Phyllosphere microbiomes are essential to maintaining ecological balance and supporting host plant growth. It remains unclear how microbiomes, leaf traits and soil conditions synergistically regulate the nitrogen resorption efficiencies (NRE) during leaf senescence across forest types. We examined 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing to characterize the composition, diversity, function of the phyllosphere (epiphytic and endophytic) microbiome in both mature and senescent leaves in three representative subtropical forests, namely broadleaf, coniferous, and bamboo forests. Concurrently, the leaf physicochemical traits and soil nutrient and water were characterized. This study demonstrates community divergence was more significant in fungi than in bacteria across forest types. Furthermore, epiphytic communities exhibited stronger difference than endophytic communities. Regarding responsiveness to senescence, bacterial communities in broadleaf leaves were more sensitive than fungi, whereas fungi showed greater sensitivity in coniferous and bamboo leaves. There were significant differences in NRE among broadleaf (54.13 %), coniferous (45.09 %), and bamboo (39.78 %) forests. NRE in broadleaf forest depends on synergistic microbial metabolism, is constrained by benefit-risk trade-offs in coniferous forest, and is prone to resorption efficiency decline in bamboo forest due to multifactorial effects. This study proposes a tripartite coupling concept of "leaf traits-microbial functions-nitrogen resorption efficiency", which provides novel insights for forest nutrient cycling processes.
{"title":"Phyllosphere microbiome-physicochemical dynamics shape nitrogen resorption efficiency divergence during leaf senescence in subtropical forests of southern China","authors":"Bing Xue, Guoping Tang, Zhongkai Ren, Linwei Zeng, Xiaobin Li, Yuqi Li, Nan Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123547","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123547","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Phyllosphere microbiomes are essential to maintaining ecological balance and supporting host plant growth. It remains unclear how microbiomes, leaf traits and soil conditions synergistically regulate the nitrogen resorption efficiencies (NRE) during leaf senescence across forest types. We examined 16S rRNA and ITS sequencing to characterize the composition, diversity, function of the phyllosphere (epiphytic and endophytic) microbiome in both mature and senescent leaves in three representative subtropical forests, namely broadleaf, coniferous, and bamboo forests. Concurrently, the leaf physicochemical traits and soil nutrient and water were characterized. This study demonstrates community divergence was more significant in fungi than in bacteria across forest types. Furthermore, epiphytic communities exhibited stronger difference than endophytic communities. Regarding responsiveness to senescence, bacterial communities in broadleaf leaves were more sensitive than fungi, whereas fungi showed greater sensitivity in coniferous and bamboo leaves. There were significant differences in NRE among broadleaf (54.13 %), coniferous (45.09 %), and bamboo (39.78 %) forests. NRE in broadleaf forest depends on synergistic microbial metabolism, is constrained by benefit-risk trade-offs in coniferous forest, and is prone to resorption efficiency decline in bamboo forest due to multifactorial effects. This study proposes a tripartite coupling concept of \"leaf traits-microbial functions-nitrogen resorption efficiency\", which provides novel insights for forest nutrient cycling processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123547"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-28DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123559
Jianqing Wang , Wendi Geng , Ziyi Jiang , Francis Q. Brearley , Minhui Xu , Xiuzhen Shi
Land-use changes are altering the function and composition of soil microbial communities. However, the impacts of land-use change on the taxonomic structure and functional composition of soil protistan communities remain poorly understood in subtropical forests. This study investigates this knowledge gap by evaluating the consequences of natural forest conversion to chestnut (Castanea spp.) plantations on soil protistan communities, with particular attention paid to the role of slope aspect in subtropical forests. We found that converting natural forests to chestnut plantations resulted in a significant decline in the abundance and diversity of soil phototrophic protists by 38 % and 36 %, respectively. By contrast, this land-use change led to a marked increase in the abundance and diversity of soil parasitic protists by 97 % and 63 %, respectively. The conversion significantly reduced the ratio of consumer-to-parasite protists by 48 %, indicating a potential weakening of top-down control by consumer protists. Furthermore, the complexity of soil protistan co-occurrence networks was less in chestnut plantations than in natural forests in south-facing (sunny) slopes. In contrast, north-facing (shaded) slopes significantly amplified the positive influence of chestnut plantation conversion on the relative abundance and diversity of soil parasitic protists. Overall, the concurrent decline in phototrophs, increase in parasites, decline in the ratio of consumer-to-parasite protists, and simplified co-occurrence networks collectively suggest that converting natural forests to chestnut plantations compromised soil protistan functioning and ecosystem stability. Our study highlights the importance of incorporating slope aspect into plantation management strategies to monitor and moderate the shift towards functionally balanced soil protistan communities.
{"title":"Slope aspect alleviates the response of soil protistan functional structure to the conversion of natural forests to chestnut plantations in subtropical forests","authors":"Jianqing Wang , Wendi Geng , Ziyi Jiang , Francis Q. Brearley , Minhui Xu , Xiuzhen Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123559","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123559","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land-use changes are altering the function and composition of soil microbial communities. However, the impacts of land-use change on the taxonomic structure and functional composition of soil protistan communities remain poorly understood in subtropical forests. This study investigates this knowledge gap by evaluating the consequences of natural forest conversion to chestnut (<em>Castanea</em> spp.) plantations on soil protistan communities, with particular attention paid to the role of slope aspect in subtropical forests. We found that converting natural forests to chestnut plantations resulted in a significant decline in the abundance and diversity of soil phototrophic protists by 38 % and 36 %, respectively. By contrast, this land-use change led to a marked increase in the abundance and diversity of soil parasitic protists by 97 % and 63 %, respectively. The conversion significantly reduced the ratio of consumer-to-parasite protists by 48 %, indicating a potential weakening of top-down control by consumer protists. Furthermore, the complexity of soil protistan co-occurrence networks was less in chestnut plantations than in natural forests in south-facing (sunny) slopes. In contrast, north-facing (shaded) slopes significantly amplified the positive influence of chestnut plantation conversion on the relative abundance and diversity of soil parasitic protists. Overall, the concurrent decline in phototrophs, increase in parasites, decline in the ratio of consumer-to-parasite protists, and simplified co-occurrence networks collectively suggest that converting natural forests to chestnut plantations compromised soil protistan functioning and ecosystem stability. Our study highlights the importance of incorporating slope aspect into plantation management strategies to monitor and moderate the shift towards functionally balanced soil protistan communities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123559"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-27DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123552
Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi , Hamed Aghajani , Hamid Jalilvand , Salman Ahmady-Asbchin , Seyed Mazyar Sadati , Miriam Coenders-Gerrits , Salli F. Dymond
Forest disturbance increasingly manifests not only through abrupt events such as fire or windthrow, but also through progressive canopy vitality decline driven by pathogens, stress, and mortality—processes that fundamentally reorganize forest structure and function. The ecohydrological consequences of such vitality-driven disturbance remain poorly understood in old-growth temperate forests. This study examined how progressive canopy deterioration—from healthy crowns to branchless snags—affects rainfall partitioning and canopy hydrological parameters in an old-growth Hyrcanian oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) forest of northern Iran. Over one full hydrological year, fifteen trees were randomly selected to represent five vitality stages and were instrumented to measure throughfall, stemflow, and interception under both leaf-on and leafless conditions. A reformulated Gash analytical model (RGAM) was applied to simulate interception dynamics. Results revealed that throughfall increased as both interception and stemflow declined systematically with decreasing canopy vitality, indicating a transition from hydrologically buffered to more transmissive canopy conditions. Nonetheless, snag trees exhibited measurable rainfall interception—7.9 % for branched and 2.8 % for branchless snags—challenging the assumption that snags contribute negligibly to canopy evaporation. Stemflow generation decreased sharply as crown connectivity deteriorated and was consistently lower in the leafless period. RGAM accurately reproduced interception for healthy and moderately degraded trees but overestimated losses in severely deteriorated canopies, suggesting that model parameters must account for canopy heterogeneity and vitality-dependent storage dynamics. These findings provide the first quantitative assessment of rainfall redistribution across a five-stage canopy vitality gradient, explicitly including both branched and branchless snags, demonstrating that canopy degradation substantially alters rainfall storage, channeling, and evaporation processes. Incorporating tree vitality and deadwood structure into interception modeling will improve predictions of rainfall redistribution, soil moisture, and water yield in old-growth and uneven-aged temperate forests worldwide.
森林扰动不仅表现为火灾或大风等突发事件，还表现为由病原体、压力和死亡驱动的林冠活力逐渐下降，这些过程从根本上重组了森林的结构和功能。在温带原始森林中，这种由活力驱动的扰动所造成的生态水文后果仍然知之甚少。本研究考察了在伊朗北部古老的海卡尼亚东方山毛榉（Fagus orientalis Lipsky）森林中，树冠从健康的树冠到无枝的树冠的逐渐退化如何影响降雨分配和树冠水文参数。在一个完整的水文年里，随机选择15棵树代表5个活力阶段，并在有叶和无叶条件下测量穿透、茎流和截留。采用重新制定的Gash分析模型（RGAM）来模拟拦截动力学。结果表明，随着冠层活力的降低，截留量和茎流均呈系统性下降，穿透量增加，表明从水文缓冲向更具传输性的冠层条件过渡。尽管如此，荆棘树表现出可测量的降雨拦截——有枝的7.9% %，无枝的2.8% %——挑战了荆棘对冠层蒸发的贡献可以忽略不计的假设。茎流的产生随着树冠连通性的恶化而急剧减少，在无叶期茎流的产生一直较低。RGAM准确地再现了健康和中度退化树木的截取量，但高估了严重退化树冠的损失，这表明模型参数必须考虑冠层异质性和依赖于活力的储存动态。这些发现首次提供了跨五阶段冠层活力梯度（明确包括有枝和无枝障碍）的降雨再分配的定量评估，表明冠层退化实质上改变了降雨的储存、通道和蒸发过程。将树木活力和枯木结构纳入截流模型将改善对全球古老和不均匀年龄温带森林的降雨再分配、土壤湿度和水量的预测。
{"title":"Canopy vitality drives rainfall redistribution in an old-growth temperate beech forest","authors":"Seyed Mohammad Moein Sadeghi , Hamed Aghajani , Hamid Jalilvand , Salman Ahmady-Asbchin , Seyed Mazyar Sadati , Miriam Coenders-Gerrits , Salli F. Dymond","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123552","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123552","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest disturbance increasingly manifests not only through abrupt events such as fire or windthrow, but also through progressive canopy vitality decline driven by pathogens, stress, and mortality—processes that fundamentally reorganize forest structure and function. The ecohydrological consequences of such vitality-driven disturbance remain poorly understood in old-growth temperate forests. This study examined how progressive canopy deterioration—from healthy crowns to branchless snags—affects rainfall partitioning and canopy hydrological parameters in an old-growth Hyrcanian oriental beech (<em>Fagus orientalis</em> Lipsky) forest of northern Iran. Over one full hydrological year, fifteen trees were randomly selected to represent five vitality stages and were instrumented to measure throughfall, stemflow, and interception under both leaf-on and leafless conditions. A reformulated Gash analytical model (RGAM) was applied to simulate interception dynamics. Results revealed that throughfall increased as both interception and stemflow declined systematically with decreasing canopy vitality, indicating a transition from hydrologically buffered to more transmissive canopy conditions. Nonetheless, snag trees exhibited measurable rainfall interception—7.9 % for branched and 2.8 % for branchless snags—challenging the assumption that snags contribute negligibly to canopy evaporation. Stemflow generation decreased sharply as crown connectivity deteriorated and was consistently lower in the leafless period. RGAM accurately reproduced interception for healthy and moderately degraded trees but overestimated losses in severely deteriorated canopies, suggesting that model parameters must account for canopy heterogeneity and vitality-dependent storage dynamics. These findings provide the first quantitative assessment of rainfall redistribution across a five-stage canopy vitality gradient, explicitly including both branched and branchless snags, demonstrating that canopy degradation substantially alters rainfall storage, channeling, and evaporation processes. Incorporating tree vitality and deadwood structure into interception modeling will improve predictions of rainfall redistribution, soil moisture, and water yield in old-growth and uneven-aged temperate forests worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123552"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146075261","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-19DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123528
Enée Gottschalk , Bruno Vilela , Karla Vieira Morato , Deborah Faria
Human activities have significantly altered natural ecosystems, particularly through habitat loss and fragmentation in tropical regions. In southern Bahia, Brazil, cacao agroforests are widespread and provide important habitats for biodiversity amidst these changes. This study investigates the habitat use and dietary preferences of two frugivorous bat species, Carollia perspicillata and Rhinophylla pumilio, within these systems. We recorded 637 individuals of C. perspicillata and 66 of R. pumilio across 18 sampling sites, revealing that C. perspicillata is more abundant and adaptable to habitat heterogeneity, while R. pumilio shows a narrower distribution and specialized habitat preferences. Piper, a native herbaceous plant genus, was crucial to both species’ diets, being most frequently detected in C. perspicillata fecal samples (present in 94.4 % of sites) and also identified in R. pumilio samples. The strong association between Piper abundance and bat presence underscores its ecological importance in agroforestry landscapes. Additionally, C. perspicillata abundance increased with edge areas within a 500 m buffer, whereas R. pumilio responded better to localized features at a smaller scale (200 m). Other habitat metrics, such as forest cover, did not significantly impact bat abundance, suggesting that localized plant availability may be more critical for R. pumilio. These findings highlight the need to promote the retention of native flora, particularly Piper, within cacao agroforestry systems to enhance habitat quality for bats. Conserving native vegetation that support food resources like Piper at small to intermediate scales can support bat populations and, therefore, the essential ecosystem services they provide, such as seed dispersal.
{"title":"The role of cacao agroforests as foraging grounds for two bat species in southern Bahia, Brazil","authors":"Enée Gottschalk , Bruno Vilela , Karla Vieira Morato , Deborah Faria","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123528","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123528","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human activities have significantly altered natural ecosystems, particularly through habitat loss and fragmentation in tropical regions. In southern Bahia, Brazil, cacao agroforests are widespread and provide important habitats for biodiversity amidst these changes. This study investigates the habitat use and dietary preferences of two frugivorous bat species, <em>Carollia perspicillata</em> and <em>Rhinophylla pumilio</em>, within these systems. We recorded 637 individuals of <em>C. perspicillata</em> and 66 of <em>R</em>. <em>pumilio</em> across 18 sampling sites, revealing that <em>C. perspicillata</em> is more abundant and adaptable to habitat heterogeneity, while <em>R. pumilio</em> shows a narrower distribution and specialized habitat preferences. <em>Piper</em>, a native herbaceous plant genus, was crucial to both species’ diets, being most frequently detected in <em>C. perspicillata</em> fecal samples (present in 94.4 % of sites) and also identified in <em>R. pumilio</em> samples. The strong association between <em>Piper</em> abundance and bat presence underscores its ecological importance in agroforestry landscapes. Additionally, <em>C. perspicillata</em> abundance increased with edge areas within a 500 m buffer, whereas <em>R. pumilio</em> responded better to localized features at a smaller scale (200 m). Other habitat metrics, such as forest cover, did not significantly impact bat abundance, suggesting that localized plant availability may be more critical for <em>R. pumilio.</em> These findings highlight the need to promote the retention of native flora, particularly <em>Piper</em>, within cacao agroforestry systems to enhance habitat quality for bats. Conserving native vegetation that support food resources like Piper at small to intermediate scales can support bat populations and, therefore, the essential ecosystem services they provide, such as seed dispersal.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123528"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-19DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123533
Mika Nieminen , Tapani Sallantaus , Sakari Sarkkola
Retention and release of nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon, aluminum and iron by natural peatlands were studied in forested catchments in Finland. Peatlands were capable of retaining all other elements from their through-flow waters, except iron. However, relatively large mires (>50 % of the catchment area) from the viewpoint of routing runoff from managed forests to natural peatlands as a water management option were needed for efficient retention of nitrogen and organic carbon (>30–50 % retention). In contrast, aluminium and phosphorus were efficiently retained by relatively small peatlands (5–10 % of catchment area). We conclude that natural and well-established restored peatlands may be used in operational forestry as an efficient means to decrease phosphorus and aluminium loads, but the management of nitrogen, organic carbon, and iron loads by such peatlands may not be as feasible.
{"title":"Natural peatlands as buffers for protection of water quality in boreal forested catchments","authors":"Mika Nieminen , Tapani Sallantaus , Sakari Sarkkola","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123533","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123533","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Retention and release of nitrogen, phosphorus, organic carbon, aluminum and iron by natural peatlands were studied in forested catchments in Finland. Peatlands were capable of retaining all other elements from their through-flow waters, except iron. However, relatively large mires (>50 % of the catchment area) from the viewpoint of routing runoff from managed forests to natural peatlands as a water management option were needed for efficient retention of nitrogen and organic carbon (>30–50 % retention). In contrast, aluminium and phosphorus were efficiently retained by relatively small peatlands (5–10 % of catchment area). We conclude that natural and well-established restored peatlands may be used in operational forestry as an efficient means to decrease phosphorus and aluminium loads, but the management of nitrogen, organic carbon, and iron loads by such peatlands may not be as feasible.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123533"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-23DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123560
Botond B. Lados, László Nagy, Attila Benke, Csilla É. Molnár, Zoltán A. Köbölkuti, Klára Cseke
Human-assisted translocation of oak reproductive material as part of climate-adaptive oak management has long been a key consideration in Central Europe. In this study, we conducted population genetic analysis of 32 Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) populations from Central and Southeast Europe, using ddRAD-seq genotyping, to support forestry adaptation measures. Our results revealed multiple genetic groups within the sampled range, suggesting that long-distance transfers of reproductive material could lead to the admixture of genetically distinct groups. We also detected a diversity cline, with genetic diversity increasing from the southwest and southeast toward the northwest. The highest diversity was observed in the Carpathian Basin, which is the most continental part of the sampled range and includes many populations near the species’ drought limit. In this region, the surplus of genetic diversity may play a crucial role in local adaptation. Our findings further suggest that transferring reproductive material from Southeast Europe to the Carpathian Basin should be approached with caution, as this direction runs counter to the observed diversity gradient. Furthermore, loci under selection and their genotype-environment associations indicate that Turkey oak is primarily challenged by temperature fluctuations and extremes, rather than by water availability, as previously observed in co-occurring sessile oak (Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl.). These results provide valuable support for a detailed assessment of Turkey oak’s adaptive capacity, improving the efficiency of provenance selection for climate-adaptive forest management.
{"title":"Population genetic insights for climate-adaptive oak management: Results from a large-scale study of Turkey oak populations","authors":"Botond B. Lados, László Nagy, Attila Benke, Csilla É. Molnár, Zoltán A. Köbölkuti, Klára Cseke","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123560","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123560","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Human-assisted translocation of oak reproductive material as part of climate-adaptive oak management has long been a key consideration in Central Europe. In this study, we conducted population genetic analysis of 32 Turkey oak (<em>Quercus cerris</em> L.) populations from Central and Southeast Europe, using ddRAD-seq genotyping, to support forestry adaptation measures. Our results revealed multiple genetic groups within the sampled range, suggesting that long-distance transfers of reproductive material could lead to the admixture of genetically distinct groups. We also detected a diversity cline, with genetic diversity increasing from the southwest and southeast toward the northwest. The highest diversity was observed in the Carpathian Basin, which is the most continental part of the sampled range and includes many populations near the species’ drought limit. In this region, the surplus of genetic diversity may play a crucial role in local adaptation. Our findings further suggest that transferring reproductive material from Southeast Europe to the Carpathian Basin should be approached with caution, as this direction runs counter to the observed diversity gradient. Furthermore, loci under selection and their genotype-environment associations indicate that Turkey oak is primarily challenged by temperature fluctuations and extremes, rather than by water availability, as previously observed in co-occurring sessile oak (<em>Q. petraea</em> (Matt.) Liebl.). These results provide valuable support for a detailed assessment of Turkey oak’s adaptive capacity, improving the efficiency of provenance selection for climate-adaptive forest management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123560"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-21DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123551
Yuanfan Ma , Yuxuan Guo , Mulualem Tigabu , Qiaoling Lan , Guangyu Wang , Jiayu Chen , Zhehan Li , Futao Guo
The deposition of nutrient elements such as C, N, and P carried by forest fire smoke is a crucial process in the material cycle of forest ecosystems, yet the mechanisms underlying its impacts of smoke deposition on the soil system remain unclear. Biological firebreaks are unique environment where the effects of heat from fire is minimal and only the effect of dispersed smoke that has a clear impact. Thus, taking Schima superba biological firebreaks in subtropical China as the research object, this study conducted a field simulation experiment of low- and high-concentration forest fire smoke deposition, and continuously monitored the stoichiometric characteristics, physicochemical properties, soil enzyme activities, and bacterial community structure of litter and soil layers (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers) for 12 months. The results showed that: (1) in the short term, smoke deposition significantly increased the contents of C, N, and P in litter and soil while reducing the C: P and N: P ratios in the litter layer. However, in the long term (12 months), it exacerbated soil P limitation, leading to a significant increase in C: P and N: P ratios in the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers. (2) Smoke deposition exhibited a concentration-dependent effect on soil enzyme activities; i.e., "low concentration-promoting and high concentration-inhibiting" effect on activities of enzymes related to litter decomposition (e.g., cellulase and peroxidase), nitrogen cycle enzymes (e.g., protease, urease, and nitrate reductase) and phosphorus cycle enzymes (e.g., alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase). (3) The bacterial community in the litter layer changed rapidly and drastically, with smoke-tolerant and degrading taxa (e.g., Bacteroidetes) enriched in the short term; the soil layer was dominated by Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria, and stress-tolerant taxa (e.g., Actinobacteria) were enriched in the deep soil layer in the later stage. High-concentration smoke drove the community to reorganize into heat-tolerant and efficient organic matter-degrading groups. (4) Nutrient elements, such as NO-N, OC, TN, and EC were the key environmental factors regulating bacterial community structure. Structural Equation Modeling revealed that smoke deposition indirectly affected the C:N:P stoichiometric balance of the litter-soil system by directly altering bacterial community structure and enzyme activities, and this impact showed significant variation with soil depth. This study clarifies the multi-dimensional impacts and regulatory mechanisms of forest fire smoke deposition on soil ecological processes in S. superba firebreaks, providing a theoretical basis for post-fire restoration of subtropical forests and scientific management of biological firebreaks.
{"title":"Effects of forest fire smoke deposition on C, N, P stoichiometry, physicochemical and biological properties of litter/soils in Schima superba biological firebreaks","authors":"Yuanfan Ma , Yuxuan Guo , Mulualem Tigabu , Qiaoling Lan , Guangyu Wang , Jiayu Chen , Zhehan Li , Futao Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123551","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123551","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The deposition of nutrient elements such as C, N, and P carried by forest fire smoke is a crucial process in the material cycle of forest ecosystems, yet the mechanisms underlying its impacts of smoke deposition on the soil system remain unclear. Biological firebreaks are unique environment where the effects of heat from fire is minimal and only the effect of dispersed smoke that has a clear impact. Thus, taking <em>Schima superba</em> biological firebreaks in subtropical China as the research object, this study conducted a field simulation experiment of low- and high-concentration forest fire smoke deposition, and continuously monitored the stoichiometric characteristics, physicochemical properties, soil enzyme activities, and bacterial community structure of litter and soil layers (0–10 cm and 10–20 cm layers) for 12 months. The results showed that: (1) in the short term, smoke deposition significantly increased the contents of C, N, and P in litter and soil while reducing the C: P and N: P ratios in the litter layer. However, in the long term (12 months), it exacerbated soil P limitation, leading to a significant increase in C: P and N: P ratios in the 0–10 cm and 10–20 cm soil layers. (2) Smoke deposition exhibited a concentration-dependent effect on soil enzyme activities; i.e., \"low concentration-promoting and high concentration-inhibiting\" effect on activities of enzymes related to litter decomposition (e.g., cellulase and peroxidase), nitrogen cycle enzymes (e.g., protease, urease, and nitrate reductase) and phosphorus cycle enzymes (e.g., alkaline phosphatase and acid phosphatase). (3) The bacterial community in the litter layer changed rapidly and drastically, with smoke-tolerant and degrading taxa (e.g., Bacteroidetes) enriched in the short term; the soil layer was dominated by Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria, and stress-tolerant taxa (e.g., Actinobacteria) were enriched in the deep soil layer in the later stage. High-concentration smoke drove the community to reorganize into heat-tolerant and efficient organic matter-degrading groups. (4) Nutrient elements, such as NO-N, OC, TN, and EC were the key environmental factors regulating bacterial community structure. Structural Equation Modeling revealed that smoke deposition indirectly affected the C:N:P stoichiometric balance of the litter-soil system by directly altering bacterial community structure and enzyme activities, and this impact showed significant variation with soil depth. This study clarifies the multi-dimensional impacts and regulatory mechanisms of forest fire smoke deposition on soil ecological processes in <em>S. superba</em> firebreaks, providing a theoretical basis for post-fire restoration of subtropical forests and scientific management of biological firebreaks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123551"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146036229","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123572
Jaime Roberto Padilla-Martínez , José Javier Corral-Rivas , Klaus von Gadow
The role of biodiversity in promoting forest productivity remains a topic of debate among ecologists. While experimental plantations have demonstrated that species diversity can enhance individual tree growth, studies in natural forests have reached inconsistent results. We analyzed tree growth in temperate forests using a dataset of 458 permanent plots, which contained 23 species from Pinus, Quercus, and Arbutus genera. We characterized neighborhood composition using nearest-neighbor indices: mingling, height dominance, and crowding. Using generalized additive mixed models, we evaluated both the linear and interaction effects of these indices on tree growth. The results show that dominance is the main linear predictor of growth across the genera, crowding suppresses growth in Pinus and Quercus, and mingling enhances it in Arbutus and Quercus. At the specific-species level, the linear effect of mingling was not significant in most cases. On the other hand, the interaction effects reveal that trees can sustain or even increase growth under suppression conditions when surrounded by heterospecific neighbors, a pattern observed across the three genera. Some species exhibit both the highest and lowest growth rates in conspecific neighborhoods, suggesting suppression and dominance dynamics that may result in a null linear effect of mingling. In conclusion, while competition is the primary factor shaping individual tree growth, species mingling may modulate its effects. Our findings highlight the complex interplay between biodiversity and competition in a natural forest ecosystem.
{"title":"Linear and competition reduction effects of species mingling on tree growth in natural temperate forests","authors":"Jaime Roberto Padilla-Martínez , José Javier Corral-Rivas , Klaus von Gadow","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123572","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123572","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The role of biodiversity in promoting forest productivity remains a topic of debate among ecologists. While experimental plantations have demonstrated that species diversity can enhance individual tree growth, studies in natural forests have reached inconsistent results. We analyzed tree growth in temperate forests using a dataset of 458 permanent plots, which contained 23 species from <em>Pinus</em>, <em>Quercus</em>, and <em>Arbutus</em> genera. We characterized neighborhood composition using nearest-neighbor indices: mingling, height dominance, and crowding. Using generalized additive mixed models, we evaluated both the linear and interaction effects of these indices on tree growth. The results show that dominance is the main linear predictor of growth across the genera, crowding suppresses growth in <em>Pinus</em> and <em>Quercus,</em> and mingling enhances it in <em>Arbutus</em> and <em>Quercus.</em> At the specific-species level, the linear effect of mingling was not significant in most cases. On the other hand, the interaction effects reveal that trees can sustain or even increase growth under suppression conditions when surrounded by heterospecific neighbors, a pattern observed across the three genera. Some species exhibit both the highest and lowest growth rates in conspecific neighborhoods, suggesting suppression and dominance dynamics that may result in a null linear effect of mingling. In conclusion, while competition is the primary factor shaping individual tree growth, species mingling may modulate its effects. Our findings highlight the complex interplay between biodiversity and competition in a natural forest ecosystem.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123572"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189962","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123574
Belayneh Azene , Wenjie Bao , Chaoying Yang , Awoke Guadie , Yalemzewd Nigussie , Min Cao , Kun Xu , Yun Deng , Hua Huang , Guanghong Cao , Feng Liu , Shangwen Xia , Xinxing He , Luxiang Lin , Xiaodong Yang
In a warming world, understanding how climate, vegetation, and topography influence forest soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry is critical. However, the role of species diversity across latitudinal and elevational gradients remains unclear. To address this, we investigated the spatial variation in soil C, N, and P stoichiometry associated with climate, topography, and vegetation attributes by analyzing 1322 georeferenced topsoil samples from six 20-ha forest sites spanning an elevational gradient from tropical monsoon rainforest to temperate subalpine coniferous forest in Southwest China. While climatic factors shaped broad biogeochemical patterns, within-site species diversity was significantly positively associated with soil P concentrations and negatively associated with C:N, C:P and N:P ratios, suggesting a potential alleviation of nutrient limitation. Importantly, site-specific analysis revealed that these associations were context-dependent. Specifically, diversity was negatively correlated with soil C:P and N:P in sites with high soil C:P ratios (P-poor), whereas it was positively correlated with them in sites with low soil C:P (P-rich), suggesting that diversity-stoichiometry relationships depend on local soil P status. This systematic shift indicates that higher diversity was associated with relatively greater soil P content in P-limited environments, but with higher soil C and N concentrations under P-rich conditions. Overall, our findings indicate that plant diversity is strongly associated with forest soil nutrient balance, suggesting that maintaining or restoring species diversity may contribute to forest ecosystem function and resilience under environmental change.
{"title":"Plant diversity shifts soil phosphorus and nitrogen limitations to carbon processes along latitudinal gradients: Role of nutrient stoichiometry","authors":"Belayneh Azene , Wenjie Bao , Chaoying Yang , Awoke Guadie , Yalemzewd Nigussie , Min Cao , Kun Xu , Yun Deng , Hua Huang , Guanghong Cao , Feng Liu , Shangwen Xia , Xinxing He , Luxiang Lin , Xiaodong Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123574","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123574","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In a warming world, understanding how climate, vegetation, and topography influence forest soil carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry is critical. However, the role of species diversity across latitudinal and elevational gradients remains unclear. To address this, we investigated the spatial variation in soil C, N, and P stoichiometry associated with climate, topography, and vegetation attributes by analyzing 1322 georeferenced topsoil samples from six 20-ha forest sites spanning an elevational gradient from tropical monsoon rainforest to temperate subalpine coniferous forest in Southwest China. While climatic factors shaped broad biogeochemical patterns, within-site species diversity was significantly positively associated with soil P concentrations and negatively associated with C:N, C:P and N:P ratios, suggesting a potential alleviation of nutrient limitation. Importantly, site-specific analysis revealed that these associations were context-dependent. Specifically, diversity was negatively correlated with soil C:P and N:P in sites with high soil C:P ratios (P-poor), whereas it was positively correlated with them in sites with low soil C:P (P-rich), suggesting that diversity-stoichiometry relationships depend on local soil P status. This systematic shift indicates that higher diversity was associated with relatively greater soil P content in P-limited environments, but with higher soil C and N concentrations under P-rich conditions. Overall, our findings indicate that plant diversity is strongly associated with forest soil nutrient balance, suggesting that maintaining or restoring species diversity may contribute to forest ecosystem function and resilience under environmental change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123574"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-15Epub Date: 2026-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123569
Benjamin Wagner , Kara N. Youngentob , Karen J. Marsh , Anu Singh , Craig R. Nitschke
Forest fires can cause major changes in stand structure and habitat suitability for forest wildlife. For species that browse on foliage, the tree’s fire response strategy plays a major role in post-disturbance population recovery. Trees that exhibit high mortality and regrow from seed (i.e. obligate seeders) may not provide foraging habitat for tree-dwelling fauna for decades, while trees that regenerate vegetatively, such as epicormic resprouters, can provide feeding resources within days of a fire through rapidly emerging shoots. However, the chemical composition of these leaves is of critical importance for folivores. Specialist species such as koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) or southern greater gliders (Petauroides volans) often feed on trees with relatively high available nitrogen and low concentrations of herbivore deterrent plant secondary metabolites (PSMs), which allow them to meet their energy and protein requirements. The diets of arboreal fauna are likely adapted to the chemistry of adult-phase (mature) leaves, which are predominately available year-round within their habitat. After a forest fire, surviving animals may however be reliant on epicormic regrowth for large parts of their diet and over extended periods of time as forests recover. Many studies have focused on the nutritional quality of adult leaves for folivores, but little research has been done on the nutritional quality of epicormic regrowth. We sampled Eucalyptus foliage in mixed-species eucalypt forests dominated by species from the monocalypt and symphyomyrtle subgenera a year before and after the 2019/20 ‘Black Summer’ bushfires in southeastern Australia to quantify how epicormic leaf chemistry differed from mature leaves and if epicormic foliage was nutritionally suitable for arboreal folivore foraging. Our results showed that epicormic regrowth differed chemically from mature foliage, with variation driven by species and subgenus. Epicormic leaves generally had higher nitrogen concentrations but not necessarily higher available nitrogen. Focal subgenera-specific PSM concentrations were higher in epicormic foliage of symphyomyrtle species, while monocalypt species showed lower PSMs post-fire. Our findings suggest that the suitability of epicormic foliage for folivores is highly context-dependent and shaped by local species composition. Therefore, eucalypt folivores, including koalas and greater gliders, should be able to utilise epicormic regrowth from certain species based on what we know of their tolerance for particular herbivore deterrent PSMs. In forests with a mix of resprouting species from different subgenera—a common feature in native eucalypt forests—epicormic regrowth may therefore offer sufficient nutrition to support arboreal folivore populations during post-fire recovery.
{"title":"Chemical composition of post-fire epicormic foliage affects nutritional quality for folivores","authors":"Benjamin Wagner , Kara N. Youngentob , Karen J. Marsh , Anu Singh , Craig R. Nitschke","doi":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123569","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123569","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Forest fires can cause major changes in stand structure and habitat suitability for forest wildlife. For species that browse on foliage, the tree’s fire response strategy plays a major role in post-disturbance population recovery. Trees that exhibit high mortality and regrow from seed (i.e. obligate seeders) may not provide foraging habitat for tree-dwelling fauna for decades, while trees that regenerate vegetatively, such as epicormic resprouters, can provide feeding resources within days of a fire through rapidly emerging shoots. However, the chemical composition of these leaves is of critical importance for folivores. Specialist species such as koalas (<em>Phascolarctos cinereus</em>) or southern greater gliders (<em>Petauroides volans</em>) often feed on trees with relatively high available nitrogen and low concentrations of herbivore deterrent plant secondary metabolites (PSMs), which allow them to meet their energy and protein requirements. The diets of arboreal fauna are likely adapted to the chemistry of adult-phase (mature) leaves, which are predominately available year-round within their habitat. After a forest fire, surviving animals may however be reliant on epicormic regrowth for large parts of their diet and over extended periods of time as forests recover. Many studies have focused on the nutritional quality of adult leaves for folivores, but little research has been done on the nutritional quality of epicormic regrowth. We sampled <em>Eucalyptus</em> foliage in mixed-species eucalypt forests dominated by species from the monocalypt and symphyomyrtle subgenera a year before and after the 2019/20 ‘Black Summer’ bushfires in southeastern Australia to quantify how epicormic leaf chemistry differed from mature leaves and if epicormic foliage was nutritionally suitable for arboreal folivore foraging. Our results showed that epicormic regrowth differed chemically from mature foliage, with variation driven by species and subgenus. Epicormic leaves generally had higher nitrogen concentrations but not necessarily higher available nitrogen. Focal subgenera-specific PSM concentrations were higher in epicormic foliage of symphyomyrtle species, while monocalypt species showed lower PSMs post-fire. Our findings suggest that the suitability of epicormic foliage for folivores is highly context-dependent and shaped by local species composition. Therefore, eucalypt folivores, including koalas and greater gliders, should be able to utilise epicormic regrowth from certain species based on what we know of their tolerance for particular herbivore deterrent PSMs. In forests with a mix of resprouting species from different subgenera—a common feature in native eucalypt forests—epicormic regrowth may therefore offer sufficient nutrition to support arboreal folivore populations during post-fire recovery.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12350,"journal":{"name":"Forest Ecology and Management","volume":"606 ","pages":"Article 123569"},"PeriodicalIF":3.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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