Abstract:

Soil organic carbon mineralization, microbial biomass carbon and metabolic quotient in soils were determined to understand the effects of litter on soils in natural evergreen broadleaved forest, Sassafras tzumu plantation and Cryptomeria fortunei plantation. Soils were collected in the 0～20 cm layer and incubated for 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 days in the laboratory at 25 ℃ with natural water content and different litters. The results indicated that organic carbon mineralization rate, microbial biomass carbon and metabolic quotient in soils showed the ranked order of natural evergreen broadleaved forest > Sassafras tzumu plantation > Cryptomeria fortunei plantation when the forest litter was not added to the soil. The added forest litter increased the organic carbon mineralization rate, microbial biomass carbon and metabolic quotient in soils regardless of the forests. Comparing with the litter from the Sassafras tzumu plantation and Cryptomeria fortunei plantation, the litter from the natural evergreen broadleaved forest led to higher organic carbon mineralization rate, microbial biomass carbon and metabolic quotient in soils. The results suggested that the artificial regeneration of the natural evergreen broadleaved forest into the Sassafras tzumu plantation and Cryptomeria fortunei plantation might lead to the low organic carbon mineralization, microbial biomass carbon and metabolic quotient in soils.

Key words: natural evergreen broadleaved forest, artificial regeneration, litter, soil organic carbon mineralization, microbial biomass carbon, metabolic quotient