Soil Chemistry and Biochemistry in Forests

Dear Colleagues,

On the Earth’s land surface, forests have been estimated to occupy 4.1 billion hectares. Forests contain 80% of all aboveground C and approximately 40% of all belowground C, which plays an important role in terrestrial functions. In addition, a large amount of mineral nutrients in forest soils sustain forest growth and regeneration. Since above- and belowground components of ecosystems are tightly linked and their interactions greatly affect ecosystem processes and properties, mineral nutrients are transferred and retranslocated by a series of chemical and biogeochemical cycles between aboveground and belowground components. We have acknowledged how mineral nutrients are released from rock weathering and litter decomposition, how plants absorb mineral nutrients from the soil, and how environmental change factors affect the biogeochemistry of key nutrients. However, there are still some gaps in our understanding of how soil chemistry and biochemistry affect processes and functions in global forest ecosystems. For example, the roles of stoichiometric properties, soil colloids, water dynamics, and interactions between macro- and micro-nutrients in growth and carbon sequestration need more studies. We encourage studies on soil chemical processes and related biotic and abiotic mechanisms in forest ecosystems, including case studies, meta-analysis studies, and model studies, to contribute to this Special Issue in order to promote knowledge and management strategies of forest ecosystems.

Prof. Dr. Jianping Wu
Dr. Jie Zhao
Dr. Songze Wan
Guest Editors

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