@article{Hu2025, 
author = {Yunlong Hu and Gukailin Ao and Jiguang Feng and Xiao Chen and Biao Zhu},
title = {The patterns of forest soil particulate and mineral associated organic carbon characteristics with latitude and soil depth across eastern China},
year = {2025},
journal = {Forest Ecosystems},
volume = {12},
number = {2},
keywords = {Forest soils, Particulate organic carbon, Mineral-associated organic carbon, Soil microbial processing, Environmental controls},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100291},
doi = {10.1016/j.fecs.2024.100291},
abstract = {Forest ecosystems function as the largest carbon (C) sink in terrestrial ecosystems, and nearly half of the C in forest ecosystems is stored in forest soils. However, the patterns of two main fractions of soil organic C, particulate organic C (POC) and mineral-associated organic C (MAOC), across various types of forest ecosystems remain unclear. In this study, soil samples were collected from depths of 0–100 ​cm at eight sites located between 18° and 48° north latitude in eastern China. The soil samples were then separated into particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM) based on particle size to analyze the distribution of C within each fraction. The results showed that the C stored as POC increased with latitude and decreased with soil depth. Specifically, 28.1%, 38.5% and 55.6% of C was stored as POC in the topsoil (0–30 ​cm) of tropical, subtropical and temperate forests, respectively, while 24.0%, 24.3% and 38.9% of C was stored as POC in the subsoil (30–100 ​cm) of the corresponding forests, respectively. MAOC experienced a higher degree of microbial processing (indicated by differences in δ13C, δ15N and C:N between POM and MAOM) than POC, with a more pronounced difference in microbial processing between MAOC and POC at lower latitudes than at higher latitudes. These findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the characteristics of forest SOC and offer potential strategies for enhancing forest C sequestration.}
}