Abstract:
The organic carbon contents and molecular structures of the total soil profiles and soil aggregates with different diameters (e.g., 0-0.5, >0.5-2.0, >2.0-5.0 and >5.0 mm) were compared between different forests in the national nature reservation of Fengyang Mountain, Zhejiang province, China. The forests compared were the evergreen broad-leaved forest and Cunninghamia lanceolata forest at Shiliangao, and the Cryptomeria fortunei forest and coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest at Fengyanghu Lake. The technique used was the
13C nuclear magnetic resonance technique. This goal of the study was to assess the impact mechanisms of different vegetation restoration models on the molecular structure and stability of soil organic carbon. The results showed:1) w(organic carbon) (12.84 g/kg) of the total soil profile in the 0-20 cm soil layer under the evergreen broad-leaved forest was significantly higher than that of the Cunninghamia lanceolata forest (9.98 g/kg). That of the Cryptomeria fortunei forest (13.93 g/kg) was significantly higher than that of the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest (11.54 g/kg) (P<0.05). w(organic carbon) of soil aggregates under different vegetation restoration models showed decreasing trends along with increased aggregate size. 2) Compared with the Cunninghamia lanceolata forest, w(alcoxyl carbon) in the total soil organic carbon under the evergreen broad-leaved forest was higher, while w(alkyl carbon), w(aromatic carbon), w(alkyl carbon)/w(alcoxyl carbon) and w(hydrophobic carbon)/w(hydrophilic carbon) were lower, implying that the stability of the total soil organic carbon under the evergreen broad-leaved forest was poorer. Compared with the coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, the w(alkyl carbon), w(alkyl carbon)/w(alcoxyl carbon) and w(hydrophobic carbon)/w(hydrophilic carbon) in the total soil organic carbon under the Cryptomeria fortunei forest were higher, while w(alcoxyl carbon) was lower, implying that the stability of the total soil organic carbon under the Cryptomeria fortunei forest was better. Compared with the 0-20 cm soil layers, the w(alcoxyl carbon) in the total soil organic carbon of >20-40 cm soil layers under different vegetation restoration models decreased significantly, while the w(alkyl carbon), w(alkyl carbon)/w(alcoxyl carbon) and w(hydrophobic carbon)/w(hydrophilic carbon) increased significantly, implying that the stability of organic carbon in >20-40 cm soil layers was better. 3) With the increase of aggregate size, the w(alkyl carbon), w(alkyl carbon)/w(alcoxyl carbon) and w(hydrophobic carbon)/w(hydrophilic carbon) in organic carbon of soil aggregates under different vegetation restoration models showed decreasing trends, while the w(alcoxyl carbon) showed increasing trends, implying that the stability of organic carbon combined in aggregates gradually turned to be poor. The comprehensive result indicated that the contents, molecular structures and stability of soil organic carbon in the study area were decided mainly by tree species under the different vegetation restoration models.