To reveal the differences in soil microbial nutrient limitation and nutrient availability at the aggregate scale of soil types in a subtropical forest in China, the O/A horizon （0-3 cm and 0-7 cm, respectively） and AB horizon （below O/A horizon to 20 cm depth） of typical acidic red soil and neutral limestone soil in Northern Guangxi were studied. The activities of carbon-acquiring enzymes （sucrase, amylase,