[Forest soil organic matter delta 13C along a altitudinal transect on northern slope of Changbai Mountains under effects of simulated warming].

The litters, bulk soils, and soil particle-size fractions were sampled from three typical natural forests, i.e., broadleaf Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forest (PB, altitude 740 m), spruce-fir (Picea asperata-Abies nephrolepis) forest (SF, altitude 1350 m), and Erman's birch (Betula ermanii) forest (EB, altitude 1996 m), on the northern slope of Changbai Mountains to analyze their organic matter delta13C values, and the intact soil cores (20 cm depth) from EB (high altitude) were relocated to PB and SF (low altitudes) for a year to study the responses of the delta13C values to simulated warming. It was shown that the litters had a significantly lower delta13C value than the soils, and the delta13C values of the litters and soils increased downward through the litter- and soil layers in all the three typical forest types. Soil particle-size fractions had an increased delta13C value with decreasing particle size fractions. The delta13C value of the litters was in the order of SF (-28.3 per thousand) >PB (-29.0 per thousand) >EB (-29.6 per thousand), while that of the soils was in the order of EB (-25.5 per thousand) >PB (-25.8 per thousand) >SF (-26.2 per thousand). Over one-year soil warming (an increment of 0.7 degrees C - 2.9 degrees C) , the delta13C values of the bulk soils and soil particle-size fractions all presented a decreasing trend, and the decrement of the delta13C value was larger in <2 microm (0.48 per thousand) and 2-63 microm fractions (0.47 per thousand) than in >63 microm fraction (0.33 per thousand). The results suggested that climate warming could have great effects on the older organic carbon associated with fine soil particle-size fractions.