Keller Nadine, Anthony Mark A, van der Voort Tessa S, Binte Mohamed Ramdzan Khairun Nisha, Mills Maria B, Raczka Nanette C, Koh Lian Pin
NUS Centre for Nature-Based Climate Solutions, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Center for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Curr Biol. 2025 Aug 4;35(15):R765-R781. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.060.
Following years of degradation, tropical forests are now a key focus for active ecosystem restoration, which involves strategies such as tree planting to maximize aboveground biomass. The impact of active restoration on soil carbon storage has, however, been overlooked in restoration management and carbon offsetting projects despite its substantial contribution to ecosystem carbon budgets. In this review, we examine how active restoration in tropical rainforests can affect soil carbon storage from all major tropical regions (i.e., Southeast Asia, Central Africa, and Neotropics) and formulate testable research avenues for specific pathways of carbon gain and loss. We investigate direct and indirect impacts of active forest restoration on soil carbon related to forest structure and tree planting. We conclude that increases in aboveground biomass and biodiversity, along with the enhancement of trees with particular mycorrhizal fungal partners, could promote soil carbon storage. Silvicultural site preparation measures preceding tree planting are unlikely to significantly affect soil carbon storage, despite altering forest structure and nutrient availability. Conversely, invasive species management could decrease soil carbon storage, but this remains one of the least studied pathways in tropical rainforest restoration. The substantial amount of carbon stored in soil means net changes in soil carbon storage bear significant implications for carbon cycling and offsetting initiatives, even if changes following active restoration measures may be small. We encourage targeted belowground field campaigns in tropical regions where data are particularly sparse to test these pathways and provide much needed information for carbon offsetting programs and restoration management.
经过多年的退化，热带森林如今已成为积极进行生态系统恢复的关键重点，这涉及到诸如植树等策略，以实现地上生物量的最大化。然而，尽管积极恢复对生态系统碳收支有重大贡献，但在恢复管理和碳抵消项目中，其对土壤碳储存的影响却被忽视了。在本综述中，我们研究了热带雨林中的积极恢复如何影响所有主要热带地区（即东南亚、中非和新热带地区）的土壤碳储存，并为碳增加和损失的特定途径制定了可检验的研究途径。我们调查了森林积极恢复对与森林结构和植树相关的土壤碳的直接和间接影响。我们得出结论，地上生物量和生物多样性的增加，以及与特定菌根真菌伙伴的树木的增强，可能会促进土壤碳储存。尽管植树前的造林整地措施会改变森林结构和养分有效性，但不太可能对土壤碳储存产生显著影响。相反，入侵物种管理可能会减少土壤碳储存，但这仍然是热带雨林恢复中研究最少的途径之一。土壤中储存的大量碳意味着土壤碳储存的净变化对碳循环和抵消倡议具有重大意义，即使积极恢复措施后的变化可能很小。我们鼓励在数据特别稀少的热带地区开展有针对性的地下实地活动，以测试这些途径，并为碳抵消计划和恢复管理提供急需的信息。
