Hebei Key Laboratory of Environmental Change and Ecological Construction,School of Geographical Sciences,Hebei Normal University,Shijiazhuang 050024,China
Objective To explore the influence of root traits and litter characteristics of artificial plantations of different stand ages on soil quality and their driving effects, and to identify the key plant factors that affect the variation of soil quality with increasing stand age. Methods In this study, Populus tomentosa, Platycladus orientalis, and Styphnolobium japonicum plantations of different stand ages were taken as the research objects. The soil physicochemical properties, root traits, and the carbon and nitrogen contents and the water-holding capacity of the litter were determined, and the driving effects of roots and litter on soil quality and their variation patterns with increasing stand age were explored. Results 1) The soil quality index of plantations increased with increasing stand age. There was no significant difference in the soil quality index among tree species in relatively old plantations. 2) The main factors affecting the soil quality index were the nitrogen content of litter (with a contribution rate of 39.8%), the carbon content of root (21.3%), root diameter (12.4%), and natural water content of litter (8.3%). 3) The soil quality indices of P. tomentosa and P. orientalis plantations were mainly affected by litter (72.1% and 56.9%), while the soil quality index of S. japonicum plantations was mainly affected by root traits (56.7%). 4) The impact of litter on the soil quality index decreased with increasing stand age (83.0%-52.9%), while that of root traits increased (17.0%-47.1%). Conclusion The effects of root traits and litter characteristics on soil quality in plantations of different stand ages and tree species are different, and the soil management strategies should be optimized according to the characteristics of roots and litter. This study can provide a theoretical basis for constructing the ideal community of plantation ecosystems based on differences in stand age and tree species.
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