[Soil microbial biomass in Larix gmelinii forests along a latitudinal gradient during spring soil thawing]

The 8-year-old Larix gmelinii forests were transplanted from four sites (Tahe, Songling, Sunwu, and Dailing) comprising a latitudinal gradient across the distribution range of L. gmelinii in Northeastern China, and the soil microbial biomass carbon (Cmic) and nitrogen (Nmic) in spring soil thawing period were measured after 3-year transplanting. Under the similar soil substrates and the same climate conditions, the mean values of soil Cmic and Nmic in the L. gmelinii forests transplanted from the four sites differed significantly, being decreased with increasing latitude and soil depth. The Cmic for Tahe, Songling, Sunwu, and Dailing averaged 554.63, 826.41, 874.81, and 1246.18 mg x kg(-1), and the Nmic averaged 70.63, 96.78, 79.76, and 119.66 mg x kg(-1), respectively. The Cmic and Nmic peaked before soil thawing, declined rapidly at the early stage of soil thawing, and had less change and maintained at a lower level during the period of soil freezing-thawing. By the end of soil thawing, the Cmic for lower latitudinal soils (i.e., Dailing and Sunwu) recovered faster. Soil temperature and moisture content during spring soil thawing affected the temporal patterns of Cmic and Nmic significantly, but the affecting degree depended on the stages of soil thawing. The Cmic and Nmic were negatively correlated to the soil temperature at the early stage of soil thawing, and exponentially related to the soil moisture content during the whole soil thawing period.