Soil nematode responses to natural forest conversion into chestnut plantations

The experimental site was located near Guting Village (Fujian Province, China, 27°38′ N and 118°16′E), within the Wuyi Mountain range, a subtropical montane forest ecosystem. The forest was characterized by a Fagaceae-dominated canopy, featuring four Castanopsis species (carlesii, eyrei, fargesii, tibetana), accompanied by Schima superba (Theaceae) and the evergreen oak Cyclobalanopsis glauca. The soils at the site were developed from granitic parent material and are classified as red earths, corresponding to Oxisols in the USDA Soil Taxonomy system. The site is subjected to a subtropical monsoon climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. Mean annual rainfall is ca 1800 mm distributed unevenly across the year and the mean annual air temperature is ca 18°C.