Changes in soil fungal communities and vegetation following afforestation with Pinus tabulaeformis on the Loess Plateau

Abstract

Soil fungi have important effects on plant performance and nutrient cycling. To understand the dynamics of the soil fungal community and their response to changes in understory plants and soil properties after afforestation, we investigated a cropland site (CL) and three Pinus tabulaeformis plantation sites with different ages (15, 30, and 45 yr) in the Ziwuling Mountains, Loess Plateau, China. Afforestation increased the soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), NO À 3 -N, and NH þ 4 -N contents but decreased the available phosphorus (AP). The biomass and diversity of plants decreased in the herb layer with plantation age, and the biomass of plants increased in the shrub layer. Compared with cropland, the soil fungal diversity indices decreased significantly after afforestation. The soil fungal communities were dominated by Ascomycetes in CL and the 15-year-old plantation, whereas Basidiomycota dominated in the 30-and 45-year-old sites. Correlation analysis showed that the understory vegetation influenced the richness indices more than the diversity indices for the soil fungal community, and herb layer plants had stronger effects on the core soil fungal communities than the shrub layer plants. Soil organic carbon, TN, AP, C:P ratio, and N:P ratio were significantly correlated with the soil fungal communities. Moreover, the C:P ratio and N:P ratio increased as the forest age increased, thereby indicating that P was a crucial influence factor that affected the development of the soil fungal community in P. tabulaeformis plantations.

Influence of Intraspecific Competition Stress on Soil Fungal Diversity and Composition in Relation to Tree Growth and Soil Fertility in Sub-Tropical Soils under Chinese Fir Monoculture

“…In study plots, the soil pH ranged from 4.2 to 4.3, indicating an acidic nature of the soil; this is somewhat lower than the ideal soil pH range for regular growth, which is 4.5 to 6.5 and metabolism of the Chinese fir plant [20,26]. Previous research depicted that soil pH is an important factor in determining the composition of fungal communities [27,28]. This is an important factor because soil pH can affect fungal diversity and population dynamics by affecting nutrient availability or imposing physiological constraints on fungal growth.…”

Response of Fungal Diversity, Community Composition, and Functions to Nutrients Management in Red Soil

“…Moreover, redundancy analysis (RDA) also exhibited that soil pH, NH 4 + -N, AP, and AK significantly affected the fungal community structures ( Figure 5 a, Table 3 ), and it has been well established that soil pH is the most significant determinant for shaping fungal communities [ 73 , 74 , 75 ]. The SEM also explained that changes in fungal communities were mainly affected by the soil pH ( Figure 5 b), and soil pH has been identified as a crucial factor in determining the structure of the soil fungal population [ 59 , 68 , 76 ].…”

Response of Soil Fungal Diversity and Community Composition to Varying Levels of Bamboo Biochar in Red Soils

“…We can infer that soil physicochemical properties changing with biochar concentration could contribute to the distinct variations in fungal community structures. Previous studies also showed that soil pH is the most important variable for shaping the fungal communities [ 64 , 65 ]. This is because soil pH may affect the fungal diversity and community composition by modifying nutrients availability or putting physiological limits on fungal growth.…”