Hydrological fluxes of dissolved organic carbon and total dissolved nitrogen in subtropical forests at three restoration stages in southern China

Abstract

In the restoration of subtropical forests, the hydrological fluxes of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) have not been fully investigated in different stages dominated by different tree species. The concentrations of DOC and TDN in rainfall, throughfall, stemflow, and surface runoff were measured for two years in each of the three forests at different restoration stages: early coniferous forest (Pinus massoniana - Lithocarpus glaber), intermediate deciduous broadleaved forest (Choerospondias axillaris), and late evergreen broadleaved forest (L. glaber - Cyclobalanopsis glauca). Input and output fluxes as well as leaching and migration coefficients of DOC and TDN were calculated to examine the nutrient cycling status in the processes of forest restoration. In stemflow, DOC concentrations in the evergreen broadleaved forest differed significantly from those in the coniferous and deciduous broadleaved forests, whereas TDN concentrations differed significantly between the coniferous forest and other two forests. In throughfall, DOC and TDN concentrations were not significantly different among the three forests. The amount of DOC leached was primarily influenced by rainfall and was significantly related to fluxes in throughfall, with the highest value in the deciduous broadleaved forest (57.78 kg C ha−1). However, the amount of TDN leached was affected by rainfall and the absorption of vegetation and was not significantly related to fluxes in throughfall, except for the deciduous broadleaved forest. The highest value of TDN leached was in the coniferous forest (11.90 kg N ha−1). Mean TDN concentration in surface runoff tended to increase but annual TDN output fluxes decreased with forest restoration. However, both mean concentration and annual output fluxes of DOC in surface runoff were the highest in the deciduous broadleaved forest at the intermediate restoration stage. The concentrations were closely related to surface runoff, decomposition rate of litterfall, and soil organic matter content. The annual output fluxes of DOC and TDN in surface runoff were less than 30% of the input in throughfall, indicating nutrient accumulation in subtropical secondary forests.