MycoTreeDiv
In May 2023, the restoration ecology research group at the South China Botanical Garden (SCBG), Chinese Academy of Sciences, established a new platform (13.3 ha) of a tree biodiversity experiment called “MycoTreeDiv”. This platform establishes a multi-species mixed forest to systematically test the niche complementarity theory and aboveground-belowground trade-off mechanisms.
Design
The tree species pool consists of 20 species in the biodiversity experiment (Table 1). Mixtures of one to ten species (1, 2, 4 and 10 species richness) comprising different mycorrhizal types (AM, ECM, and both) are established on 52 plots (Figure 1). Each plot is approximately 2500 m2 size, and separated with each other by a 2 m-width buffer stripe. Four blocks (A, B, C, and D) containing an equal number of plots are set up to avoid confounding of experimental effects with soil heterogeneity. Thirteen treatments of tree mixture are created, each with four replicates arranged in a randomized block design. In each plot 625 tree individuals are planted in arranged columns and rows, with a distance of 2 m among trees.
Site characteristics
The experimental site is located in Guangdong Province, China (21.46°N, 110.89°E), within a tropical monsoon climate zone. It has a mean annual temperature of 23°C and an annual precipitation of 1700 mm, with a pronounced rainy season from April to October. The soil is classified as lateritic red soil derived from granite, previously a commercial Eucalyptus plantation, exhibiting typical characteristics of a degraded tropical ecosystem.
| MycoTreeDiv (Xiaoliang, China) | |
|---|---|
| Country | China |
| Biome | tropical |
| Latitude | 21.46 |
| Longitude | 110.89 |
| Soil type | Lateritic red soil |
| Former land use | former commercial Eucalyptus plantation |
| Design | stem-wise randomisation |
| Plot shape | square |
| Plot size (m^2) | 2500 m² |
| Plant distance (m) | 2 |
| Number of trees planted | 32500 |
| Planting date | 2023 |
| Diversity variables | species richness mycorrhizal type |
| Diversity gradient | 1, 2, 4, 10 species |
| Size species pool | 20 |
| Species pool | Dalbergia odorifera Acacia melanoxylon Schima superba Michelia macclurei Cinnamomum camphora Hopea hainanensis Aquilaria sinensis Erythrophleum fordii Liquidambar formosana Homalium ceylanicum Eucalyptus grandis Castanopsis hystrix Quercus glauca Quercus pachyloma Quercus variabilis Quercus myrsinifolia Syzygium hainanense Castanopsis carlesii Castanopsis fissa Dalbergia odorifera Acacia melanoxylon Schima superba Michelia macclurei Cinnamomum camphora Hopea hainanensis Aquilaria sinensis Erythrophleum fordii Liquidambar formosana Homalium ceylanicum Eucalyptus grandis Castanopsis hystrix Quercus glauca Quercus pachyloma Quercus variabilis Quercus myrsinifolia Syzygium hainanense Castanopsis carlesii Castanopsis fissa Quercus aliena |
| Contact person | Zhanfeng Liu Tengteng Li |
| liuzf@scbg.ac.cn tengteng.li@idiv.de |
Research
To test the niche complementarity theory and aboveground-belowground trade-off mechanisms, the following researh gaps are being explored:
(1) Environmental constraints on the positive biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) relationship in tropical forests;
(2) Molecular-ecological mechanisms through which plant functional group composition regulates key soil biotic functional groups to enhance ecosystem functioning, particularly carbon sequestration;
(3) Regulatory pathways of mycorrhizal type diversity (AM/ECM interactions) on soil organic carbon stability and multifunctionality coupling.
Three key innovative features of the MycoTreeDiv experiment make it a unique platform to study these research gaps:
(1) Expansion of the mycorrhizal functional dimension: the first large-scale diversity experiment integrating AM and ECM mycorrhizal compositions in a tropical region.
(2) Comprehensive belowground process analysis: integrates stratified soil sampling (0-80 cm profile) and multi-omics microbial analysis.
(3) Long-term dynamic monitoring system: establishes a multi-dimensional observation network linking tree growth, soil biota, and carbon fluxes.
Extra information
Send an e-mail to the contact person, or explore the publications that utilized data from this experiment.
Research papers
- This experiment is working hard on the first international publications