Correlation Between Coarse Wood Debris and Soil Different Chemical Properties of Three Forest Types in Northeast China

Abstract

Coarse wood debris (CWD) is a critical component of the nitrogen and carbon pools in forest ecosystems. While CWD decomposition rates have been studied extensively across various ecosystems, the effects of CWD on soil properties and their interrelations remain unclear. This study aimed to measure the response of CWD to soil and their interrelations among three forest types: Picea koraiensis-Abies nephrolepis-Pinus koraiensis forest (PAPF), Betula costata-Pinus koraiensis forest (BPF), and Tilia amurensis-Pinus koraiensis forest (TPF). The results indicated that CWD carbon was positively correlated with soil pH (R²=0.36). CWD nitrogen was positively correlated with urease activity, while negatively correlated with dehydrogenase activity. There was a consistent correlation between overall CWD and soil nutrient concentrations among the three forest types, although the pattern of these correlations varied among PAPF, BPF, and TPF. This highlights the need to explore attribute interrelations across different ecological gradients. Overall, CWD phosphorus (P) and carbon (C) were positively correlated with soil pH, while aluminum (Al) was negatively correlated. CWD nitrogen (N) was positively correlated with urease enzyme activity, whereas CWD carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) were negatively correlated with invertase and dehydrogenase enzymes, respectively. CWD sulfur (S) was positively correlated with soil sulfur, while CWD carbon (C), potassium (K), and magnesium (Mg) were negatively correlated with their respective soil counterparts. This study demonstrates that variations in soil nutrient concentrations and enzymatic activity are significantly influenced by decomposition levels.