<b>Fungal necromass carbon rather than plant-derived carbon dominates POC and MAOC</b><b>: evidence from thinning and replanting forest management</b>

<p dir="ltr"><a href="" target="_blank">Thinning and replanting of broadleaf trees (TRBT) can reshape plantation stand structure while potentially enhancing soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration. </a>However, the effects of TRBT on particulate organic carbon (POC) and <a href="" target="_blank">mineral-associated organic carbon</a> (MAOC), along with the contributions of plant-derived C (PDC) and microbial necromass carbon (MNC) to these fractions remain unclear.

Here, <a href="" target="_blank">we established five treatments in a Chinese fir plantation: unthinned control (NT), thinning without replanting (NP), and thinning followed by replanting with evergreen broadleaf (<i>Schima superba</i>, CS), deciduous broadleaf (<i>Liquidambar formosana</i>, CL), or both species (CLS). </a>We examined how TRBT affected POC and MAOC, quantified the contributions of PDC and MNC to these fractions, and determined the key factors.