Song Zhaopeng, Wang Xuemei, Zhang Jiahui, Shi Liang, Sheng Zhilu, Li Jie, Du Zhenggang, Quan Zhanjun, Liu Yongbo, Hou Jihua
State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, MEE Key Laboratory of Regional Eco-process and Function Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, 8 Dayangfang, Beijing, 100012, China.
Key Laboratory of Forest Silviculture of the State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, 100091, China.
J Environ Manage. 2025 Aug;389:126079. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126079. Epub 2025 Jun 4.
Selective logging is a widely practiced afforestation management strategy aimed at promoting the sustainable utilization of disturbed forests. However, how nutrient allocation strategy between aboveground and belowground regulates community biomass accumulation dynamics after selective logging remains unclear, which becomes a research gap. This study selected six low-intensity selective logging sites and one unlogged site as a control in broad-leaved Korean pine forests located in Northeastern China, representing 6, 14, 25, 36, 45, 55, and 100 years after logging. The nutrient contents of leaf, root, and soil, and plant functional traits of 234 plant species were measured to quantify the nutrient allocation between aboveground and belowground of plants (b) and the contributions of nutrient allocation to biomass accumulation. Results suggested more stable N utilization in leaves than in roots for trees (b = 0.80 ± 0.02), shrubs (b = 0.87 ± 0.03), and herbaceous plants (b = 0.84 ± 0.02) in logged sites. With increased restoration years after logging, the b of N increased for trees, shrubs, and herbaceous plants. The community biomass was positively correlated with nutrient b, which was explained 45 % of the total variation in community biomass. The contribution of nutrient allocation to biomass accumulation was indirectly regulated by functional diversity (0.40) and species diversity (0.33) in selective logging forests. The results emphasize the importance of N allocation strategies of the trees and P allocation strategies of the understory species for biomass accumulation, which closely related with functional diversity. Therefore, this study suggests that forest management should appropriately expand the artificial cultivation of N-fixing plants, especially the understory species to promote the interspecific competition and nutrient cycling in maximizing the carbon stocks in the management of logged forests.
择伐是一种广泛应用的造林管理策略，旨在促进对受干扰森林的可持续利用。然而，择伐后地上和地下之间的养分分配策略如何调节群落生物量积累动态仍不清楚，这成为了一个研究空白。本研究在中国东北的阔叶红松林选取了6个低强度择伐样地和1个未采伐样地作为对照，分别代表采伐后6年、14年、25年、36年、45年、55年和100年。测量了234种植物的叶、根和土壤的养分含量以及植物功能性状，以量化植物地上和地下之间的养分分配（b）以及养分分配对生物量积累的贡献。结果表明，在采伐样地中，树木（b = 0.80 ± 0.02）、灌木（b = 0.87 ± 0.03）和草本植物（b = 0.84 ± 0.02）叶片中的氮利用比根中更稳定。随着采伐后恢复年限的增加，树木、灌木和草本植物的氮b值增加。群落生物量与养分b呈正相关，养分b解释了群落生物量总变异的45%。在择伐森林中，养分分配对生物量积累的贡献受到功能多样性（0.40）和物种多样性（0.33）的间接调节。结果强调了树木的氮分配策略和林下物种的磷分配策略对生物量积累的重要性，这与功能多样性密切相关。因此，本研究建议森林管理应适当扩大固氮植物的人工种植，特别是林下物种，以促进种间竞争和养分循环，从而在采伐森林管理中最大限度地增加碳储量。
