Ecosystem Services Of Several Typical Plantation Forest Ecosystems In Subtropical Region

Restoring and sustaining the ecosystem services is the foundations for human life and modem civilization, and is also the premise for realizing the sustainable development. Researching and exploring the effects of different stands on ecosystem services can provide the scientific bases for construction and sustainable management of plantation forest, in particular Chinese fir plantation forest, and for the reference for studies on structure and function of other plantation ecosystems.Localized method was adopted in this study, and seven forests in central production region of Chinese fir in subtropics, viz. pure Chinese-fir stand of first rotation, mixture of Michelia macclurei and Chinese-fir, pure Michelia macclurei stand, pure Chinese-fir stand of second rotation, mixture of Chinese-fir and N-fixing alder (Alnus cremastogyne), mixture of Chinese-fir and non-N-fixing Kalopanax septemlobus, natural secondary evergreen broad-leaved forest, were studied. Based on the relationship among ecological structure, ecological progress and ecosystem services, plant species diversity, soil nutrients and soil quality, forest microclimate, water holding capacity of soil, forest productivity, runoff and soil loss and stocks of carbon and nitrogen were measured in the above seven forests. Through the above measurements following different ecosystems services, including biodiversity maintenance, nutrients conservation, microclimate regulation, water-holding capacity, products output, soil conservation, and carbon and mtrogen storage, were compared and analyzed . The main research results were summarized as follows:All the plantation forest ecosystems can provide significant ecological services of microclimate regulation, soil improvement, water-holding, soil conservation, carbon and nitrogen storage, bur there were differences in ecosystem services among the different plantation forest ecosystems. Compared to the same-aged pure Chinese fir forest, the increases in soil organic C, cation exchange capacity, soil microbial biomass, enzyme activities, NSQI(Nemoro Soil Quality Index), BIF(Biological Index of Fertility) and slight decrease in SDI(Soil Degeneration Index), as well as the melioration in soil physical properties in relation to water holding capacity, such as bulk density, porosity, infiltration rate were observed under mixtures of pure broad-leaved forest. As before, water-holding capacity was increased by 9.76%-22.46%, runoff and soil erosion were decreased by 13.04%-43.42% and 18.14%-46.77%, plant species diversity was restored effectively, carbon and nitrogen storage increased 1.01-1.14 times and 1.15-1.31 times respectively under mixtures.Natural secondary evergreen broad-leaved forest was the most favorable in sustaining or increasing the ecosystem services among the seven forests, main aspects were as follows: a relatively soil fertility, the highest soil quality index which was 1.61 times of pure Chinese-fir stand of second rotation, the strongest water-holding capacity which was 1.77 times of pure Chinese-fir stand of second rotation, the highest carbon and nitrogen storage which increased by 72.65% and 119.50% compared with pure Chinese-fir stand of second rotation, the highest plant species diversity and the lowest runoff and soil erosion.Pure Chinese-fir stand of contionous rotation was the most unfavorable in sustaining the ecosystem services among the seven forests. The decreases in soil fertility, soil quality index, carbon and nitrogen storage, plant species diversity and soil conservation were recorded under pure Chinese-fir stand of second rotation compared with pure Chinese-fir stand of first rotation.