6.61 kg m−2. In the whole study area, the SOC stocks were the highest in the northeast, followed by the southwest, and the lowest in the middle of the spatial distribution pattern in the two periods. Our accurate mapping of SOC stocks, their spatial distribution characteristics, influencing factors, and main controlling factors in forest areas will assist soil management and help assess environmental changes in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Organic Carbon Pools and Storage in Forest Soil)
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