Altitudinal and seasonal variation in soil phosphorus fractions in Moso bamboo forests

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtag155

Abstract

Abstract: Soil phosphorus (P) availability is pivotal for plant growth and ecosystem productivity, yet the distribution and regulation of soil P fractions across environmental gradients in subtropical bamboo forests remain poorly constrained. We investigated Moso bamboo forests across five altitudes in subtropical eastern China, collecting soil samples in both summer and winter to evaluate soil physico-chemical and microbial properties. Soil P fractions were determined using the Hedley sequential extraction procedure and classified into labile P (Resin-P, NaHCO₃-Pi/Po), moderately labile P (NaOH-Pi/Po), and stable P (NaOHus-Pi/Po, HCl-P, Residual-P). Soil P fractions were dominated by NaOH-P, which accounted for 37.2 – 47.0% of total P. Most P fractions (NaOH-Pi/Po, NaOHus-Pi/Po, NaHCO₃-Po, HCl-P, and Residual-P) exhibited non-linear (parabolic) relationships with altitude, whereas NaHCO₃-Pi increased linearly with altitude during summer. Altitude exerted a stronger influence on most soil P fractions than season, with the exceptions of Resin-P and HCl-P. Microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) in winter was approximately 32.3% higher than in summer, suggesting that soil microbes may accumulate more nitrogen under low temperatures to compensate for reduced metabolic activity. Soil moisture (SM) was the primary driver of P fractions variation in summer, likely enhancing P mobility, whereas microbial biomass P (MBP) became the dominant regulator in winter, potentially facilitating P turnover and mitigating sorption by Fe and Al oxides. These findings highlight the intricate coupling of hydrological and microbial processes in modulating soil P availability. Managing soil moisture and microbial activity may therefore offer practical strategies to sustain productivity in intensively managed subtropical Moso bamboo forests.

The distribution and transformation processes of soil phosphorus fractions are crucial for maintaining the sustainable development of forest ecosystems. This study found that in subtropical Moso bamboo forests, NaOH-P is the predominant soil phosphorus fraction, accounting for 37.2 – 47.0% of total soil phosphorus. Among these, the most phosphorus fractions (NaOH-Pi/Po, NaOHus-Pi/Po, NaHCO₃-Po, HCl-P and Residual-P) exhibited a non-linear (parabolic) relationship with altitude, while NaHCO₃-Pi increased linearly with altitude during the summer. Soil moisture and microbial biomass phosphorus were the primary drivers of changes in soil phosphorus fractions during summer and winter, respectively.

Key words: Altitude, Microbial biomass P, Phyllostachys edulis, Season, Soil phosphorus fraction, Soil moisture, Subtropical forest

摘要：
土壤磷（ P）有效性对植物生长和生态系统生产力至关重要，但在亚热带毛竹林中，不同环境梯度下土壤磷组分的分布与调控机制仍缺乏充分的认识。我们对中国东部亚热带地区五个海拔的毛竹林进行了调查，分别在夏季和冬季采集了土壤样本以测定土壤的物理化学性质和微生物特性。采用Hedley连续化学浸提法测定土壤磷组分，并将其分为活性磷（ Resin-P, NaHCO₃-Pi/Po）、中等活性磷（NaOH-Pi/Po）和稳定性磷（ NaOHus-Pi/Po, HCl-P, Residual-P）。土壤磷组分以NaOH-P为主，占总磷的37.2–47.0%。大多数磷组分（ NaOH-Pi/Po, NaOHus-Pi/Po, NaHCO₃-Po, HCl-P, 和Residual-P）与海拔梯度呈非线性（抛物线）关系，而夏季NaHCO₃-Pi随海拔梯度呈线性增加。就大多数土壤磷组分而言，海拔对它们的影响比季节更显著，但Resin-P和HCl-P除外。冬季的微生物生物量氮（ MBN）含量比夏季高出约 32.3%，这表明土壤微生物在低温条件下可能会积累更多的氮，以补偿代谢活性的降低。土壤水分（ SM）是夏季磷组分变化的主要驱动因素，可能增强了磷的迁移性；而微生物生物量磷（ MBP）则成为冬季的主导调节因子，可能促进了磷的周转，并减轻了铁铝氧化物对磷的吸附作用。这些研究结果凸显了水文过程和微生物过程在调节土壤磷有效性方面的复杂耦合关系。因此，管理土壤水分和微生物活性或许能为维持集约化管理的亚热带毛竹林的生产力提供切实可行的策略。

关键词: 海拔, 微生物生物量磷, 毛竹, 季节, 土壤磷组分, 土壤水分, 亚热带森林

Panpan Wu, Dandan Hu, Yiwei Ren, Miaoying Cai, Aimei Huang, Quanlin Zhong, Dongliang Cheng. Altitudinal and seasonal variation in soil phosphorus fractions in Moso bamboo forests[J]. J Plant Ecol, DOI: 10.1093/jpe/rtag155.

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Altitudinal and seasonal variation in soil phosphorus fractions in Moso bamboo forests

毛竹林中土壤磷组分的海拔和季节变化

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