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. While we know that understory vegetation affects the soilmicrobial biomass and extracellular enzyme activities in subtropical Chinesefir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) forests, we are less certain about thedegree of its influence. We determined the degree to which the soil abioticand biotic properties, such as PLFAs and extracellular enzyme activities,were controlled by understory vegetation. We established a paired treatmentin a subtropical Chinese fir plantation, which comprised one plot from whichthe understory vegetation and litter were removed (None) and another fromwhich the litter was removed but the understory vegetation was left intact(Understory). We evaluated how the understory vegetation influenced the soilabiotic properties, the bacterial, fungal, and actinobacterial PLFAs, and theactivities of five hydrolases and two oxidative enzymes. The dissolvedorganic carbon (DOC), particulate organic carbon, soil organic carbon,ammonia nitrogen ( NH 4 + –N), and total nitrogen contents and soilmoisture were 18 %, 25 %, 12 %, 34 %, 8 %, and 4 % lower in theNone treatments than in the Understory treatments, respectively ( P ).Soil bacterial, fungal, and total PLFAs, and the potential activities of β -1,4-glucosidase ( β G), β -1,4-N-acetylglucosaminidase,phenol oxidase, and peroxidase, were as much as 24 % lower in Nonetreatments than in Understory treatments ( P ). The specific activitiesof C-acquiring enzymes were as much as 41 % higher ( P ), and theratio of C- to N-acquiring enzymes was also higher in the None treatmentsthan in the Understory treatments. This suggests that in the absence ofunderstory vegetation microbes invested more in C acquisition than Nacquisition because the carbon (C) inputs were less labile. The negativerelationship between DOC and AP shows that DOC is consumed when P-acquiringenzymes are produced. The positive correlation between NH 4 + –Nand β G suggested the increased availability of N promoted thedecomposition of C. More extracellular enzymes that degrade soil organicmatter are produced when there is understory vegetation, which leads tolosses of soil C. On the other hand, the soil C sink is maintained byincreased inputs of C. We can therefore conclude that understory vegetationcontributes to C sequestration in Chinese fir forests and suggest thatunderstory should be maintained to sustain soil quality in subtropicalChinese fir plantations.

Understory vegetation plays the key role in sustaining soil microbial biomass and extracellular enzyme activities