Litter fractions and dynamics in a degraded pine forest after thinning treatments

Lagomarsino, Alessandra; Mazza, Gianluigi; Agnelli, A.; Lorenzetti, Romina; Bartoli, Caterina; Viti, Carlo; Colombo, Claudio; Pastorelli, Roberta

doi:10.1007/s10342-019-01245-8

Cited by 10 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…The cultivation-independent molecular methods, generally including the direct extraction of total microbial DNA, have been the most common approaches to determine microbial diversity in various environments [32]. Among these, the polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) fingerprinting has already been used to provide indications on the relative changes in deadwood and litter microbial community composition as decomposition progressed [33][34][35][36][37]. The best approach to identify and quantify specific microbial groups and/or enzymes related to processes of the C and N cycles is to use real time PCR of marker genes of the respective microbial groups (e.g., 16S rDNA genes) or that encodes the process-related enzymes [38][39][40].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Diversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Deadwood of Black Pine of a Temperate Forest

Pastorelli

Paletto

Agnelli

et al. 2021

Forests

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The present study provides a deeper insight on variations of microbial abundance and community composition concerning specific environmental parameters related to deadwood decay, focusing on a mesocosm experiment conducted with deadwood samples from black pine of different decay classes. The chemical properties and microbial communities of deadwood changed over time. The total carbon percentage remained constant in the first stage of decomposition, showing a significant increase in the last decay class. The percentage of total nitrogen and the abundances of nifH harbouring bacteria significantly increased as decomposition advanced, suggesting N wood-enrichment by microbial N immobilization and/or N2-fixation. The pH slightly decreased during decomposition and significantly correlated with fungal abundance. CO2 production was higher in the last decay class 5 and positively correlated with bacterial abundance. Production of CH4 was registered in one sample of decay class 3, which correlates with the highest abundance of methanogenic archaea that probably belonged to Methanobrevibacter genus. N2O consumption increased along decomposition progress, indicating a complete reduction of nitrate compounds to N2 via denitrification, as proved by the highest nosZ gene copy number in decay class 5. Conversely, our results highlighted a low involvement of nitrifying communities in deadwood decomposition.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Diversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Deadwood of Black Pine of a Temperate Forest

Pastorelli

Paletto

Agnelli

et al. 2021

Forests

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“…At the CA site in our experiment, the organic horizon was composed of a shallow litter layer, whose main component was partially decomposed needles with a high C/N ratio, while mineral soil had a lower soil organic carbon content than the soil from HU. Thinning reduces soil autotrophic respiration, but temporary increase in litter respiration after thinning has been reported (Lagomarsino et al 2020). As soil heterotrophic respiration relies on substrate availability, its value depends not only on the actual forest composition, but on the entire cumulative carbon balance throughout the soil's history.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinning decreased soil respiration differently in two dryland Mediterranean forests with contrasted soil temperature and humidity regimes

et al. 2021

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The effects of a thinning treatment on soil respiration (Rs) were analysed in two dryland forest types with a Mediterranean climate in east Spain: a dry subhumid holm oak forest (Quercus ilex subsp. ballota) in La Hunde; a semiarid postfire regenerated Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis) forest in Sierra Calderona. Two twin plots were established at each site: one was thinned and the other was the control. Rs, soil humidity and temperature were measured regularly in the field at nine points per plot distributed into three blocks along the slope for 3 years at HU and for 2 years at CA after forest treatment. Soil heterotrophic activity was measured in laboratory on soil samples obtained bimonthly from December 2012 to June 2013 at the HU site. Seasonal Rs distribution gave low values in winter, began to increase in spring before lowering as soil dried in summer. This scenario indicates that with a semiarid climate, soil respiration is controlled by both soil humidity and soil temperature. Throughout the study period, the mean Rs value in the HU C plot was 13% higher than at HU T, and was 26% higher at CA C than the corresponding CA T plot value, being the differences significantly higher in control plots during active growing periods. Soil microclimatic variables explain the biggest proportion of variability for Rs: soil temperature explained 24.1% of total variability for Rs in the dry subhumid forest; soil humidity accounted for 24.6% of total variability for Rs in the semiarid forest. As Mediterranean climates are characterised by wide interannual variability, Rs showed considerable variability over the years, which can mask the effect caused by thinning treatment.

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“…In post-thinning forests, the main source of soil organic matter is litter, and this mainly stems from the remaining trees and logging residuals. Thinning enhances the abundance of understory plants (especially deciduous broadleaf species), which increases the accumulation of litterfall and enhances N storage [58]. Moreover, thinning increases solar radiation on the forest floor, soil temperature, and thus the decomposition of organic matter.…”

Section: Correlation Between Environmental Factors and Biomass Increm...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thinning Effects on Aboveground Biomass Increments in Both the Overstory and Understory of Masson Pine Forests

Liu,

Zeng

et al. 2024

Forests

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Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) is a tree species that is widely distributed throughout southern China and holds significant economic and ecological value. The main objective of our study was to assess the effects of thinning on aboveground biomass increments and tree diversity in both the overstory and understory. Additionally, the underlying factors and mechanisms responsible for driving changes in biomass increment were analyzed. Four different thinning treatments (control, light thinning, moderate thinning, and heavy thinning) were implemented in 214 plots (~1800 tree ha−1) in three Masson pine forests in Hunan Province, China. A robustly designed experiment was used with over six years of repeated measurements. The differences in biomass increment and tree diversity among the different treatments were compared using repeated measures ANOVAs. The Mantel test was used to determine environmental metrics correlated with biomass increments across tree strata. Structural equation modeling was utilized to explore the multivariate relationships among site environment, tree diversity, and post-treatment biomass increment. The results indicated that thinning overall increased biomass increment, the Shannon index, and the Gini index, while decreasing the Dominance index over time. Moderate thinning (25%–35% of trees removed) was found to promote overstory biomass increment to 9.72 Mg·ha−1·a−1 and understory biomass increment to 1.43 Mg·ha−1·a−1 six years post-thinning, which is significantly higher than that of other treatments. Environmental metrics such as light intensity, soil organic matter, and other soil physiochemical properties were positively correlated with biomass increments, and their effects on the overstory and understory differed. Structural equation modeling revealed that thinning treatments, environmental metrics, tree diversity, and their interactions could be the main drivers for biomass increments across tree strata. Specifically, thinning treatments, light intensity, and tree size diversity (Gini index) had significant effects on overstory biomass increment, while understory species richness (Shannon index) and soil organic matter affected understory biomass increment. In conclusion, moderate thinning is an effective silvicultural treatment for stimulating biomass increments of both the overstory and understory in Masson pine forests in southern China if a middle period (e.g., six years) is considered. Some factors, such as species richness, tree size diversity, and environmental metrics (e.g., light and soil), are suggested for consideration to improve the efficiency of thinning.

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Litter fractions and dynamics in a degraded pine forest after thinning treatments

Cited by 10 publications

References 76 publications

Microbial Diversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Deadwood of Black Pine of a Temperate Forest

Microbial Diversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Deadwood of Black Pine of a Temperate Forest

Thinning decreased soil respiration differently in two dryland Mediterranean forests with contrasted soil temperature and humidity regimes

Thinning Effects on Aboveground Biomass Increments in Both the Overstory and Understory of Masson Pine Forests

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