HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Figures Only Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (20) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Chen, C. R. Articles by Mathers, N. J. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Chen, C. R. Articles by Mathers, N. J. GeoRef GeoRef Citation Agricola Articles by Chen, C. R. Articles by Mathers, N. J. Related Collections Soil Organic Matter Biogeochemical Processes Forest Soils

DIVISION S-7—FOREST & RANGE SOILS

Soil Carbon Pools in Adjacent Natural and Plantation Forests of Subtropical Australia

^a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Sustainable Production Forestry, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland 4111, Australia
^b Queensland Forestry Research Institute and the CRC, P.O. Box 631, Indooroopilly, Queensland 4068, Australia

^* Corresponding author (chengrong.chen{at}mailbox.gu.edu.au).

Soil C dynamics are not only important to both productivity and sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems, but also contribute significantly to global C cycling. Adjacent natural forest (NF), and first (1R) and second rotation (2R) hoop pine (Araucaria cunninghamii Aiton ex A. Cunn.) plantations in southeast Queensland, Australia, were selected to investigate the effects of conversion of NF to hoop pine plantations and forest management (harvesting and site preparation of plantation) on the size and the nature of C pools in surface (0–10 cm) soils using chemical extraction, laboratory incubation and ¹³C cross-polarization with magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹³C CPMAS NMR). Conversion from NF to hoop pine plantations not only led to the reduction of soil total C (by 19.8%), water-soluble organic C (WSOC) (by 17.7%), CaCl₂–extractable organic C (by 38.8%), and hot water-extractable organic C (HWEOC) (by 30.9%) and bioavailability of soil C (as determined by CO₂ evolved in the incubation), but also to a change in chemical composition of soil C with lower O-alkyl C and higher alkyl C under the 1R plantation compared with NF. Harvesting and site preparation did not significantly affect total soil C and most labile C pools (except for a decrease in WSOC), but led to a lower signal intensity in the alkyl C spectral region and a decreased alkyl C/O-alkyl C (A/O-A) ratio in the soil under the 2R compared with the 1R plantation. The shifts in the amount and nature of soil C following forest conversion may be attributed to changes in litter inputs, microbial diversity and activity, and the disturbance of soil during harvesting and site preparation.

Abbreviations: 1R, first rotation • 2R, second rotation • A/O-A, alkyl C/O-alkyl ratio • bioavail-C, bioavailable soil organic carbon • CPMAS NMR, cross polarization with magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance • HWEOC, hot water-extractable organic C • NF, natural forest • SEQ, southeast Queensland • SSB, spinning sidebands • WSOC, water-soluble organic C