Work

Driving Mechanisms of Oxidative Carbon in Urban Forest Soils in China: A Shenzhen Case Study

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: To reveal the driving mechanisms of oxidative carbon components in urban forest soils in highly urbanized areas, this study collected 126 soil samples from the 0–30 cm layer of typical urban forests in Shenzhen, China. Soil organic carbon (SOC) was classified into four fractions based on oxidation stability: highly oxidizable organic carbon (VAC), moderately oxidizable organic carbon (AC), poorly oxidizable organic carbon (PAC), and inert oxidizable organic carbon (IAC). Integrating multi-source data on climate, topography, vegetation, soil, and urbanization, we adopted a synergistic multi-model approach to screen key drivers, identify nonlinear thresholds, and quantify pathway contributions, thereby systematically exploring the dominant characteristics and driving mechanisms of soil carbon components under urbanization. The results showed that (1) urban forest soils in Shenzhen were dominated by reactive carbon, with VAC accounting for the highest proportion of SOC, and the proportion of reactive organic carbon was significantly higher than that of recalcitrant organic carbon; (2) SOC and total nitrogen (TN) were the core driving factors of carbon fractions, and the number of regulatory factors increased with the enhancement of carbon fraction oxidation stability; (3) soil factors directly affected carbon fractions, while urbanization indirectly acted on inert carbon by altering vegetation characteristics. Based on the research results, urban soil and forest managers can implement zonal management for carbon fractions with different oxidation stabilities, which is expected to effectively enhance the carbon sink capacity and stability of urban forest soil carbon pools, providing practical support for ecological sustainable development.

Source: Land

DOI: 10.3390/land15010110

Authors: Zhiqiang Dong, Zhengjun Shi, Huichun Xie, Wei Zeng, Shixiu Feng, Song Pan

Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qinghai Normal University, Fairy Lake Botanical Garden, State Forestry and Grassland Administration

Language: English

Topic: Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics

Subfield: Soil Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Sustainable cities and communities, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,137