Soil C-N-P pools and stoichiometry as affected by intensive management of camellia oleifera plantations.

Liangying Liu,Bangliang Deng,Xinyue Yuan,Sizhe Hu,Chunmei Liu,Wenping Deng,Jiehui Niu,Ling Zhang,Jun Pan,Wenyuan Zhang,Nasir Shad,Jiahui Huang,Yuanqiu Liu,Xiaojun Liu,Fuzhong Wu

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0238227

Abstract

Intensive management of C. oleifera has produced many pure C. oleifera plantations. The transmission of C. oleifera plantation will potentially affect soil C, N, and P pools as well as their stoichiometric characteristics both in top soil layer and vertical soil profile due to the intensive management. To understand changes in vertical pools and stoichiometric characteristics of soil C, N, and P as affected by intensive management of C. oleifera plantations, both mixed and pure C. oleifera plantations were studied. We conducted studies in five locations in Jiangxi, China with both pure and mixed C. oleifera plantations, to compare changes in vertical pools and stoichiometry of C, N, and P. Both C and N pools were significantly different between mixed and pure plantation types of C. oleifera. However, the ratio of C:N, C:P, and N:P was consistently higher in mixed plantations with C:P and N:P altered but C:N ratio did not change with soil depth. The intensive management significantly impact both C and N pools and the stoichiometry of C, N, and P. Intensive management of C. oleifera plantations decreased both C and N pools, especially at the depth of 30–50 cm soil layer. C. oleifera plantation alteration from mixed to pure should be considered in future forest management practice considering the substantial effects on soil element cycling and distribution along vertical soil profile.

Highlights

Soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are three functionally important elements associated with ecosystem nutrient cycling process and stability [1, 2]
We investigated the distribution of both pure and mixed C. oleifera plantations across Jiangxi province from south to north (S1 Table)
Both soil C and N pools were significantly affected by C. oleifera plantation stand types, while soil P pools were not influenced (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) are three functionally important elements associated with ecosystem nutrient cycling process and stability [1, 2]. While soil C pools account for substantial component of global C, slight changes in soil C pools may generate substantial alterations in global C distribution [2]. Nitrogen and P are two vital nutrients regulating plant growth and vegetation distribution [3]. The stoichiometric ratio of C, N, and P has been widely studied and considered as an important index reflecting ecosystem function and development [1, 2, 4].

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Conclusion