Soil Enzyme Activities and Microbial Nutrient Limitation of Various Temperate Forest Types in Northeastern China

Soil enzymes mediate organic matter decomposition and nutrient cycling, and their stoichiometry can indicate microbial nutrient demands. However, research on the variations in soil enzymes and microbial nutrient limitation under different temperate forest types still lacks insight. In this study, we sampled soils under five typical forest types (including Betula platyphylla Suk. forest, Fraxinus mandschurica Rupr forest, Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Kuzen. forest, Populus davidiana Dode forest, and Pinus koraiensis Siebold et Zucc.forest) in the temperate climatic region of northeast China. Soil enzyme activities and soil microbial community composition and diversity were determined for each, and vector analysis was used to quantify the value of microbial limitation. The results showed that soil enzyme activity, enzyme stoichiometry, and microbial community structure were significantly different among the five temperate forest types. The ratios of soil C:N:P acquiring enzyme activity were close to 1:1:1. All the forests showed prevalent P limitation over N limitation (all vector angles > 45°), and the degree of impact varied among different forest types. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and Pearson’s test demonstrated that soil enzyme activities and microbial nutrient limitation were mainly determined by soil physical properties and microbial community. These results contribute to understanding the mechanisms that link plant composition, soil enzyme activity, and microbial nutrient limitation in temperate forests.