Establishing a minimum dataset for soil quality assessment based on soil properties and land-use changes

To assess soil quality, a minimum dataset (MDS) of soil properties has to be proposed commonly through calculating the total load of each candidate soil parameter on all of the qualified principal components by use of principal component analysis (PCA) and Norm-value computation. Considering intensive land-use changes, the method introduced in this study on MDS establishment integrates the quantified contributions of land-use type and land-use duration on each soil parameter by using multivariate analysis and mean multiple comparison. In this way, a MDS maximally representing all candidates with minimal loss of the soil quality information contained by those non-MDS soil parameters is established. The MDS proposed can not only well integrate the quantified influence of land-use changes and land-use duration on soil parameters, but is also quite flexible and extendable with the potential to be extrapolated to assess soil quality in other regions. Based on two sets of soil database obtained separately in 1985 and 2004, two MDSs established are compared with each other. It is found that only quite a small change in MDS components occurs during a 20-year period. For a better assessment of soil quality, it seems necessary to examine on what kind of temporal scale and how much MDS will change for a site-specific area with intensive land-use changes.     

基于土壤特征和土地利用变化的土壤质量评价最小数据集确定

进行土壤质量评价前,必须先从大量土壤理化、生物学参数中严格选取对土壤质量敏感的评价参数最小数据集(MDS)。考虑到目前经济转型期我国剧烈的土地利用变化对各种土壤过程的深刻影响,通过以下3步选取土壤质量评价MDS:通过主成分分析(PCA)计算各土壤参数在所有特征值≥1的主成分上的综合荷载;通过多变量方差分析定量了土地利用变化对各土壤参数的贡献;通过均值多重比较确定了土地利用年限对土壤性质的定量影响。最后经过线性变换、分组、相关分析检验等过程,得到一个能最大限度的代表所有候选土壤参数而又尽可能少的损失这些候选参数所包含的土壤质量信息的最小数据集。该土壤质量评价MDS因子选取方法能很好地整合土地利用变化的综合定量影响,同时具有很好的灵活性、可扩展性并能外推到其它地区。通过将该方法分别应用在1985年及2004年采样分析的两套数据各12个土壤候选参数集上,得到了各包含6个因子的MDS及其在20a尺度上的变化规律,发现MDS因子略有不同,但变化不大。     

Land-use change and soil type are drivers of fungal and archaeal communities in the Pampa biome

The current study aimed to test the hypothesis that both land-use change and soil type are responsible for the major changes in the fungal and archaeal community structure and functioning of the soil microbial community in Brazilian Pampa biome. Soil samples were collected at sites with different land-uses (native grassland, native forest, Eucalyptus and Acacia plantation, soybean and watermelon field) and in a typical toposequence in Pampa biome formed by Paleudult, Albaqualf and alluvial soils. The structure of soil microbial community (archaeal and fungal) was evaluated by ribosomal intergenic spacer analysis and soil functional capabilities were measured by microbial biomass carbon and metabolic quotient. We detected different patterns in microbial community driven by land-use change and soil type, showing that both factors are significant drivers of fungal and archaeal community structure and biomass and microbial activity. Fungal community structure was more affected by land-use and archaeal community was more affected by soil type. Irrespective of the land-use or soil type, a large percentage of operational taxonomic unit were shared among the soils. We accepted the hypothesis that both land-use change and soil type are drivers of archaeal and fungal community structure and soil functional capabilities. Moreover, we also suggest the existence of a soil microbial core.     

青藏高原东北缘不同土地利用类型土壤质量综合评价

土壤质量评价是合理利用土壤资源的重要前提。通过采集青藏高原东北缘甘肃省天祝县境内林地(n=9)、草地(n=18)和耕地(n=38)土壤样品,并测定土壤容重、田间持水量和有机质等13项土壤理化性质指标,采用主成分分析和相关性分析构建最小数据集(MDS),建立土壤质量评价指标体系,对3个不同土地利用类型的土壤质量进行综合评价。结果表明: 林地的总孔隙度、毛管孔隙度、田间持水量、毛管持水量、饱和含水量、有机质、全氮和速效钾含量显著高于草地和耕地。林地土壤质量评价指标体系包括田间持水量、有机质、全氮、速效氮和速效钾,土壤质量指数(SQI)介于0.329～0.678,平均值为0.481;草地土壤质量评价指标体系包括田间持水量和速效氮,SQI介于0.302～0.703,平均值为0.469;耕地土壤质量评价指标体系包括毛管持水量、非毛管孔隙度、速效氮、速效磷和速效钾,SQI介于0.337～0.616,平均值为0.462。影响林地、草地和耕地土壤质量的最大障碍指标分别为速效钾、田间持水量和毛管持水量。基于MDS的土壤质量指数能够实现研究区不同土地利用类型土壤质量的准确评价,土壤质量整体上表现为林地>草地>耕地,评价结果对该区域土壤可持续管理具有重要参考价值。     

水田改果园后土壤性质的变化及其特征

近年来,水田改作经济林地,在我国南方地区非常普遍。为深入了解这一转变对土壤质量的影响,以浙江省典型水稻土(青粉泥田)及其改果园不同年限的系列表层土壤(0—15 cm)为研究对象,应用磷脂脂肪酸生物标记等方法,研究了水田改果园后土壤理化性质和微生物群落结构等性质的变化以及它们之间的关系。结果表明,水田改果园后,土壤中大于0.25 mm水稳定性团聚体、盐基饱和度、p H值、有机质、全氮和碱解氮等随着改果园年限的延长而显著降低(P0.05)。土壤微生物生物量碳氮、微生物商和土壤呼吸强度随改果园年限增加而显著下降(P0.01)。土壤微生物群落结构也发生明显变化:磷脂脂肪酸总量显著降低(P0.01),微生物种类减少,原生动物在土壤微生物中所占比例增加,革兰氏阴性细菌与革兰氏阳性细菌比值降低(P0.01),好氧细菌/厌氧细菌和甲烷氧化菌/细菌增加(P0.01),表征养分胁迫的环丙基脂肪酸/前体物和异式脂肪酸/反异支链脂肪酸显著增加(P0.01)。冗余分析表明,土壤含水率、有机质和碱解氮是决定水田和果园土壤微生物群落结构差异的最重要因子(P0.01);改果园后,土壤微生物群落结构发生了阶段性变化,不同利用方式对微生物群落结构的影响程度要大于同一利用方式耕作不同年限对微生物群落结构的影响。研究表明,水田改果园后土壤理化性质以及生物学性质发生退化,土壤质量下降;而水田中微生物数量和种类都比较丰富,因而认为水田是土壤(地)可持续利用的一种有效方式。     

Assessment of soil quality indices for salt-affected agricultural land in Kurdistan Province,Iran

Soil quality indices (SQIs) were an important tool for evaluating agro-ecosystems. Salinization and alkalization are major environmental problems that have threatened agricultural productivity since ancient times. The aim of this study is to assess soil quality in salt-affected agricultural land in Kurdistan Province, Iran, using three indices; the Additive Soil Quality Index (SQI_a), the Weighted Additive Soil Quality Index (SQI_w), and the Nemoro Soil Quality Index (SQI_n). Each of the soil quality indices were calculated using a Total Data Set (TDS) and a Minimum Data Set (MDS) approach. The TDS consisted of nine soil quality parameters measured on 150 samples (0–30 cm depth): pH, Electrical Conductivity (EC), Organic Carbon (OC), Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), Carbonate Calcium Equivalent (CCE), Exchangeable Sodium Percentage (ESP), Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), Mean Weight Diameter (MWD), and Bulk Density (BD). Principal components analysis (PCA) was used to determine which indicators were to be included in the MDS. Indicator Kriging (IK) highlighted areas with a high risk of exceeding critical threshold values of EC, ESP, and SAR and having low soil quality. In non-salt-affected areas soil quality and the risk of exceeding critical threshold values and having low soil quality were lower and higher, respectively, compared to salt-affected regions. The MDS method showed a decrease in the area and proportion of grades with high and very high quality (I and II) and an increase in grades with low and very low quality (IV and V) compared to the TDS. The results of linear correlation, match, and kappa statistic analysis showed that soil quality was better estimated using the SQI_w compared to the SQI_a and the SQI_n. In addition there were higher values of agreement (match and kappa statistic) for the TSD than MSD. However, using the SQI_w index and MDS method can adequately represent the TDS (R² = 0.82) and thus reduce the time and cost involved in evaluating soil quality.     

土壤质量与土壤质量指标及其评价

土壤作为一种重要的自然资源可以为人类生产食物和纤维,并维持地球生态系统.土壤也是植物生长的媒介、水、热和化合物的源、水分的过滤器和废物分解的生物介质.土壤与水、气和植物互作并抑制环境的波动.土壤可以调节很多控制水气质量和促进植物生长的生态过程.土壤质量概念的引入使我们更全面地理解土壤,也有助于合理地使用和分配劳力、能源、财政和其它投入.土壤质量也提供了一个通用的概念使得专业人员、生产者和公众明白土壤的重要性.此外,它也是一个评价管理措施和土地利用变化对土壤影响的评价工具.土壤质量由土壤的物理、化学和生物性质组成,MDS已被科学家们提出用于土壤质量评价.国际上比较常用的评价方法主要有多变量指标克立格法、土壤质量动力学方法、土壤质量综合评分法和土壤相对质量法.人类对土地不和谐地利用和管理可以导致全球生物地球化学循环发生改变和加快土壤性质变化的速度,当前世界各地土壤退化相当严重,已日益威胁到人类赖以生存的土地资源.在探讨相关概念的基础上综述了近年来土地利用变化对土壤理化质量和生物质量的影响进展,以引起国内外学者对土地利用变化对土壤质量影响研究的重视,从而为探讨土地利用对土壤质量影响的机理和规律以及退化土地的恢复和区域土地资源管理以及土地的持续利提供理论依据.土壤质量未来的研究应该集中在土壤质量指标与评价方法;土壤质量变化的发生条件、过程、影响因素及其作用机理与时空规律性;尺度问题的研究;土壤质量保持与提高的途径及其关键技术研究.     

Simulation of watershed hydrology and stream water quality under land use and climate change scenarios in Teshio River watershed,northern Japan

Quantitative prediction of environmental impacts of land-use and climate change scenarios in a watershed can serve as a basis for developing sound watershed management schemes. Water quantity and quality are key environmental indicators which are sensitive to various external perturbations. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impacts of land-use and climate changes on water quantity and quality at watershed scale and to understand relationships between hydrologic components and water quality at that scale under different climate and land-use scenarios. We developed an approach for modeling and examining impacts of land-use and climate change scenarios on the water and nutrient cycles. We used an empirical land-use change model (Conversion of Land Use and its Effects, CLUE) and a watershed hydrology and nutrient model (Soil and Water Assessment Tool, SWAT) for the Teshio River watershed in northern Hokkaido, Japan. Predicted future land-use change (from paddy field to farmland) under baseline climate conditions reduced loads of sediment, total nitrogen (N) and total phosphorous (P) from the watershed to the river. This was attributable to higher nutrient uptake by crops and less nutrient mineralization by microbes, reduced nutrient leaching from soil, and lower water yields on farmland. The climate changes (precipitation and temperature) were projected to have greater impact in increasing surface runoff, lateral flow, groundwater discharge and water yield than would land-use change. Surface runoff especially decreased in April and May and increased in March and September with rising temperature. Under the climate change scenarios, the sediment and nutrient loads increased during the snowmelt and rainy seasons, while N and P uptakes by crops increased during the period when fertilizer is normally applied (May through August). The sediment and nutrient loads also increased with increasing winter rainfall because of warming in that season. Organic nutrient mineralization and nutrient leaching increased as well under climate change scenarios. Therefore, we predicted annual water yield, sediment and nutrient loads to increase under climate change scenarios. The sediment and nutrient loads were mainly supplied from agricultural land under land use in each climate change scenario, suggesting that riparian zones and adequate fertilizer management would be a potential mitigation strategy for reducing these negative impacts of land-use and climate changes on water quality. The proposed approach provides a useful source of information for assessing the consequences of hydrology processes and water quality in future land-use and climate change scenarios.     

The interaction of soil biota and soil structure under global change

The structural framework of soil mediates all soil processes, at all relevant scales. The spatio-temporal heterogeneity prevalent in most soils underpins the majority of biological diversity in soil, providing refuge sites for prey against predator, flow paths for biota to move, or be moved, and localized pools of substrate for biota to multiply. Just as importantly, soil biota play a crucial role in mediating soil structure: bacteria and fungi aggregate and stabilize structure at small scales (μm–cm) and earthworms and termites stabilize and create larger-scale structures (mm–m). The stability of this two-way interaction of structure and biota relations is crucial to the sustainability of the ecosystem. Soil is constantly reacting to changes in microclimates, and many of the soil–plant–microbe processes rely on the functioning of subtle chemical and physical gradients. The effect of global change on soil structure–biota interactions may be significant, through alterations in precipitation, temperature events, or land-use. Nonetheless, because of the complexity and the ubiquitous heterogeneity of these interactions, it is difficult to extrapolate from general qualitative predictions of the effects of perturbations to specific reactions. This paper reviews some of the main soil structure–biota interactions, particularly focusing on soil stability, and the role of biota mediating soil structures. The effect of alterations in climate and land-use on these interactions is investigated. Several case studies of the effect of land-use change are presented.     

Assessing the effects of land-use change on plant traits, communities and ecosystem functioning in grasslands: a standardized methodology and lessons from an application to 11 European sites

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: A standardized methodology to assess the impacts of land-use changes on vegetation and ecosystem functioning is presented. It assumes that species traits are central to these impacts, and is designed to be applicable in different historical, climatic contexts and local settings. Preliminary results are presented to show its applicability. METHODS: Eleven sites, representative of various types of land-use changes occurring in marginal agro-ecosystems across Europe and Israel, were selected. Climatic data were obtained at the site level; soil data, disturbance and nutrition indices were described at the plot level within sites. Sixteen traits describing plant stature, leaf characteristics and reproductive phase were recorded on the most abundant species of each treatment. These data were combined with species abundance to calculate trait values weighed by the abundance of species in the communities. The ecosystem properties selected were components of above-ground net primary productivity and decomposition of litter. KEY RESULTS: The wide variety of land-use systems that characterize marginal landscapes across Europe was reflected by the different disturbance indices, and were also reflected in soil and/or nutrient availability gradients. The trait toolkit allowed us to describe adequately the functional response of vegetation to land-use changes, but we suggest that some traits (vegetative plant height, stem dry matter content) should be omitted in studies involving mainly herbaceous species. Using the example of the relationship between leaf dry matter content and above-ground dead material, we demonstrate how the data collected may be used to analyse direct effects of climate and land use on ecosystem properties vs. indirect effects via changes in plant traits. CONCLUSIONS: This work shows the applicability of a set of protocols that can be widely applied to assess the impacts of global change drivers on species, communities and ecosystems.     

不同植被恢复类型的土壤肥力质量评价

科学确定森林土壤肥力指标并进行肥力质量的评价,对立地生产力和多目标森林经营的研究有着重要意义。以采伐(径级12 cm择伐)迹地上发育来的稀树灌丛、针叶林、针阔混交林和常绿阔叶林为研究对象,进行每木调查与群落分析,并比较各群落土壤因子间的差异,用典范对应分析(CCA)和因子分析对土壤肥力质量进行定量评价。结果表明,CCA可以有效地筛选土壤肥力质量指标,有助于质量指标的科学确定;土壤肥力质量综合评价分值为稀树灌丛(0.438)常绿阔叶林(0.414)针阔混交林(-0.170)针叶林(-0.331);演替初期(19 a)的植被恢复并未使土壤结构发生明显变化,土壤肥力质量是下降的;无人为干扰的3种群落类型,针叶林表现为更高的生物量积累,而天然更新的常绿阔叶林则更有利于生物多样性的增加与土壤养分的保蓄。     

近50年冀北高原土地利用变化的土壤生境效应

区域性土壤生境的变化,很大程度上取决于该区土地利用及其覆被的变化．通过冀北高原近50年不同时段的资料分析证实,大片天然草场无序垦为耕地的利用变化及伴随的管理粗放,致土壤生境发生系列负面效应,土壤养分逐年下降．50年中,该区土壤有机质,N、P、K全量及速效态量分别以36．90％、67．77％、44．44％、34．15％、32．22％、58．90％、35．29％的降幅趋势性地下降;砂、粉、粘三项表征土壤物性特征的不同土粒含量则以18．24％、19．55％和12．29％升降皆有的幅度变化．这一结果揭示,为确保区位重要、生境脆弱区的土地质量不因利用变化和随时间推移而下降,永续处于动态平衡,务必科学管理,技术举措到位。     

Plant response traits mediate the effects of subalpine grasslands on soil moisture

* In subalpine grasslands, changes in abiotic conditions with decreased management intensity alter the functional composition of plant communities, leading to modifications of ecosystem properties. Here, it is hypothesized that the nature of plant feedbacks on soil moisture is determined by the values of key traits at the community level. * As community functional parameters of grasslands change along a gradient of land uses, those traits that respond most to differences in abiotic conditions produced by land use changes were identified. A vegetation removal experiment was then conducted to determine how each plant community affected soil moisture. * Soil moisture was negatively correlated with community root length and positively correlated with canopy height, whereas average leaf area was associated with productivity. These traits were successfully used to predict the effects on soil moisture of each plant community in the removal experiment. This result was validated using data from an additional set of fields. * These findings demonstrate that the modification of soil moisture following land use change in subalpine grasslands can be mediated through those plant functional traits that respond to water availability.     

中国森林土壤碳储量与土壤碳过程研究进展

森林是陆地生态系统的主体,是陆地上最大的碳储库和碳吸收汇。国内外研究表明,土壤亚系统在调节森林生态系统碳循环和减缓全球气候变化中起着重要作用。但是,由于森林类型的多样性、结构的复杂性以及森林对干扰和变化环境响应的时空动态变化,至今对森林土壤碳储量和变率的科学估算,以及土壤关键碳过程及其稳定性维持机制的认识还十分有限。综述了近十几年来我国森林土壤碳储量和土壤碳过程的研究工作,主要包括不同森林类型土壤碳储量、土壤碳化学稳定性、土壤呼吸及其组分、土壤呼吸影响机制、气候变化与土地利用对土壤碳过程的影响等;评述了土壤碳过程相关科学问题的研究进展,讨论了尚未解决的主要问题,并分析了未来土壤碳研究的发展趋势,以期为促进我国森林土壤碳循环研究,科学评价森林土壤碳固持潜力及其稳定性维持机制和有效实施森林生态系统管理提供科学参考。     

In-between forest expansion and cropland decline: A revised USLE model for soil erosion risk under land-use change in a Mediterranean region

The present study illustrates an original approach for the long-term assessment of soil erosion risk under land-use changes in a Mediterranean region (Matera, southern Italy). The study has been focused on the implementation of a modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model at three time points (1960, 1990, 2010) with the objective to evaluate the contribution of each component to model's performance and model outcomes’ reliability. A modified USLE model was proposed for the assessment of soil erosion risk, based on the simplification of model’s parameters and the use of high spatial resolution datasets. Spatio-temporal variability in the model's outcomes was analyzed for basic land-use classes. Our approach has improved model's flexibility with the use of high spatial resolution layers, producing reliable long-term estimates of soil loss for the study area.     

Land-use and soil depth affect resource and microbial stoichiometry in a tropical mountain rainforest region of southern Ecuador

Global change phenomena, such as forest disturbance and land-use change, significantly affect elemental balances as well as the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems. However, the importance of shifts in soil nutrient stoichiometry for the regulation of belowground biota and soil food webs have not been intensively studied for tropical ecosystems. In the present account, we examine the effects of land-use change and soil depth on soil and microbial stoichiometry along a land-use sequence (natural forest, pastures of different ages, secondary succession) in the tropical mountain rainforest region of southern Ecuador. Furthermore, we analyzed (PLFA-method) whether shifts in the microbial community structure were related to alterations in soil and microbial stoichiometry. Soil and microbial stoichiometry were affected by both land-use change and soil depth. After forest disturbance, significant decreases of soil C:N:P ratios at the pastures were followed by increases during secondary succession. Microbial C:N ratios varied slightly in response to land-use change, whereas no fixed microbial C:P and N:P ratios were observed. Shifts in microbial community composition were associated with soil and microbial stoichiometry. Strong positive relationships between PLFA-markers 18:2n6,9c (saprotrophic fungi) and 20:4 (animals) and negative associations between 20:4 and microbial N:P point to land-use change affecting the structure of soil food webs. Significant deviations from global soil and microbial C:N:P ratios indicated a major force of land-use change to alter stoichiometric relationships and to structure biological systems. Our results support the idea that soil biotic communities are stoichiometrically flexible in order to adapt to alterations in resource stoichiometry.     

Crown condition assessment: An accurate,precise and efficient method with broad applicability to Eucalyptus

Assessment of crown condition is a useful tool for monitoring forest health and is used widely to assess tree dieback and decline. Multiple methods used to assess eucalypt crown condition are difficult to compare across studies. Furthermore, the relative effectiveness of the available methods has not been evaluated. The objective of this study was to find an accurate, precise and efficient method for the assessment of crown condition in eucalypts. Four widely used methods were used to assess the crown condition of 516 eucalypt trees from Tasmania and Western Australia. Two of the methods assessed individual crown condition parameters (single‐parameter methods) which could then be added to give an overall score for condition (additive parameter). The other two methods use a single score to encompass many crown parameters (combined‐parameter methods). A selection of trees was scored on multiple occasions and by multiple assessors to determine repeatability and reproducibility. Data were analysed by Spearman's correlations and principal components analysis. All scored parameters were positively correlated to varying degrees. All parameters were distributed along a single‐principal components analysis axis, with the parameters from the single‐parameter methods having the greatest weightings. In order to address the objective of this study five criteria were developed for consideration of parameters that assess crown condition: (i) capacity to assess dieback (high correlation with other crown parameters, and capacity to indicate the presence of dieback symptoms in the crown); (ii) observer bias (sensitivity to minor change and small difference between observers); (iii) repeatability (sensitivity to minor change and small difference between years); (iv) capacity to assess different species; and (v) efficiency to score. Methods that best met these criteria used additive parameters derived from the crown parameters of primary crown dieback, epicormic growth and either crown shrinkage or dead branches. The single most useful parameter for assessment of eucalypt crown condition was primary crown dieback. This parameter was found to be the most accurate and precise measure of crown condition and is efficient to score. Primary crown dieback is recommended as the standard method for assessment of crown condition of eucalypt trees.     

Assessing trends in climate aridity and vulnerability to soil degradation in Italy

The present study illustrates a framework to analyze changes in climate aridity and soil degradation on a country scale in Italy. The spatial distribution of an indicator of soil vulnerability to degradation (the SQI, soil quality index) was compared with an aridity index (the ratio of annual rainfall to annual reference evapotranspiration) estimated on a decadal basis during 1951–2010. The aridity index decreased by 0.38% per year indicating increased aridity and a non-uniform spatial distribution of soil vulnerability to degradation. Changes in the aridity index were found associated with the lowest SQI classes, suggesting that the largest increase in climate aridity affects land with high-quality soils. Territorial disparities in the aridity index between high-quality and low-quality soils decreased over time indicating a more homogeneous and dry climate regime prevailing in the more recent decades. Results may inform sustainable land management policies and National Action Plans to combat desertification in the Mediterranean region. Areas classified at increased aridity and high vulnerability to soil degradation should be identified as a key target for climate change mitigation policies. Sustainable land management strategies are required to address the dependency between climate variations, land-use changes and soil degradation processes.     

Litter type and soil minerals control temperate forest soil carbon response to climate change

Temperate forest soil organic carbon (C) represents a significant pool of terrestrial C that may be released to the atmosphere as CO₂ with predicted changes in climate. To address potential feedbacks between climate change and terrestrial C turnover, we quantified forest soil C response to litter type and temperature change as a function of soil parent material. We collected soils from three conifer forests dominated by ponderosa pine (PP; Pinus ponderosa Laws.); white fir [WF; Abies concolor (Gord. and Glend.) Lindl.]; and red fir (RF; Abies magnifica A. Murr.) from each of three parent materials, granite (GR), basalt (BS), and andesite (AN) in the Sierra Nevada of California. Field soils were incubated at their mean annual soil temperature (MAST), with addition of native ¹³C‐labeled litter to characterize soil C mineralization under native climate conditions. Further, we incubated WF soils at PP MAST with ¹³C‐labeled PP litter, and RF soils at WF MAST with ¹³C‐labeled WF litter to simulate a migration of MAST and litter type, and associated change in litter quality, up‐elevation in response to predicted climate warming. Results indicated that total CO₂ and percent of CO₂ derived from soil C varied significantly by parent material, following the pattern of GR>BS>AN. Regression analyses indicated interactive control of C mineralization by litter type and soil minerals. Soils with high short‐range‐order (SRO) mineral content exhibited little response to varying litter type, whereas PP litter enriched in acid‐soluble components promoted a substantial increase of extant soil C mineralization in soils of low SRO mineral content. Climate change conditions increased soil C mineralization greater than 200% in WF forest soils. In contrast, little to no change in soil C mineralization was noted for the RF forest soils, suggesting an ecosystem‐specific climate change response. The climate change response varied by parent material, where AN soils exhibited minimal change and GR and BS soils mineralized substantially greater soil C. This study corroborates the varied response in soil C mineralization by parent material and highlights how the soil mineral assemblage and litter type may interact to control conifer forest soil C response to climate change.