Abstract: The shortterm fluctuation of soil organic matter mainly takes place in its labile fraction, and readily oxidizable carbon (ROC), a sensitive factor of soil active organic carbon, is always considered as one of the indices in predicting the early change of soil organic matter. By using potassium permanganate oxidation, the change characteristics of soil ROC in evergreen broadleaf forest (200-1 000 m above sea level), coniferous forest (1 350-1 750 m above sea level), dwarf forest (1 750-1 900 m above sea level), and alpine meadow (1 700-2 158 m above sea level) in Wuyi Mountains Natural Reserve in Fujian of China was studied, with the relationships of soil ROC with soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), and moisture content analyzed. The results showed that the content of soil ROC increased with elevation, but decreased with soil depth. Soil ROC had positive correlations with soil MBC, TOC, TN, and moisture content, and the percentage of soil ROC to soil TOC (8.69%-14.73%) was 3.32-11.41 times higher than that of soil MBC to soil TOC. The soil ROC along the elevation gradient was significantly affected by soil TOC, moisture, and temperature.

Key words: Pinus sylvestriformis, Soil respiration rate, Soil temperature, Soil humidity