Thinning intensity influences the C:N:P stoichiometry in forest ecosystems: A global synthesis
Forest thinning potentially alters carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycles, thereby affecting their C:N:P stoichiometry as well as the key ecosystem services they support. Despite the fact that numerous individual studies and a few meta-analyses have been conducted to examine thinning ef...
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Elsevier
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Geoderma |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002769 |
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| author | Chongwei Fan Guiyao Zhou Hongyang Chen Zhenggang Du Ruiqiang Liu Yanghui He Changjiang Huang Shuying Qiu Yimin Zhu Jie Li Xuhui Zhou |
| author_facet | Chongwei Fan Guiyao Zhou Hongyang Chen Zhenggang Du Ruiqiang Liu Yanghui He Changjiang Huang Shuying Qiu Yimin Zhu Jie Li Xuhui Zhou |
| author_sort | Chongwei Fan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Forest thinning potentially alters carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycles, thereby affecting their C:N:P stoichiometry as well as the key ecosystem services they support. Despite the fact that numerous individual studies and a few meta-analyses have been conducted to examine thinning effects on ecosystem C and N cycles, how forest thinning, especially its intensity, affects the C:N:P stoichiometry of plants, soil, and microbes remains poorly known. Here, we carried out a global meta-analysis of 779 paired observations from 136 peer-reviewed articles to assess effects of forest thinning on C:N:P stoichiometry of plants, soil, and microbes in global forests. Our results showed that, on average, forest thinning significantly increased soil C and P pools by 5.0% and 11.1%, and microbial biomass C, N, and, P pools by 9.3%, 12.0%, and 38.4%, respectively. In contrast, forest thinning decreased plant P pool, soil C:P and N:P ratios, and microbial C:N and N:P ratios. More importantly, the effects of forest thinning on C:N:P stoichiometry largely varied with forest thinning intensity. Specifically, heavy thinning significantly decreased plant C:N ratios and soil N:P ratios, whereas light and moderate thinning had positive or insignificant effects on C:N:P stoichiometry. Thinning-induced changes in the C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios were positively correlated with mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP), but negatively with post-thinning duration and stand age. These findings highlight the impact of thinning intensity on the connection between above- and belowground processes, which may decouple the biogeochemical cycles of C, N, and P in forest ecosystems. Future forest management could implement an appropriate forest thinning intensity to ensure ecosystem functionality and maintain the balance and stability of ecosystem elements. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-9133fefee80c4d77a0b2bd06f4bd799b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1872-6259 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoderma |
| spelling | doaj-art-9133fefee80c4d77a0b2bd06f4bd799b2025-08-20T03:02:30ZengElsevierGeoderma1872-62592025-08-0146011743510.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117435Thinning intensity influences the C:N:P stoichiometry in forest ecosystems: A global synthesisChongwei Fan0Guiyao Zhou1Hongyang Chen2Zhenggang Du3Ruiqiang Liu4Yanghui He5Changjiang Huang6Shuying Qiu7Yimin Zhu8Jie Li9Xuhui Zhou10Institute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; School of Future Technology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaLaboratorio de Biodiversidad y Funcionamiento Ecosistémico. Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Sevilla (IRNAS), CSIC, Av. Reina Mercedes 10, E-41012 Sevilla, SpainInstitute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; School of Future Technology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; School of Future Technology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, ChinaInstitute of Carbon Neutrality, Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; School of Future Technology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Corresponding author at: School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China.Forest thinning potentially alters carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) cycles, thereby affecting their C:N:P stoichiometry as well as the key ecosystem services they support. Despite the fact that numerous individual studies and a few meta-analyses have been conducted to examine thinning effects on ecosystem C and N cycles, how forest thinning, especially its intensity, affects the C:N:P stoichiometry of plants, soil, and microbes remains poorly known. Here, we carried out a global meta-analysis of 779 paired observations from 136 peer-reviewed articles to assess effects of forest thinning on C:N:P stoichiometry of plants, soil, and microbes in global forests. Our results showed that, on average, forest thinning significantly increased soil C and P pools by 5.0% and 11.1%, and microbial biomass C, N, and, P pools by 9.3%, 12.0%, and 38.4%, respectively. In contrast, forest thinning decreased plant P pool, soil C:P and N:P ratios, and microbial C:N and N:P ratios. More importantly, the effects of forest thinning on C:N:P stoichiometry largely varied with forest thinning intensity. Specifically, heavy thinning significantly decreased plant C:N ratios and soil N:P ratios, whereas light and moderate thinning had positive or insignificant effects on C:N:P stoichiometry. Thinning-induced changes in the C:N, C:P, and N:P ratios were positively correlated with mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP), but negatively with post-thinning duration and stand age. These findings highlight the impact of thinning intensity on the connection between above- and belowground processes, which may decouple the biogeochemical cycles of C, N, and P in forest ecosystems. Future forest management could implement an appropriate forest thinning intensity to ensure ecosystem functionality and maintain the balance and stability of ecosystem elements.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002769Forest managementThinning intensityC:N:P stoichiometryPlant-soil-microbeAbove- and belowground processes |
| spellingShingle | Chongwei Fan Guiyao Zhou Hongyang Chen Zhenggang Du Ruiqiang Liu Yanghui He Changjiang Huang Shuying Qiu Yimin Zhu Jie Li Xuhui Zhou Thinning intensity influences the C:N:P stoichiometry in forest ecosystems: A global synthesis Geoderma Forest management Thinning intensity C:N:P stoichiometry Plant-soil-microbe Above- and belowground processes |
| title | Thinning intensity influences the C:N:P stoichiometry in forest ecosystems: A global synthesis |
| title_full | Thinning intensity influences the C:N:P stoichiometry in forest ecosystems: A global synthesis |
| title_fullStr | Thinning intensity influences the C:N:P stoichiometry in forest ecosystems: A global synthesis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thinning intensity influences the C:N:P stoichiometry in forest ecosystems: A global synthesis |
| title_short | Thinning intensity influences the C:N:P stoichiometry in forest ecosystems: A global synthesis |
| title_sort | thinning intensity influences the c n p stoichiometry in forest ecosystems a global synthesis |
| topic | Forest management Thinning intensity C:N:P stoichiometry Plant-soil-microbe Above- and belowground processes |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125002769 |
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