Plantations thinning: A meta-analysis of consequences for soil properties and microbial functions

Xiulan Zhang; Liang Chen; Ying Wang; Peiting Jiang; Yanting Hu; Shuai Ouyang; Huili Wu; Pifeng Lei; Yakov Kuzyakov; Wenhua Xiang

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162894

Plantations thinning: A meta-analysis of consequences for soil properties and microbial functions

Sci Total Environ. 2023 Jun 15:877:162894. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162894. Epub 2023 Mar 21.

Authors

Xiulan Zhang¹, Liang Chen², Ying Wang¹, Peiting Jiang¹, Yanting Hu³, Shuai Ouyang³, Huili Wu³, Pifeng Lei³, Yakov Kuzyakov⁴, Wenhua Xiang⁵

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China; Huitong National Station for Scientific Observation and Research of Chinese Fir Plantation Ecosystems in Hunan Province, Huitong, Hunan, China.
² Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China; Huitong National Station for Scientific Observation and Research of Chinese Fir Plantation Ecosystems in Hunan Province, Huitong, Hunan, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in South China, Changsha, China. Electronic address: lc52416@163.com.
³ Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China; Huitong National Station for Scientific Observation and Research of Chinese Fir Plantation Ecosystems in Hunan Province, Huitong, Hunan, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in South China, Changsha, China.
⁴ Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China; Department of Soil Science of Temperate Ecosystems, Department of Agricultural Soil Science, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany; Agro-Technological Institute, RUDN University, Moscow, Russia.
⁵ Faculty of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan, China; Huitong National Station for Scientific Observation and Research of Chinese Fir Plantation Ecosystems in Hunan Province, Huitong, Hunan, China; National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in South China, Changsha, China. Electronic address: xiangwh2005@163.com.

PMID: 36958555
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.162894

Abstract

Thinning is a widely-used management practice to reduce tree competition and improve wood production and quality in forest plantations. Thinning affects the soil ecosystem by changing the microclimate and plant growth, as well as litter inputs above and belowground, with all the resulting consequences for microbial communities and functions. Although many case studies have been carried out, a comprehensive understanding of the thinning effects on soil properties and microbial communities and functions in plantations remains to be explored. In this study, a meta-analysis was performed on 533 paired observations based on 90 peer-reviewed articles to evaluate the general responses of soil (mainly 0-20 cm depth) physicochemical properties, microbial biomass and community structure, and enzyme activities to thinning. Results showed that thinning increased soil temperature (13 %), moisture (8.0 %), electric conductivity (13 %), and the contents of total nitrogen (TN, 4.1 %), dissolved organic carbon (DOC, 9.7 %), nitrate N (NO₃^--N, 27 %) and available phosphorous (22 %). For microbial properties, thinning decreased the fungi to bacteria ratio (F:B, -28 %) and the gram-positive bacteria to gram-negative bacteria ratio (G+:G-, -12 %), while increased microbial biomass C (7.1 %), microbial respiration (13 %), and nutrient-cycle related enzyme activities, including phenol oxidase (14 %), cellobiohydrolase (21 %), urease (10 %), and acid phosphatase (9 %). In particular, moderate thinning (30-60 % intensity) has higher conservation benefits for soil C and nutrients than light and heavy intensity, thus being recommended as the optimal thinning activity. This meta-analysis suggests that thinning consistently altered soil properties, shifted microbial community compositions from K- to-r strategist dominance, and stimulated microbial activities. These results are essential for optimizing plantation thinning management and provide evidence for applying the macro-ecology theory to ecosystem disturbance in soil microbial ecology.

Keywords: Microbial communities and functions; Nutrient cycling; Plantation management; Soil functions; Thinning intensity.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis

MeSH terms

Biomass
Carbon / analysis
Ecosystem
Forests
Microbiota*
Nitrogen / analysis
Soil Microbiology
Soil* / chemistry
Trees

Substances

Soil
Nitrogen
Carbon