Will rising atmospheric CO 2 affect leaf litter quality and in situ decomposition rates in native plant communities?

Oecologia ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 110 (3) ◽  
pp. 387-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Hirschel ◽  
C. Körner ◽  
J. A. Arnone III.
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
In Situ Decomposition

Increased atmospheric CO2 and litter quality

1998 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Francesca Cotrufo ◽  
Björn Berg ◽  
Werner Kratz
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Castanea Sativa ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Chemical Changes ◽  
Substrate Quality ◽  
N Concentration

There is evidence that N concentration in hardwood leaf litter is reduced when plants are raised in an elevated CO2 atmosphere. Reductions in the N concentration of leaf litter have been found for tree species raised under elevated CO2, with reduction in N concentration ranging from ca. 50% for sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa) to 19% for sycamore (Acer platanoides). However, the effects of elevated CO2 on the chemical composition of litter has been investigated only for a limited number of species. There is also little information on the effects of increased CO2 on the quality of root tissues. If we consider, for example, two important European forest ecosystem types, the dominant species investigated for chemical changes are just a few. Thus, there are whole terrestrial ecosystems in which not a single species has been investigated, meaning that the observed effects of a raised CO2 level on plant litter actually has a large error source. Few reports present data on the effects of elevated CO2 on litter nutrients other than N, which limits our ability to predict the effects of elevated CO2 on litter quality and thus on its decomposability. In litter decomposition three separate steps are seen: (i) the initial stages, (ii) the later stages, and (iii) the final stages. The concept of "substrate quality," translated into chemical composition, will thus change between early stages of decomposition and later ones, with a balanced proportion of nutrients (e.g., N, P, S) being required in the early decomposition phase. In the later stages decomposition rates are ruled by lignin degradation and that process is regulated by the availability of certain nutrients (e.g., N, Mn), which act as signals to the lignin-degrading soil microflora. In the final stages the decomposition comes to a stop or may reach an extremely low decomposition rate, so low that asymptotic decomposition values may be estimated and negatively related to N concentrations. Studies on the effects of changes in chemical composition on the decomposability of litter have mainly been made during the early decomposition stages and they generally report decreased litter quality (e.g., increased C/N ratio), resulting in lower decomposition rates for litter raised under elevated CO2 as compared with control litter. No reports are found relating chemical changes induced by elevated CO2 to litter mass-loss rates in late stages. By most definitions, at these stages litter has turned into humus, and many studies demonstrated that a raising of the N level may suppress humus decomposition rate. It is thus reasonable to speculate that a decrease in N levels in humus would accelerate decomposition and allow it to proceed further. There are no experimental data on the long-term effect of elevated CO2 levels, and a decrease in the storage of humus and nutrients could be predicted, at least in temperate and boreal forest systems. Future works on the effects of elevated CO2 on litter quality need to include studies of a larger number of nutrients and chemical components, and to cover different stages of decomposition. Additionally, the response of plant litter quality to elevated CO2 needs to be investigated under field conditions and at the community level, where possible shifts in community composition (i.e., C3 versus C4 ; N2 fixers versus nonfixers) predicted under elevated CO2 are taken into account.Key words: climate change, substrate quality, carbon dioxide, plant litter, chemical composition, decomposition.

scholarly journals Effects of gamma irradiation on instream leaf litter decomposition

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luz Boyero ◽  
Naiara López-Rojo ◽  
Javier Pérez ◽  
Alan M. Tonin ◽  
Francisco Correa-Araneda ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gamma Irradiation ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Litter Chemistry ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Fine Mesh ◽  
And Control ◽  
Control Litter

AbstractLeaf litter decomposition is a key process in stream ecosystems, the rates of which can vary with changes in litter quality or its colonization by microorganisms. Decomposition in streams is increasingly used to compare ecosystem functioning globally, often requiring the distribution of litter across countries. It is important to understand whether litter sterilization, which is required by some countries, can alter the rates of decomposition and associated processes. We examined whether litter sterilization with gamma irradiation (25 kGy) influenced decomposition rates, litter stoichiometry, and colonization by invertebrates after weeks of instream incubation within coarse-mesh and fine-mesh litterbags. We used nine plant species from three families that varied widely in litter chemistry but found mostly consistent responses, with no differences in decomposition rates or numbers of invertebrates found at the end of the incubation period. However, litter stoichiometry differed between irradiated and control litter, with greater nutrient losses (mostly phosphorus) in the former. Therefore, the effects of irradiation on litter chemistry should be taken into account in studies focused on stoichiometry but not necessarily in those focused on decomposition rates, at least within the experimental timescale considered here.

Biochemical properties of highly mineralised and infertile soil modified by acacia and spinifex plants in northwest Queensland, Australia

Soil Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 265 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang You ◽  
Ram C. Dalal ◽  
Longbin Huang
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Basal Respiration ◽  
Growth Media ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Root Zones ◽  
Available Nutrients

Root zone soil properties can significantly influence the establishment of revegetated plant communities and alter their development trajectories in mined landscapes, due to closely coupled biogeochemical linkages between soil and plant systems. The present study aimed to characterise physicochemical and biochemical conditions in soil colonised by slow-growing native plant species: Acacia chisholmii (C3, native leguminous shrub) and Triodia pungens (spinifex C4 grass) in Mt Isa, North-west Queensland, Australia. This is to provide the basis for engineering growth media and root zones suitable for supporting target native plant communities to be revegetated in mined landscapes under subtropical and semiarid climatic conditions. Litter chemistry, soil physicochemical properties, and microbial community structure based on phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) biomarker method and activities (basal respiration, net mineralisation, dehydrogenase, invertase, urease and neutral phosphatase activities) were characterised in the surface soils beneath the keystone native plant species. Results showed that soils sampled were generally infertile with low levels of total organic carbon (TOC), available nutrients and slow cycling processes with bacteria dominant microbial communities supporting the native plant species. Surface soils underneath acacia and spinifex were modified by in situ litter return, in terms of TOC, and structure and functions of microbial communities. The levels of soil microbial biomass C and N, basal respiration rate and net mineralisation rate in the acacia soil were twice as much as those in the spinifex. Microbial communities in the acacia soil had a greater fungal:bacterial ratio than in the spinifex. On this basis, growth media and root zones for revegetating native acacia-spinifex communities at local mined landscapes may be engineered by using plant organic matter remediation to supply available nutrients and to rehabilitate suitable microbial communities for in situ litter decomposition and nutrient cycling.

Leaf Litter Decomposition of Nonnative Shrub Species in Nonnative and Native Shrub Environments: A Field Experiment with Three Rosaceae Shrubs

2015 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vojtěch Lanta ◽  
Terho Hyvönen ◽  
Kai Norrdahl
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Plant Material ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Rubus Idaeus ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Rosa Rugosa ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Patch Type ◽  
Abiotic Conditions

AbstractInvasion by nonnative plants may have ecosystem-wide effects, altering the decomposition rate of plant material via changes in litter quality or altered environment (abiotic conditions, associated biotic community), or both. Yet, the relative importance of these factors for decomposition rates is not clear. We studied decomposition using the leaves of related shrub species (nonnative Sorbaria sorbifolia and Rosa rugosa, native Rubus idaeus) with comparable physiognomy but different leaf characteristics and origin (alien vs. native) in patches formed by S. sorbifolia and Rubus idaeus in southwestern Finland. Decomposition of cellulose in the topsoils of the patches was also studied. Using litter bags, we found that S. sorbifolia leaf litter decomposed slowest and Rosa rugosa leaves fastest irrespective of patch type. Topsoils in S. sorbifolia patches were richer in carbon, nitrogen, and calcium than those of Rubus idaeus, but these differences did not affect decomposition rates. Very little decomposition appeared to happen during the winter but during the summer, microclimate had minor but significant effects on decomposition rates. Our results highlight the key role of litter source in the decomposition of plant material. Between-patch differences in abiotic conditions appear to play a minor role relative to litter quality.

scholarly journals Combined effects of water temperature, grazing snails and terrestrial herbivores on leaf decomposition in urban streams

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e7580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongyong Xiang ◽  
Yixin Zhang ◽  
David Atkinson ◽  
Raju Sekar
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Water Temperature ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Urban Streams ◽  
Combined Effects ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Terrestrial Insects

The decomposition of organic matter in freshwaters, such as leaf litter, can affect global nutrient (e.g., carbon) cycling. This process can be influenced by fast urbanization through increased water temperature, reduced aquatic diversity and changed leaf litter quality traits. In this study, we performed a mesocosm experiment to explore the individual and combined effects of warming (8°C higher and ambient), the presence versus absence of grazing snails (Parafossarulus striatulus), and intraspecific difference of leaf litter quality (intact versus > 40% area of Liriodendron chinense leaves grazed by terrestrial insects) on litter decomposition in urban streams. Litter decomposition rates ranged from 0.019 d−1 to 0.058 d−1 with an average decomposition rate of 0.032 ± 0.002 d−1. All the three factors had significant effects on litter decomposition rate. Warming and the presence of snails accelerated litter decomposition rates by 60% and 35% respectively. Litter decomposition rates of leaves damaged by terrestrial insects were 5% slower than that of intact leaves, because litter quality of terrestrial insect-damaged leaves was lower (i.e., higher specific leaf weight) than intact leaves. For treatments with snails, warming stimulated microbial and snail mediated litter decomposition rates by 35% and 167%, respectively. All combinations of treatments showed additive effects on litter decomposition except for the interaction between warming and snails which showed positive synergistic effects. In addition, neither temperature nor litter quality affected snail growth rate. These results imply that higher water temperature and the presence of abundant snails in urban streams greatly enhanced litter decomposition. Moreover, the effect of pest outbreaks, which resulted in lower litter quality, can cascade to aquatic ecosystems by retarding microbe-mediated litter decomposition. When these factors co-occurred, warming could synergistically interact with snails to speed up the depletion of organic matter, while the effect of leaf quality on litter decomposition may be diminished at high water temperature. These effects could further influence stream food webs and nutrient cycling.

scholarly journals A comparative in situ decomposition study using still born piglets and leaf litter from a deciduous forest

2017 ◽  
Vol 276 ◽  
pp. 85-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayodeji O. Olakanye ◽  
Andrew Nelson ◽  
T. Komang Ralebitso-Senior
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
In Situ Decomposition

The decomposition rates of leaf litter and fine root and their temperature sensitivities are influenced differently by biotic factors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanshan Song ◽  
Xiaokang Hu ◽  
Jiangling Zhu ◽  
Tianli Zheng ◽  
Fan Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Biotic Factors ◽  
Decomposition Rates
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