Sokołowski Karol, Czerepko Janusz, Gawryś Radosław
Department of Forest Ecology, Forest Research Institute (PL), Sękocin Stary, Braci Leśnej 3, 05-090, Raszyn, Poland.
Sci Rep. 2024 Oct 21;14(1):24662. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-73960-1.
Carpinus betulus (CB) is becoming increasingly important in the forests of Central Europe and is significantly increasing its proportion in various habitat types. We have analysed how the increase in CB affects soil properties. The study was conducted in the Białowieża Forest (BF). We monitored the changes in CB cover between 1962 and 2013 on 56 permanent plots and collected samples of the litter sub-horizons and the content of the underlying A horizons for laboratory analyses in 2014. During the study period, there was a significant increase in CB cover in the second tree layer by an average of 17.4 % (±1.8) and in the shrub layer by 3.8 % (±1.0), as well as an increase in species diversity from 41 % in the past to 59 % currently. The C/N ratio of the Oi sub-horizon was 32.0 (±0.9), and NH+ compounds predominated over NO-, with all nitrogen forms most closely associated with the C/N ratio. In the Oea sub-horizon, the C/N ratio was 23.4 (±0.4), and the sum of mineralised nitrogen reached 8%, with a clear predominance of NO-. The characteristic most strongly associated with the increase in CB coverage was the NO- content in the Oea sub-horizon. The MID analysis confirmed that the change in CB cover was not only significant, but also ecologically important. We suggest that there is a feedback loop in which the generally observed climate changes lead to trees occupying new habitats that supply the forest floor with high quality litter, which in turn affects the soil and promotes the persistence of changes in the species composition of the forest.
欧洲鹅耳枥（CB）在中欧森林中的重要性日益凸显，其在各种栖息地类型中的占比显著增加。我们分析了欧洲鹅耳枥数量的增加如何影响土壤性质。该研究在比亚沃维耶扎森林（BF）进行。我们监测了1962年至2013年间56个永久样地中欧洲鹅耳枥覆盖度的变化，并于2014年采集了凋落物亚层样本以及下层A层的含量样本用于实验室分析。在研究期间，第二层树木中欧洲鹅耳枥的覆盖度显著增加，平均增加了17.4%（±1.8），灌木层增加了3.8%（±1.0），物种多样性也从过去的41%增加到了目前的59%。Oi亚层的C/N比为32.0（±0.9），NH⁺化合物的含量超过NO⁻，所有氮形态与C/N比的相关性最为密切。在Oea亚层中，C/N比为23.4（±0.4），矿化氮总量达到8%，NO⁻明显占主导。与欧洲鹅耳枥覆盖度增加关联最紧密的特征是Oea亚层中的NO⁻含量。MID分析证实，欧洲鹅耳枥覆盖度的变化不仅显著，而且具有生态重要性。我们认为存在一个反馈回路，即普遍观察到的气候变化导致树木占据新的栖息地，这些栖息地为森林地面提供高质量的凋落物，进而影响土壤并促进森林物种组成变化的持续存在。
