【Objective】The study was conducted to investigate the spatial distribution and content differences of
asymbiotic nitrogen fixation (ANF) in different ecosystem components of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Eucalyptus, Pinus
massoniana plantation forests in different growing seasons.【Method】By using ordinary kriging interpolation, analysis of
variance and correlation analysis, we conducted a characterisation study of spatial variability and content differences in ANF
of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Eucalyptus, Pinus massoniana plantation forests in Guangxi Gaofeng Forestry by determining
the amount of ANF in soil, litter and canopy leaves in the growing season and non-growing season.【Result】In both growing
and non-growing seasons, the trends of ANF in each component of plantation forests were different and significant, with strong
spatial correlation and heterogeneity. In the growing season, the distribution of soil ANF was low in the northeast and high in the
southwest, while the distributions of litter and canopy leaves were high in the northeast and low in the southwest; in the nongrowing season, the spatial distributions of soil and canopy leaves were generally similar to those in the growing season, and
that of the litter showed the opposite result. Soil ANF was the highest in plantation forests, at 1.2834 and 0.5668 kg/hm2
·y,
and the lowest was in canopy leaves, at 0.0009 and 0.0028 kg/hm2
·y. ANF in soil differed significantly from that in litter
and canopy leaves. In the growing season, the amount of soil ANF was significantly negatively correlated with litter, and the
correlation between the other components was not significant; in the non-growing season, the amount of ANF between the
components did not have a significant correlation. 【Conclusion】The spatial differentiation of ANF in various components of
Cunninghamia lanceolata, Eucalyptus, Pinus massoniana plantation forests in different seasons was significant and strong,
and ANF mainly existed in the soil fraction. Therefore, the application of a certain amount of nitrogen fertilizer to the soil during
the planting of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Eucalyptus and Pinus massoniana can promote the growth of plantation forests. |