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Background and aims <p>Naturalization significantly affects forest soil structure, nutrients, and microbes. However, how these changes within soil aggregates during the long-term naturalization of pure plantations remain unclear. To this end, we quantified these changes within soil aggregates during plantation naturalization.</p> Methods <p>We examined the effects of pure plantation forest naturalization on soil microbial communities and nutrients within soil aggregates for two layers (0–20&#xa0;cm and 20–40&#xa0;cm), using a 70-year chronosequence of close-to-natural forests. Soil aggregates were fractionated using the "optimal moisture dry sieving method" into three size classes: large macro-aggregates (&gt; 2&#xa0;mm), small macro-aggregates (0.25–2&#xa0;mm), and micro-aggregates (&lt; 0.25&#xa0;mm). The microbial communities were analyzed via high-throughput sequencing. Enzyme activities and nutrient contents were also measured.</p> Results <p>The long-term naturalization alters soil aggregate fraction and microbial community structure, while increasing soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents and enzyme activities. Furthermore, both the soil nutrients and fungi diversity exhibit significant declines with increasing depth. Regarding enzyme activities, potential cellulase and β-glucosidase activities fluctuated but showed an overall decrease; potential urease activities increased with naturalization, and potential acid phosphatase (SACP) activities declined. Furthermore, potential SACP activities were more common in macroaggregates. Naturalization increased the diversity of microbial communities. However, their co-occurrence networks responded differently that naturalization improved the stability of the fungal ecological network but disrupted the bacterial network.</p> Conclusions <p>Close-to-natural forest naturalization enhances soil nutrient availability, elevates potential enzyme activities, and promotes microbial diversity, particularly within microaggregates. These findings provide critical scientific support for sustainable plantation management strategies.</p>

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Naturalization of Pinus tabulaeformis plantations modifies the soil nutrient and microbial community structures at the soil aggregate level across different depths

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月16日

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  • Yiping Lin,
  • Kefan Wang,
  • Xin Fang,
  • Haomin Wang,
  • Nuo Li,
  • Zilu Wang,
  • Cong Shi,
  • Fuchen Shi

摘要

Background and aims

Naturalization significantly affects forest soil structure, nutrients, and microbes. However, how these changes within soil aggregates during the long-term naturalization of pure plantations remain unclear. To this end, we quantified these changes within soil aggregates during plantation naturalization.

Methods

We examined the effects of pure plantation forest naturalization on soil microbial communities and nutrients within soil aggregates for two layers (0–20 cm and 20–40 cm), using a 70-year chronosequence of close-to-natural forests. Soil aggregates were fractionated using the "optimal moisture dry sieving method" into three size classes: large macro-aggregates (> 2 mm), small macro-aggregates (0.25–2 mm), and micro-aggregates (< 0.25 mm). The microbial communities were analyzed via high-throughput sequencing. Enzyme activities and nutrient contents were also measured.

Results

The long-term naturalization alters soil aggregate fraction and microbial community structure, while increasing soil carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus contents and enzyme activities. Furthermore, both the soil nutrients and fungi diversity exhibit significant declines with increasing depth. Regarding enzyme activities, potential cellulase and β-glucosidase activities fluctuated but showed an overall decrease; potential urease activities increased with naturalization, and potential acid phosphatase (SACP) activities declined. Furthermore, potential SACP activities were more common in macroaggregates. Naturalization increased the diversity of microbial communities. However, their co-occurrence networks responded differently that naturalization improved the stability of the fungal ecological network but disrupted the bacterial network.

Conclusions

Close-to-natural forest naturalization enhances soil nutrient availability, elevates potential enzyme activities, and promotes microbial diversity, particularly within microaggregates. These findings provide critical scientific support for sustainable plantation management strategies.