Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Assessment of Labile Organic Carbon in Soil Using Sequential Fumigation Incubation Procedures
Published on: October 29, 2016
[Effects of root system and litter of Chinese fir on soil microbial properties]
Wei-Dong Zhang1, Si-Long Wang, Shao-Kui Yan
1Huitong Experimental Station of Forest Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China. tzhangweidong@hotmail.com
Abstract:
A simulation test was conducted to study the effects of the root system and litter of Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lancceolata) on soil microbial properties. After the amendment with C. lancceolata root system, the soil microbial biomass C, basal respiration, total organic C, and microbial quotient increased significantly (P < 0.05), while soil metabolic quotient (qCO2) presented an opposite trend. In the treatment amended with C. lancceolata litter, the soil basal respiration and qCO2 decreased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas soil microbial biomass C, total organic C, and microbial quotient had less change. A significant interaction between C. lancceolata root system and litter was observed on soil basal respiration and qCO2. The qCO2 had significant positive correlations with soil total organic C (R2 = 0.209) and dissolved organic C (R2 = 0.325), suggesting that the C use efficiency of soil microbes decreased with increasing soil organic C content. Comparing with litter, the root system of C. lancceolata played more important roles in soil ecological processes.
Related Concept Videos
Soil Microbial Ecology
The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
Microbes and Climate Change
Microbial Mats

