Abstract:
This study established 3 planting density treatments—T
1 (
1050 trees·hm
−2), T
2 (
1200 trees·hm
−2), and T
3 (
1350 trees·hm
−2) in
Eucalyptus plantations in the dry-hot valley area of Guangxi. It systematically analyzed the changes in soil chemical properties, key hydrolase activities, and microbial biomass along with their stoichiometric characteristics. The results showed that soil pH decreased initially and then increased with increasing planting density, reaching the lowest value under T
2, while the contents of organic matter, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), alkali-hydrolyzable nitrogen (AN), and available phosphorus (AP) peaked in this treatment. Total potassium (TK) decreased continuously with increasing density, whereas available potassium (AK) showed an opposite trend. The activities of soil
β-glucosidase (βG),
N-acetyl-
β-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), and acid phosphatase (ACP) were highest under T
2. Microbial biomass carbon (MBC), nitrogen (MBN), and phosphorus (MBP) increased continuously with density and reached their maximum values under T
3. The microbial C:N ratio was highest in T
1, while the microbial C:P and N:P ratios were highest in T
2. The organic matter, TN, AN, AP, and AK were significantly positively correlated with enzyme activities and MBC and MBN contents, whereas TK was significantly negatively correlated with βG, LAP, ACP, MBC, MBN, and MBP. The C:N ratio decreased significantly with increases in organic matter, TN, TP, AN, AP, and AK, while the N:P ratio was significantly positively correlated with organic matter, TN, TP, and AP, suggesting that phosphorus may become a potential limiting factor for microbial growth under high-nitrogen conditions. Planting density synergistically influences enzyme activities and microbial functions by regulating soil nutrient availability, with the three components exhibiting a tightly interconnected "soil nutrient—enzyme activity—microbial biomass" association network Among the treatments, T
2 was most favorable for maintaining soil fertility and enhancing enzyme activity, while T
3 promoted greater microbial biomass accumulation.