Data supporting Tree evenness enhances soil carbon stabilization and saturation in temperate forests

Here, our investigation across six temperate forests demonstrates that tree evenness was a stronger predictor of MAOC storage and saturation than tree richness. Increasing tree evenness from its minimum to maximum observed value was associated with a 1.98-fold increase in MAOC storage, with a stronger effect than climate, carbon inputs, soil properties, and the chemical composition of soil organic matter (SOM).

Tree evenness amplifies the positive effects of tree richness and carbon inputs on MAOC storage. Furthermore, tree evenness enhances MAOC storage by increasing the molecular-level evenness of soil organic matter. Overall, by integrating the roles of tree evenness and molecular-level evenness of SOM in regulating MAOC, our study provides mechanistic insights into how managing tree species composition can enhance soil carbon.</p>