Effect of Charcoal on the Properties, Enzyme Activities and Microbial Diversity of Temperate Pine Forest Soils

Abstract

Relict charcoal hearths (RCHs) increases soil fertility in forest ecosystems. However, the effects of RCHs on the activity and abundance of soil microorganisms remain unknown. In this paper, we analysed the impact of relict charcoal production on the soil enzymatic activity and composition of soil bacterial and fungal communities in Scots pine forests of the Manowo Forest District in northern Poland. Moreover, we determined the effect of relict charcoal production on the soil properties. Our research was conducted by comparing the physical, chemical, enzymatic and microbiological properties of charcoal-enriched and charcoal-free soils. Significant differences in physical properties were found between these two soil types in terms of their structure and water holding capacity. As expected, horizons enriched with charcoal were characterised by a significantly higher organic carbon content (4.7% on average compared to 2.2% in control horizons), and also by a considerably higher content of available phosphorus (an average of 64.07 mg·kg−1 compared to 36.21 mg·kg−1 in the control). Similarly, RCH horizons displayed a higher pH and higher contents of Ca and Na cations. These results indicated that RCH soils provided more favourable conditions for the soil microbiome, as reflected by the higher enzymatic activity and diversity of the microorganisms. Moreover, bacterial and fungal communities in RCH soils were more diverse and had greater species/genera richness, especially in the case of fungi. Members of the genus Rhodoplanes dominated the bacterial community at both RCH and non-RCH sites, followed by Streptomyces, Burkholderia, Skermanella, Tsukamurella and Candidatus Solibacter. Both culture- and next generation sequencing (NGS)-based analyses showed that soil fungal communities were dominated by Ascomycota, with Penicillium as the most abundant genus. Our results showed that hearth soils may represent a significant C pool in the forest ecosystem. This study supports the strategy of safeguarding such charcoal-enriched soils as precious C reservoirs and ecologically important biodiversity hotspots. Moreover, the application of charcoal may effectively increase the microbial diversity of forest soils, especially during the reforestation or re-cultivation of disturbed habitats.

The Soil Environment of Abandoned Charcoal Kiln Platforms in a Low-Altitude Central European Forest

“…In addition, there was a significantly higher activity of arylsulfatase in the OMC horizon. These findings concur with those of Lasota et al [26], who also reported higher levels in the OMC horizon. This same follow-up assessment (Figure 8) also confirmed increased activity in five extracellular enzymes that are involved in the transformation of C, N, P, and S (Tables 3 and 5), an effect also noted by Lasota et al [57].…”

“…Unlike the chemical and physical properties of the kiln soil environment, the biochemical nature of kiln platform soils is still largely unexplored. Nevertheless, there is some evidence that both the activity and diversity of soil microbiota can increase over time following the abandonment of such kilns, particularly in acidic edatopes [26].…”

Biodiversity and Metabolic Potential of Bacteria in Bulk Soil from the Peri-Root Zone of Black Alder (Alnus glutinosa), Silver Birch (Betula pendula) and Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris)

“…Forests constitute one of the largest and most important ecosystems on Earth, covering over 40 million km 2 and accounting for 30% of the total land area in the world [ 1 , 24 ]. The ecology of forest soils is an important area of research due to the role of forests as carbon sinks.…”

“…Organic matter and its decomposition products cause soil acidification, leaching of elements, supply of nutrients, and modification of sorption properties [ 22 , 23 ]. In turn, the effect of soil on vegetation is most notable in the characteristic species composition of the natural forest complex related to the properties of a given part of the soil [ 3 , 24 ]. In the almost common view of foresters, soil is the least changed, most stable indicator complex and could be used to diagnose a habitat in any case, even where there is no tree stand and typically developed forest floor vegetation [ 24 , 25 ].…”

Land Use Changes Influence the Soil Enzymatic Activity and Nutrient Status in the Polluted Taojia River Basin in Sub-Tropical China

“…It also plays a vital role in regional and local climate conditions globally. To date, a large number of studies have been carried out on the impacts of soil organic carbon (SOC) and the nutrient characteristics of soil [ 11 , 12 ], whereas fewer studies have been conducted on the relationship between the microbial properties of soil and enzymatic activities [ 13 , 14 , 15 ]. The activity of soil enzymes greatly influences nutrient cycling, and it plays an important role in sustainable development in agriculture [ 16 ].…”