TY - JOUR
T1 - Post-thinning Responses of Microbial Substrate Utilization in Temperate Japanese Larch Forests
AU - Kim, Seongjun
AU - Li, Guanlin
AU - An, Jiae
AU - Kim, Choonsig
AU - Lee, Sang Tae
AU - Han, Seung Hyun
AU - Son, Yowhan
N1 - Funding Information:
The present study was supported by the National Institute of Forest Science [FM0101-2009-01] of South Korea, the Korea University grant (2019), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China [31800342].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - The present study examined microbial substrate utilization by community level physiological profiling and carbon-cycling enzyme assays (cellobiohydrolase, β-xylosidase, and oxidases) in three Japanese larch forests. The forests differed in their locations, topographies, and soil microclimates, and each covered three treatments, namely 20 (IT) and 35% basal area thinning (HT) without intensive residue harvests and an un-thinned control (UTC). Microbial substrate utilization and soil properties (temperature, moisture, total carbon and nitrogen, inorganic nitrogen, and pH) were analyzed at 0–10 cm depth, six years after thinning. Microbial utilization of carbohydrate group under IT was 27 and 62% higher than that under UTC and HT, respectively, in only one of the forests. This might occur because this forest featured a steeper slope, rockier soil texture, and cooler and drier soil surface than the other two forests, where no thinning effect was observed. However, neither microbial utilization of any other substrate groups nor enzyme activity changed by thinning across all forests. It could result from the exclusion of intensive residue harvests or the lack of changes in soil inorganic nitrogen and pH. These results indicate that the thinning effects on microbial substrate utilization might be inconsistent across multiple sites, and at least, not decline the associated forest ecosystem functions and sustainability.
AB - The present study examined microbial substrate utilization by community level physiological profiling and carbon-cycling enzyme assays (cellobiohydrolase, β-xylosidase, and oxidases) in three Japanese larch forests. The forests differed in their locations, topographies, and soil microclimates, and each covered three treatments, namely 20 (IT) and 35% basal area thinning (HT) without intensive residue harvests and an un-thinned control (UTC). Microbial substrate utilization and soil properties (temperature, moisture, total carbon and nitrogen, inorganic nitrogen, and pH) were analyzed at 0–10 cm depth, six years after thinning. Microbial utilization of carbohydrate group under IT was 27 and 62% higher than that under UTC and HT, respectively, in only one of the forests. This might occur because this forest featured a steeper slope, rockier soil texture, and cooler and drier soil surface than the other two forests, where no thinning effect was observed. However, neither microbial utilization of any other substrate groups nor enzyme activity changed by thinning across all forests. It could result from the exclusion of intensive residue harvests or the lack of changes in soil inorganic nitrogen and pH. These results indicate that the thinning effects on microbial substrate utilization might be inconsistent across multiple sites, and at least, not decline the associated forest ecosystem functions and sustainability.
KW - Community level physiological profiling
KW - Larix kaempferi
KW - enzyme activity
KW - forest management
KW - thinning intensity
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85083586729&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/10549811.2020.1754859
DO - 10.1080/10549811.2020.1754859
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85083586729
SN - 1054-9811
VL - 40
SP - 332
EP - 345
JO - Journal of Sustainable Forestry
JF - Journal of Sustainable Forestry
IS - 4
ER -