Scholarlink

Background and Aims <p>Particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) are functionally distinct SOC fractions with different formation pathways and environmental controls, yet their dominant drivers in tropical forests remain poorly understood. This study aimed to quantify their spatial variability and determine how forest succession, soil nutrient status, and physicochemical properties are associated with these fractions in tropical natural forests on Hainan Island, southern China.</p> Methods <p>We combined field surveys of 40 plots spanning a forest successional gradient with multi-source environmental data to assess relationships of POC and MAOC with forest succession, climate, topography, and soil physicochemical properties.</p> Results <p>Soil total phosphorus (TP) was the strongest predictor of MAOC, explaining about 31.4% of its variation. In contrast, clay content (5%–51%) showed relatively weak association with MAOC despite substantial variation in soil texture among sites. By comparison, soil total nitrogen (TN) contributed most to POC variation (35.2%), followed by forest age (19.9%); POC increased significantly along the successional gradient.</p> Conclusion <p>POC and MAOC exhibited contrasting environmental associations in tropical natural forests. TN was the strongest predictor of POC, followed by forest age, suggesting that forest succession may influence POC through coordinated changes in vegetation-derived carbon inputs and soil nitrogen accumulation. In contrast, MAOC was most strongly associated with TP, while clay content and forest succession showed weak relationships, indicating that soil phosphorus status better explains MAOC variability than particle-size composition or successional development in strongly weathered tropical soils.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Divergent controls on particulate and mineral-associated organic carbon in tropical forests of southern China

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月21日

查看全文
  • Dong Qiao,
  • Licong Dai,
  • Meihua Yang,
  • Yue Jiao,
  • Qiaoyan Chen,
  • Rong Shang,
  • Zhongmin Hu

摘要

Background and Aims

Particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) are functionally distinct SOC fractions with different formation pathways and environmental controls, yet their dominant drivers in tropical forests remain poorly understood. This study aimed to quantify their spatial variability and determine how forest succession, soil nutrient status, and physicochemical properties are associated with these fractions in tropical natural forests on Hainan Island, southern China.

Methods

We combined field surveys of 40 plots spanning a forest successional gradient with multi-source environmental data to assess relationships of POC and MAOC with forest succession, climate, topography, and soil physicochemical properties.

Results

Soil total phosphorus (TP) was the strongest predictor of MAOC, explaining about 31.4% of its variation. In contrast, clay content (5%–51%) showed relatively weak association with MAOC despite substantial variation in soil texture among sites. By comparison, soil total nitrogen (TN) contributed most to POC variation (35.2%), followed by forest age (19.9%); POC increased significantly along the successional gradient.

Conclusion

POC and MAOC exhibited contrasting environmental associations in tropical natural forests. TN was the strongest predictor of POC, followed by forest age, suggesting that forest succession may influence POC through coordinated changes in vegetation-derived carbon inputs and soil nitrogen accumulation. In contrast, MAOC was most strongly associated with TP, while clay content and forest succession showed weak relationships, indicating that soil phosphorus status better explains MAOC variability than particle-size composition or successional development in strongly weathered tropical soils.