Forest gaps alter the soil bacterial community of weeping cypress plantations by modulating the understory plant diversity.

ABSTRACT: Weeping cypress is an endemic tree species that is widely planted in China, and the simple stand structure and fragile ecosystem of its plantation are common issues. Exploring the effect of different gap sizes on the soil bacterial community structure of weeping cypress plantations can provide a theoretical basis for the near-natural management of forest plantations. We, therefore, constructed three kinds of forest gaps with different sizes in weeping cypress plantations, namely, small (50-100 m²), medium (100-200 m²), and large gaps (400-667 m²), for identifying the key factors that affect soil bacterial communities following the construction of forest gaps. The results suggested that the herb layer was more sensitive than the shrub layer, while the Simpso

SUBMITTER: Lyu Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9437579 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature