Table 3.
Soil physicochemical properties and litter quality of Larch monoculture, Spruce monoculture, Ash-Larch mixture and Ash-Spruce mixture stands at Maoershan Experiment Station, Northeast China.
| Variables | M-AL | M-AS | P-L | P-S |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soil moisture (%) | 35.94 ± 0.34 Aa | 36.47 ± 0.47Aa | 34.98 ± 0.36 Aa | 35.57 ± 0.77Aa |
| pH | 5.80 ± 0.02 Aa | 5.83 ± 0.02 Aa | 5.75 ± 0.03 Aa | 5.60 ± 0.04 Bb |
| TN (g/kg) | 9.40 ± 1.30 Aa | 9.05 ± 0.90 Aa | 8.34 ± 1.06 Aa | 8.71 ± 1.79 Aa |
| NO3−-N (mg/kg) | 23.33 ± 2.31 Aa | 16.71 ± 1.62 Ab | 17.73 ± 1.94 Ba | 13.04 ± 1.40 Aa |
| NH4+-N (mg/kg) | 10.39 ± 1.49 Aa | 9.65 ± 1.93 Aa | 9.96 ± 0.85 Aa | 6.90 ± 1.28 Aa |
| DON (mg/kg) | 14.39 ± 0.93 Aa | 11.11 ± 0.42Ab | 12.21 ± 0.66 Ba | 9.35 ± 0.83 Ab |
| OM (g/kg) | 99.34 ± 8.05 Ab | 139.07 ± 3.96 Ba | 111.05 ± 8.33 Ab | 173.52 ± 3.22 Aa |
| AP (mg/kg) | 17.26 ± 2.75 Aa | 25.21 ± 2.43 Aa | 23.17 ± 1.01 Aa | 19.83 ± 3.00 Aa |
| Soil C/N | 6.17 ± 0.31 Aa | 8.95 ± 0.38 Ba | 7.79 ± 0.52 Aa | 11.90 ± 2.50 Aa |
| Litter C/N | 27.88 ± 2.89 Bb | 43.47 ± 1.51 Bb | 46.98 ± 1.57 Aa | 64.23 ± 2.14 Aa |
All values represent mean ± standard error (SE), with three replicates per treatment. Soil moisture was calculated as per cent dry weight. Different uppercase letters indicate significant differences between patterns at α = 0.05 level, different lowercase letters indicate significant differences between tree species at α = 0.05 level. AP, available phosphorus; DON, dissolved organic nitrogen; Litter C/N, litter carbon/total nitrogen; NH4+ -N, ammonium nitrogen; NO3- -N, nitrate nitrogen, OM, organic matter; Soil C/N, soil organic carbon/total nitrogen; TN, total nitrogen; M-AL, Ash-Larch mixture; M-AS, Ash-Spruce mixture; P-L, Larch monoculture; P-S, Spruce monoculture.