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Scientia Silvae Sinicae ›› 2020, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (4): 22-34.doi: 10.11707/j.1001-7488.20200403

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Response of Forest Soil Enzyme Activities to Elevation in Nangunhe Natural Reserve

Yulian Ren1,Mei Lu1,*,Qianbin Cao1,Cong Li1,Jun Feng2,Zhisheng Wang3   

  1. 1. College of Ecology and Environment, Southwest Forestry University Kunming 650224
    2. Forest Seed and Seedling Station of Yunnan Province Kunming 650215
    3. National Nature Reserve Cangyuan Authority in Yunnan Nangunhe Cangyuan 677499
  • Received:2018-06-22 Online:2020-04-25 Published:2020-05-26
  • Contact: Mei Lu

Abstract:

Objective: The response of soil enzyme activity to the variation of environmental factors along elevation gradient was studied in order to provide a theoretical and data basis for the interaction process and mechanism between hydrothermal conditions-vegetation-soil physicochemical properties at different elevations and enzyme activity in Nangunhe National Nature Reserve. Methods: Three typical vegetation types (i.e. ravine rainforest, semi-evergreen monsoon forest, and mid-montane humid evergreen broad-leaved forest) of different elevations were investigated to study the characteristics of forest soil enzyme activities in different soil layers and at different elevations. Redundancy analysis and Monte Carlo test were used to analyze the effect of change in environmental factors along elevation gradients to soil enzyme activities. Results: We found that different changes along elevation gradients in the microclimate and plant diversity were significant (P < 0.05). Average annual precipitation and Simpson index increased, while the plant community diversity (i.e. Margalef index, Shannon-Wiener index, Palou index), average annual air temperature and soil temperature decreased significantly along the elevation gradients. The physicochemical properties in soil varied significantly with the elevation gradients (P < 0.05). Soil water content, soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, available nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium increased along the elevation. Whereas the density and pH in soil demonstrated decreasing trend, soil C/N ratio increased earlier and decreased later. Soil enzyme activities fluctuate significantly among the three elevation gradients (P < 0.05). The activity of urease, sucrase, acid phosphatase and catalase in the soils increased, while soil polyphenol oxidase decreased. The activity of soil urease, sucrase, acid phosphatase, and polyphenol oxidase decreased, while soil catalase increased along the soil profile. The variation in environmental factors such as microclimate, vegetation and soil along the elevation had significant effects on soil enzyme activity. The average annual air temperature, average annual precipitation, soil temperature, plant diversity, and soil physico-chemical properties displayed correlations with soil enzyme activity to different degrees. The importance in the effects of environmental factors on soil enzyme activity was ranked as total phosphorus > water content > pH > organic carbon conlant > annual average temperature > soil temperature > available nitrogen conlant > annual precipitation > total nitrogen conlant > total potassium conlant > Margalef index > soil density > available potassium conlant > available phosphorus conlant > Shannon-Wiener index > Pielou index > soil C/N ratio > Simpson index. Conclusion: The change of elevation mainly results in the gradient changes of hydrothermal conditions (i.e. average annual temperature, average annual precipitation, soil temperature, and water content), plant diversity (i.e. Margalef index, Shannon-Wiener index, Pielou index) and soil chemical properties (i.e. pH, soil organic carbon, available nitrogen, total nitrogen, total potassium, and total phosphorus) varied significantly along the elevation gradients. These changes in environmental factors had a significant effect on the activity of soil enzyme. Soil phosphorus, water, pH, carbon, nitrogen, and potassium were the key factors controlling the response of soil enzyme activity to the elevation gradients.

Key words: elevation, soil enzyme activities, environmental factors, redundancy analysis

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