Labile Fraction of Organic Carbon in Soils from Natural and Plantation Forests of Tropical China

Zeyang Zhao, Peng Dong, Bo Fu, Dan Wu () and Zhizhong Zhao
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Zeyang Zhao: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
Peng Dong: College of Life Sciences, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
Bo Fu: Center for Catalysis and Clean Energy, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Gold Coast, QLD 4222, Australia
Dan Wu: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China
Zhizhong Zhao: College of Geography and Environmental Science, Hainan Normal University, Haikou 571158, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 17, 1-12

Abstract: Labile organic carbon (LOC) is a key driver of forest ecosystem function and may mitigate global climate change through carbon sequestration. To explore the accumulation of LOC in tropical forest soils, we sampled from both planted and natural forests in Hainan Province, the southernmost province of China. We analyzed the concentrations of total organic carbon (TOC) and LOC and characterized various physicochemical properties such as pH and soil texture to understand their inter-relationships in tropical natural and plantation forests. Although the TOC concentration was higher in plantation forests (88.61 g/kg) than in natural forests (68.73 g/kg), the LOC concentration was higher in natural forests (5.12 mg/g) than in plantation forests (4.07 mg/g). Over a depth range of 0–50 cm from the surface, both forest types showed decreasing TOC and LOC concentrations with increasing soil depth, indicating surface aggregation. The soil is slightly acidic and primarily composed of sand particles. Correlation analysis showed a highly significant negative correlation between LOC concentration and soil pH in both forest types ( p < 0.01). Soil LOC was positively correlated with soil clay and silt particles and negatively correlated with sand particles. This study provides valuable insights into soil carbon sequestration in tropical rainforest ecosystems in both plantation and natural tropical forests.

Keywords: readily oxidizable carbon; soil carbon sequestration; primary forest; physicochemical properties; tropical rainforest; forest sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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