Abstract:【Objective】The abundant phytoliths in the forest ecosystem can seal part of the organic carbon in the soil, thus forming a stable carbon pool, which plays an important role in maintaining global carbon balance.【Method】Four different types of subtropical woodlots, i.e. bamboo forest, broad-leaved forest, coniferous forest and coniferous- and broad-leaved mixed forest, in the Jinyun Mountain of Chongqing were selected as research objects in this study. Distribution of soil phytolith and phytolith carbon in the 0~20, 20~40, 40~60 and 60~100 cm soil layers under the forests was studied.【Result】Results show that the soil profile (0~100 cm) under the bamboo forest was the highest in content and reserves of organic carbon, content and reserves of phytolith and content and reserves of phytolith carbon. Both organic carbon and phytolith carbon tended to concentrate in the topsoil layer (0~20 cm) in all the four types of forest soils and declined in content with soil depth. In terms of average content of soil phytolith-occluded organic carbon in the 0~100 cm soil profile, the four forest soils exhibites an order of bamboo forest (1.96 g•kg-1) > coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest (0.52 g•kg-1) >coniferous forest (0.33 g•kg-1) > broad-leaved forest(0.28 g•kg-1); the soil phytolith and the phytolith-occluded organic carbon in the bamboo forest were the highest, and significantly higher than their respective ones in the other three forests (P<0.05), and the lowest in the broad-leaved forest. Phytolith carbon showed a trend of surface enrichment in all the four forests. Correlation analysis found that phytolith was significantly and closely related to phytolith-occluded organic carbon (P<0.01), but significantly and negatively related to organic carbon in phytoliths (P<0.05). 【Conclusion】Among the four forest types of forests in the Jinyun Mountain, bamboo forests are the highest in content and storage of soil organic carbon, phytolith, phytolith-occluded organic carbon, and hence a good carbon-rich forest type.