ABSTRACT
Taking the typical karst peak-cluster depressions in Huanjiang County of northwest Guangxi as the objects, and by using the method of replacing time with space, an analysis was made on the dynamic changes of top soil (0-15 cm) nutrients and their dominant controlling factors during the process of vegetation succession. With the positive succession of vegetation (herb-shrub-secondary forest-primary forest), the soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) contents increased significantly, with the soil SOC, TN, and TP increased from 29.1 g x kg(-1), 2.48 g x kg(-1), and 0.72 g x kg(-1) in herb community to 73.9 g x kg(-1), 8.10 g x kg(-1), and 1.6 g x kg(-1) in primary forest, respectively, which indicated that the positive succession of vegetation was helpful to the soil nutrient accumulation. The soil cation exchange capacity (CEC) had close relationships with the soil SOC and TN, being the primary controlling factor for the accumulation of the soil C and N. The litter P content, C/P ratio, and N/P ratio were the major factors controlling the P accumulation in the topsoil. The litters higher P content and N/P ratio and smaller C/P ratio were helpful for the P accumulation. Topographic indices (slope, aspect, and rock exposure ratio) had little effects on the soil nutrients.