[Effects of precipitation variation on growing seasonal dynamics of soil microbial biomass in broadleaved Korean pine mixed forest].

Broadleaved Korean pine mixed forest is the zonal climax vegetation in Northeast China and it plays a significant role in maintaining the ecological security. Changbai Mountains is a suitable region to study the positive and negative feedback mechanisms of temperate forest for precipitation variation. This study analyzed responses of soil microbial biomass carbon (SMBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (SMBN) to precipitation variation (± 30%) in original broadleaved Korean pine mixed forest of Changbai Mountains. The results showed that, during the growing seasons (from May to September), the averages of SMBC and SMBN were 879.09 and 100.03 mg · kg(-1), respectively. Moreover, both of these two parameters gradually decreased with the soil depth. The contents of SMBC and SMBN all increased with the increasing precipitation, and the changes of SMBC and SMBN in the 0-5 cm soil layer were stronger than in the 5-10 cm soil layer. The value of SMBC/SMBN declined with the increase of precipitation. The precipitation variation significantly influenced the means of SMBC and SMBN. Compared with precipitation reduction, precipitation enhancement affected the indices much significantly. Both SMBC and SMBN showed similar seasonal patterns, which were the lowest in May, and after that, they increased and then decreased and increased again, showing 1-2 peaks in the growing season. However, the value and occurring time of the peaks varied with the precipitation and soil layer, and the seasonal variations of SMBC and SMBN in the 0-5 cm soil layer were higher than in the 5-10 cm soil layer. SMBC and SMBN had significant positive correlation with organic matter and total nitrogen content. The variances of soil physical and chemical properties caused by precipitation variation were closely related with the difference in spatial-temporal patterns of the soil microbial biomass in the forest. In conclusion, the precipitation variations could cause the change of the soil microbial community structure and composition.