Spatial variability of the topsoil organic carbon in the Moso bamboo forests of southern China in association with soil properties

PLoS One. 2015 Mar 19;10(3):e0119175. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119175. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Understanding the spatial variability of soil organic carbon (SOC) must be enhanced to improve sampling design and to develop soil management strategies in terrestrial ecosystems. Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens Mazel ex Houz.) forests have a high SOC storage potential; however, they also vary significantly spatially. This study investigated the spatial variability of SOC (0-20 cm) in association with other soil properties and with spatial variables in the Moso bamboo forests of Jian'ou City, which is a typical bamboo hometown in China. 209 soil samples were collected from Moso bamboo stands and then analyzed for SOC, bulk density (BD), pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), and gravel content (GC) based on spatial distribution. The spatial variability of SOC was then examined using geostatistics. A Kriging map was produced through ordinary interpolation and required sample numbers were calculated by classical and Kriging methods. An aggregated boosted tree (ABT) analysis was also conducted. A semivariogram analysis indicated that ln(SOC) was best fitted with an exponential model and that it exhibited moderate spatial dependence, with a nugget/sill ratio of 0.462. SOC was significantly and linearly correlated with BD (r = -0.373**), pH (r = -0.429**), GC (r = -0.163*), CEC (r = 0.263**), and elevation (r = 0.192**). Moreover, the Kriging method requires fewer samples than the classical method given an expected standard error level as per a variance analysis. ABT analysis indicated that the physicochemical variables of soil affected SOC variation more significantly than spatial variables did, thus suggesting that the SOC in Moso bamboo forests can be strongly influenced by management practices. Thus, this study provides valuable information in relation to sampling strategy and insight into the potential of adjustments in agronomic measure, such as in fertilization for Moso bamboo production.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Carbon / chemistry
  • Carbon / metabolism*
  • China
  • Ecosystem*
  • Forests
  • Sasa / metabolism
  • Soil / chemistry*
  • Spatial Analysis

Substances

  • Soil
  • Carbon

Grants and funding

The authors thank for the financial support from Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05070303). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.