Affiliation:
1. Key Laboratory of National Forestry and Grassland Administration for the Protection and Restoration of Forest Ecosystem in Poyang Lake Basin, Jiangxi Agricultural University, Nanchang 330045, China
2. College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
3. Matoushan Observation and Research Station of Forest Ecosystem, Zixi 335300, China
4. Jiangxi Provincial Key Laboratory for Bamboo Germplasm Resources and Utilization, Nanchang 330045, China
Abstract
Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis (Carrière) J.Houz.) is a fast-growing species that commonly invades neighboring broadleaf forests and has been widely reported in subtropical forest ecosystems. However, little is known about the effect on soil phosphorus (P) bioavailability and its potential influence factor during the P. edulis expansion. Here, the four soil P bioavailable fractions (i.e., CaCl2-P, Citrate-P, Enzyme-P, and HCl-P), acid phosphatase activity, iron and aluminum oxides (Fed and Ald), and soil total P pool at depths of 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, and 20–40 cm were measured in three expanding interfaces (a broadleaf forest, a mixed bamboo–broadleaf forest, and a pure P. edulis forest) in subtropical forests of southern China. Regardless of soil depths, the CaCl2-P content was significantly lower in the mixed bamboo–broadleaf forest than the other two forest types, with contents ranging from 0.09 to 0.16 mg/kg, whereas the HCl-P content was significantly lower in the broadleaf forest, with contents ranging from 3.42 to 14.33 mg/kg, and the Enzyme-P content and acid phosphatase activity were notably lower in P. edulis forest with contents of 0.17–0.52 mg/kg and 68.66–74.80 μmol MUF released g−1 min−1, respectively. Moreover, the soil total P pool was enhanced in the mixed bamboo–broadleaf forest in 0–10 cm depth compared to broadleaf and P. edulis forests, with increases of 27.40% and 31.02%, respectively. The redundancy analysis showed that soil pH plays an important role in regulating soil P bioavailability during the P. edulis expansion (p < 0.01). From the above results, the invasion of P. edulis into broadleaf forests has resulted in soil P bioavailability and storage capacity. The results of this study suggest that when P. edulis invades broadleaf forests, it could affect the soil P bioavailability by elevating soil pH, which in turn drives and facilitates the completion of the expansion. This is important for understanding P cycling during the P. edulis forest expansion in subtropical regions.
Funder
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Jiangxi Provincial Department of Science and Technology Project
Jiangxi “Double Thousand Plan”