Abstract:Soil enzyme, the sensitive bio-indictor to environmental change in soil ecosystem, plays an essential role in soil ecological processes, such as litter decomposition, organic matter accumulation and nutrient cycling. Including others, climate change with temperature dynamics always have a great effect on soil enzyme activity. Seasonal freeze-thaw cycle in the subalpine/alpine region is a common climate phenomenon, which could change soil enzyme activity, and then soil ecological processes. However, little information has been available. In order to understand soil oxidordeuctases activities and their responses to seasonal freeze-thaw cycle in the subalpine/alpine forests of western Sichuan, three fir (Abies faxoniana) forests were selected covering a 600 m vertical transition zone. The primary fir forest at 3852 m of altitude, fir and birch mixed forest at 3298 m of altitude, and secondary fir forest at 3023 m of altitude are representative forests in the subalpine and alpine region of west Sichuan. Based on the simultaneous monitoring of soil temperature, soils were sampled in different stages as the onset of soil freezing period, soil frozen period, soil thawing period and growing period from November 2008 to October 2009. The activities of soil peroxidase, dehydrogenase, and catalase were measured. There were obvious seasonal freeze-thaw processes in sampled forests at different altitudes, and the length of seasonal freeze-thaw and the number of freeze-thaw cycle increased with the increase of altitude. Seasonal freeze-thaw cycle significantly affected the activities of soil oxidordeuctases, but the responses of soil oxidordeuctase activities were varied with soil enzyme types. The activities of soil peroxidase and dehydrogenase decreased in the onset of soil freezing period with the decrease of soil temperature, but soil catalase activity increased. Soil oxidordeuctases activities displayed few changes in soil frozen period. However, soil oxidordeuctases activities sharply increased with the increase of soil temperature in soil thawing period. The activities of all investigated soil oxidordeuctases reached to an obvious peak in soil thawing period. The changes of soil oxidordeuctases activity at 2583 m were more significant in comparison with those at 3298 m and 3023 m due to longer freezing length and more freeze-thaw cycles. Meanwhile, the interaction of altitude and soil layer had significant effects on soil peroxidase activities, but had insignificant effects on soil dehydrogenase and catalase activities. Additionally, soil dehydrogenase activities were significantly correlated with soil temperature, but the correlations between soil temperature and the activity of soil peroxidase and catalase differed with altitudes. The results suggest that soil oxidordeuctases in wintertime still keep relative higher activities in the subalpine and alpine forest of western Sichuan, although the seasonal freeze-thaw cycle and its changes have significant effects on the activities of soil oxidordeuctases.