Effects of spontaneous restoration after clear-cutting on soil extracellular enzyme activities and stoichiometric characteristics in rubber forests

ZHANG Beibei, LU Qiang, LU Xiaoqiang, FU Xiangxiang

Journal of Nanjing Forestry University (Natural Sciences Edition） ›› 2026, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (3) : 150-160.

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南京林业大学学报（自然科学版）
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Journal of Nanjing Forestry University (Natural Sciences Edition） ›› 2026, Vol. 50 ›› Issue (3) : 150-160. DOI: 10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202407014

Effects of spontaneous restoration after clear-cutting on soil extracellular enzyme activities and stoichiometric characteristics in rubber forests

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Abstract

【Objective】This study aims to investigate the impacts of post-clear-cutting natural restoration of rubber plantations on soil properties and nutrient cycling dynamics.【Method】Secondary forests undergoing natural restoration at four chronosequence stages（1，10，20 and 40 years post-clear-cutting，designated as SF_1，SF_10，SF_20，and SF_40）and a 100-year-old primary natural forest（PF）were compared with a 20-year-old rubber plantation（RP）as the control. Soil physicochemical properties，microbial biomass（carbon，nitrogen，phosphorus： MBC，MBN，MBP），and four extracellular enzyme activities were analyzed across dry and wet seasons.【Result】Soil carbon（C），nitrogen（N），and phosphorus（P）content，along with microbial biomass（MBC，MBN，MBP），exhibited significant increases with restoration duration. Total phosphorus（TP），available phosphorus（AP），and MBP peaked in SF_40 stands（0.34 g/kg，13.65 mg/kg，and 83.28 mg/kg，respectively），followed by declines in PF stands with stabilization. Carbon- and phosphorus-acquiring enzyme activities（β-1，4-glucosidase，BG； acid phosphatase，ACP）showed initial increases followed by decreases during restoration. BG activity peaked in SF_40（926.02 nmol/（g·h））and ACP in SF_20（3 296.89 nmol/（g·h）），with significantly higher activities observed during the dry season compared to the wet season. In contrast，nitrogen-acquiring enzymes（β-1，4-N-acetylglucosaminidase，NAG； leucine aminopeptidase，LAP）displayed irregular temporal patterns，with generally lower activities during the dry season. Stoichiometric analysis revealed a log-transformed ratio of C∶N∶P acquisition enzyme activities at 1.00∶1.55∶1.37，indicating nitrogen limitation in the ecosystem. Vector analysis further supported this finding，showing vector angles ranging from 7.59° to 33.15°. Correlation analyses identified soil AP，MBP，dissolved organic carbon（DOC）content，and pH as primary regulators of extracellular enzyme activities during restoration.【Conclusion】Prolonged natural restoration significantly enhanced soil physicochemical properties and microbial biomass. Notably，the 20-year-old rubber plantation exhibited comparable soil nutrient levels，extracellular enzyme activities，and microbial biomass to SF_1 stands，but significantly lower values than SF_20 stands at equivalent restoration duration. These findings elucidate the coupling mechanisms between soil microorganisms and extracellular enzymes in nutrient cycling，providing critical insights into biogeochemical processes in tropical monsoon forest ecosystems.

Key words

rubber forests / soil extracellular enzymes / spontaneous recovery / stoichiometric ratio / nutrient limitation

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ZHANG Beibei , LU Qiang , LU Xiaoqiang , et al. Effects of spontaneous restoration after clear-cutting on soil extracellular enzyme activities and stoichiometric characteristics in rubber forests[J]. Journal of Nanjing Forestry University (Natural Sciences Edition）. 2026, 50(3): 150-160 https://doi.org/10.12302/j.issn.1000-2006.202407014

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