Responses of bacterial and fungal communities to an elevation gradient in a subtropical montane forest of China.

Bacteria and fungi are ecologically important contributors to various functioning of forest ecosystems. In this study, we examined simultaneously the bacterial and fungal distributions in response to elevation changes of a forest. By using clone library analysis from genomic DNA extracted from forest humic clay soils, the composition and diversity of bacterial and fungal communities were determined across an elevation gradient from low via medium to high, in a subtropical forest in the Mountain Lushan, China.

[Distribution characteristics of heavy metals along an elevation gradient of montane forest].

In the present paper, the concentrations of fourteen heavy metals (Fe, Al, Ti, Cu, Cr, Mn, V, Zn, Ni, Co, Pb, Se, Cd and As) were determined by ICP-AES and atomic absorption spectroscopy along an elevation gradient of montane forest. The results show that the elevation gradient had significant effects on the concentrations of Fe, Al, Ti, V, Pb and As. And the concentrations of Cu, Cr, Mn, Zn, Ni, Co, Se and Cd were not significantly affected by the elevation gradient.

[Comparison of heavy metal elements between natural and plantation forests in a subtropical Montane forest].

Heavy metals as one of major pollutants is harmful to the health of forest ecosystems. In the present paper, the concentrations of thirteen heavy metals (Fe, Al, Ti, Cr, Cu, Mn, V, Zn, Ni, Co, Pb, Se and Cd) were compared between natural and plantation forests in the Mt. Lushan by ICP-AES and atomic absorption spectroscopy.

Comparison of bacterial and fungal communities between natural and planted pine forests in subtropical China.

To improve our understanding of the changes in bacterial and fungal diversity in natural pine and planted forests in subtropical region of China, we examined bacterial and fungal communities from a native and a nearby planted pine forest of the Mt. Lushan by constructing clone libraries of 16S and 18S rRNA genes. For bacterial communities, Proteobacteria and Acidobacteria were dominant bacterial taxa in both two types of forest soils.