Abstract
As the decomposition of lignocellulosic compounds is a rate-limiting stage in the nutrient mineralization from organic matters, elucidation of the changes in soil enzyme activity can provide insight into the nutrient dynamics and ecosystem functioning. The current study aimed to assess the effect of thinning intensities on soil conditions. Un-thinned control, 20 % thinning, and 30 % thinning treatments were applied to a Larix kaempferi forest, and total carbon and nitrogen, total carbon to total nitrogen ratio, extractable nutrients (inorganic nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium), and enzyme activities (acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, β-glucosaminidase) were investigated. Total carbon and nitrogen concentrations were significantly increased in the 30 % thinning treatment, whereas both the 20 and 30 % thinning treatments did not change total carbon to total nitrogen ratio. Inorganic nitrogen and extractable calcium and magnesium concentrations were significantly increased in the 20 % thinning treatment; however, no significant changes were found for extractable phosphorus and potassium concentrations either in the 20 or the 30 % thinning treatment. However, the applied thinning intensities had no significant influences on acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase, β-xylosidase, and β-glucosaminidase activities. These results indicated that thinning can elevate soil organic matter quantity and nutrient availability, and different thinning intensities may affect extractable soil nutrients inconsistently. The results also demonstrated that such inconsistent patterns in extractable nutrient concentrations after thinning might not be fully explained by the shifts in the enzyme-mediated nutrient mineralization.
Highlights
As the decomposition of lignocellulosic compounds is a rate-limiting stage in the nutrient mineralization from organic matters, elucidation of the changes in soil enzyme activity can provide insight into the nutrient dynamics and ecosystem functioning
Our results demonstrate that total carbon (TC) and Total nitrogen (TN) might be increased by thinning after 3 years
TC, TN, CN ratio, extractable nutrients, and enzyme activities were investigated in a L. kaempferi forest where different thinning intensities were carried out
Summary
As the decomposition of lignocellulosic compounds is a rate-limiting stage in the nutrient mineralization from organic matters, elucidation of the changes in soil enzyme activity can provide insight into the nutrient dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Forest soil is a key component in ecosystems as a major storage and source of plant-available nutrients It can be affected by the changes in other living and non-living components of forests since they interact with each other (Attiwill and Adams 1993). Anthropogenic activities on forests may directly or indirectly shift soil conditions, disturb nutrient cycle, and hinder future forest productivity if they are inappropriately conducted (Grigal 2000). In this context, Thinning, the selective tree cutting to achieve various management purposes, is one of the most frequently applied forest management practices. Thinning can influence soil conditions such as the quantity and quality of soil organic matter (Son et al 2004; Smolander et al 2013) and extractable nutrient
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