Journal of Plant Ecology ›› 2017, Vol. 10 ›› Issue (1): 111-127.DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtw065

所属专题: 生物多样性与生态系统功能

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On the combined effect of soil fertility and topography on tree growth in subtropical forest ecosystems—a study from SE China

Thomas Scholten1,*, Philipp Goebes1, Peter Kühn1, Steffen Seitz1, Thorsten Assmann2, Jürgen Bauhus3, Helge Bruelheide4,5, Francois Buscot5,6, Alexandra Erfmeier2, Markus Fischer7, Werner Härdtle2, Jin-Sheng He8, Keping Ma9, Pascal A. Niklaus10, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen11, Bernhard Schmid10, Xuezheng Shi12, Zhengshan Song1,12, Goddert von Oheimb13, Christian Wirth5,14, Tesfaye Wubet5,6 and Karsten Schmidt1   

  1. 1 Department of Geosciences, Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; 2 Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany; 3 Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Silviculture, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacherstraße 4, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; 4 Institute of Biology ? Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle, Germany; 5 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; 6 Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle, Germany; 7 Department of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland; 8 Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China; 9 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing 100093, China; 10 Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland; 11 Faculty of Biology, Department of Geobotany, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; 12 Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 71 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, China; 13 TU Dresden, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, Pienner Straße 7, 01737 Tharandt, Germany; 14 Department of Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
  • 收稿日期:2015-11-12 接受日期:2016-06-17 出版日期:2017-02-04 发布日期:2017-01-28

On the combined effect of soil fertility and topography on tree growth in subtropical forest ecosystems—a study from SE China

Thomas Scholten1,*, Philipp Goebes1, Peter Kühn1, Steffen Seitz1, Thorsten Assmann2, Jürgen Bauhus3, Helge Bruelheide4,5, Francois Buscot5,6, Alexandra Erfmeier2, Markus Fischer7, Werner Härdtle2, Jin-Sheng He8, Keping Ma9, Pascal A. Niklaus10, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen11, Bernhard Schmid10, Xuezheng Shi12, Zhengshan Song1,12, Goddert von Oheimb13, Christian Wirth5,14, Tesfaye Wubet5,6 and Karsten Schmidt1   

  1. 1 Department of Geosciences, Soil Science and Geomorphology, University of Tübingen, Rümelinstraße 19-23, 72070 Tübingen, Germany; 2 Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University Lüneburg, Scharnhorststr. 1, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany; 3 Faculty of Forest and Environmental Sciences, Silviculture, University of Freiburg, Tennenbacherstraße 4, 79085 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany; 4 Institute of Biology ? Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg, Am Kirchtor 1, 06108 Halle, Germany; 5 German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; 6 Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 4, 06120 Halle, Germany; 7 Department of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Altenbergrain 21, 3013 Bern, Switzerland; 8 Peking University, No. 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China; 9 Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing 100093, China; 10 Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland; 11 Faculty of Biology, Department of Geobotany, University of Freiburg, Schänzlestraße 1, 79104 Freiburg, Germany; 12 Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 71 East Beijing Road, Nanjing, China; 13 TU Dresden, Biodiversity and Nature Conservation, Pienner Straße 7, 01737 Tharandt, Germany; 14 Department of Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 21, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
  • Received:2015-11-12 Accepted:2016-06-17 Online:2017-02-04 Published:2017-01-28
  • Contact: Thomas , Scholten

摘要: Aims The aim of our research was to understand small-scale effects of topography and soil fertility on tree growth in a forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiment in subtropical SE China.
Methods Geomorphometric terrain analyses were carried out at a spatial resolution of 5×5 m. Soil samples of different depth increments and data on tree height were collected from a total of 566 plots (667 m 2 each). The soils were analyzed for carbon (soil organic carbon [SOC]), nitrogen, acidity, cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable cations and base saturation as soil fertility attributes. All plots were classified into geomorphological units. Analyses of variance and linear regressions were applied to all terrain, soil fertility and tree growth attributes.
Important findings In general, young and shallow soils and relatively small differences in stable soil properties suggest that soil erosion has truncated the soils to a large extent over the whole area of the experiment. This explains the concurrently increasing CEC and SOC stocks downslope, in hollows and in valleys. However, colluvial, carbon-rich sediments are missing widely due to the convexity of the footslopes caused by uplift and removal of eroded sediments by adjacent waterways. The results showed that soil fertility is mainly influenced by topography. Monte–Carlo flow accumulation (MCCA), curvature, slope and aspect significantly affected soil fertility. Furthermore, soil fertility was affected by the different geomorphological positions on the experimental sites with ridge and spur positions showing lower exchangeable base cation contents, especially potassium (K), due to leaching. This geomorphological effect of soil fertility is most pronounced in the topsoil and decreases when considering the subsoil down to 50cm depth. Few soil fertility attributes affect tree height after 1–2 years of growth, among which C stocks proved to be most important while pH KCl and CEC only played minor roles. Nevertheless, soil acidity and a high proportion of Al on the exchange complex affected tree height even after only 1–2 years growth. Hence, our study showed that forest nutrition is coupled to a recycling of litter nutrients, and does not only depend on subsequent supply of nutrients from the mineral soil. Besides soil fertility, topography affected tree height. We found that especially MCCA as indicator of water availability affected tree growth at small-scale, as well as aspect. Overall, our synthesis on the interrelation between fertility, topography and tree growth in a subtropical forest ecosystem in SE China showed that topographic heterogeneity lead to ecological gradients across geomorphological positions. In this respect, small-scale soil–plant interactions in a young forest can serve as a driver for the future development of vegetation and biodiversity control on soil fertility. In addition, it shows that terrain attributes should be accounted for in ecological research.

Abstract: Aims The aim of our research was to understand small-scale effects of topography and soil fertility on tree growth in a forest biodiversity and ecosystem functioning (BEF) experiment in subtropical SE China.
Methods Geomorphometric terrain analyses were carried out at a spatial resolution of 5×5 m. Soil samples of different depth increments and data on tree height were collected from a total of 566 plots (667 m 2 each). The soils were analyzed for carbon (soil organic carbon [SOC]), nitrogen, acidity, cation exchange capacity (CEC), exchangeable cations and base saturation as soil fertility attributes. All plots were classified into geomorphological units. Analyses of variance and linear regressions were applied to all terrain, soil fertility and tree growth attributes.
Important findings In general, young and shallow soils and relatively small differences in stable soil properties suggest that soil erosion has truncated the soils to a large extent over the whole area of the experiment. This explains the concurrently increasing CEC and SOC stocks downslope, in hollows and in valleys. However, colluvial, carbon-rich sediments are missing widely due to the convexity of the footslopes caused by uplift and removal of eroded sediments by adjacent waterways. The results showed that soil fertility is mainly influenced by topography. Monte–Carlo flow accumulation (MCCA), curvature, slope and aspect significantly affected soil fertility. Furthermore, soil fertility was affected by the different geomorphological positions on the experimental sites with ridge and spur positions showing lower exchangeable base cation contents, especially potassium (K), due to leaching. This geomorphological effect of soil fertility is most pronounced in the topsoil and decreases when considering the subsoil down to 50cm depth. Few soil fertility attributes affect tree height after 1–2 years of growth, among which C stocks proved to be most important while pH KCl and CEC only played minor roles. Nevertheless, soil acidity and a high proportion of Al on the exchange complex affected tree height even after only 1–2 years growth. Hence, our study showed that forest nutrition is coupled to a recycling of litter nutrients, and does not only depend on subsequent supply of nutrients from the mineral soil. Besides soil fertility, topography affected tree height. We found that especially MCCA as indicator of water availability affected tree growth at small-scale, as well as aspect. Overall, our synthesis on the interrelation between fertility, topography and tree growth in a subtropical forest ecosystem in SE China showed that topographic heterogeneity lead to ecological gradients across geomorphological positions. In this respect, small-scale soil–plant interactions in a young forest can serve as a driver for the future development of vegetation and biodiversity control on soil fertility. In addition, it shows that terrain attributes should be accounted for in ecological research.

Key words: soil fertility, topography, soil erosion, matter transport, biodiversity, DSM, carbon stocks, tree, forest, BEF-China, China