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Abstract
Linking vegetation, soil biota, and soil carbon stocks in forests has a high predictive value. The specific aim of this study was to identify the relationships between vegetation, earthworms, and soil carbon stocks in nine types of forests dominating autonomous landscape positions in a coniferous–broadleaf forest zone of the European part of Russia. Mountain forests were selected in the Northwest Caucasus, while plain forests were selected in Bryansk Polesie and on the Moskva-Oka plain. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and v-tests were used to assess the impact of different factors on soil C stocks. To assess the contribution of vegetation, litter quality, and earthworms to variation of carbon stocks in organic (FH-layer) and mineral layer (0–50 cm), the method of hierarchical partitioning was performed. The highest C stocks in the organic horizons were associated with the low-quality litter, i.e., with a low base saturation, high acidity, and wide C/N ratio. The highest soil C stocks in the mineral layers were found in mixed forests with the highest richness of plant species, producing litterfall of different quality. The C stock in the organic horizon was negatively related to the biomass of worms that process the litter, while the carbon stock in the mineral layers was positively related to the biomass of worms whose life activity is related to the mineral layers. These findings demonstrated the substantial influence of plants producing a litter of different quality, and of earthworms, belonging to different functional groups, on soil C stocks in coniferous–broadleaf forests.
Highlights
Forests play a huge role in climate regulation, including through their ability to absorb greenhouse gases and store carbon, both in phytomass and in soils
The aim of this study is to investigate the relationships between vegetation, soil carbon stocks, and earthworms in forests dominating autonomous landscape positions in a coniferous–broadleaf forest zone of the European part of Russia
The soil C stocks are regulated by the litter quality and activity of earthworms
Summary
Forests play a huge role in climate regulation, including through their ability to absorb greenhouse gases and store carbon, both in phytomass and in soils. More of the site carbon stock [1]. Soil carbon stocks depend on abiotic factors of soil formation, such as climate and soil-forming rocks. It has been shown that soil carbon stocks are positively correlated to average annual temperature, annual precipitation, and, to net primary productivity [2]. It has been demonstrated that the levels of carbon accumulation in soils depend on particle size distribution in the soil-forming rocks and their chemical composition, as well as on forest management regimes and forest disturbances, first of all, fires [3]. Soil carbon stock depends on biotic factors, such as vegetation and soil biota. It has been shown that in forests of different types, variation in soil carbon stocks was related to the species composition of tree plants [1]
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