Variation in litter decomposition-temperature relationships between coniferous and broadleaf forests in Huangshan Mountain, China

Abstract

A study was conducted to identify the differences in the decompositions of leaf litter, lignin and carbohydrate between coniferous forest and broadleaf forest at 20°C and 30°C in Huangshan Mountain, Anhui Province, China. Results showed that at 20°C mass loss of leaf litter driven by microbial decomposers was higher in broadleaf forest than that in coniferous forest, whereas the difference in mass loss of leaf litter was not significant at 30°C. The temperature increase did not affect the mass loss of leaf litter for coniferous forest treatment, but significantly reduced the decomposition rate for broadleaf forest treatment. The functional decomposers of microorganism in broadleaf forest produced a higher lignin decomposition rate at 20°C, compared to that in coniferous forest, but the difference in lignin decomposition was not found between two forest types at 30°C. Improved temperature increased the lignin decomposition for both broadleaf and coniferous forest. Additionally, the functional group of microorganism from broadleaf forest showed marginally higher carbohydrate loss than that from coniferous forest at both temperatures. Temperature increase reduced the carbohydrate decomposition for broadleaf forest, while only a little reduce was found for coniferous forest. Remarkable differences occurred in responses between most enzymes (Phenoloxidase, peroxidase, β-glucosidase and endocellulase) and decomposition rate of leaf litter to forest type and temperature, although there exist strong relationships between measured enzyme activities and decomposition rate in most cases. The reason is that more than one enzyme contribute to the mass loss of leaf litter and organic chemical components. In conclusion, at a community scale the coniferous and broadleaf forests differed in their temperature-decomposition relationships.

Keywords

Castanopsis eyrei / Mass loss / Lignin / Carbohydrate / Temperature / Decomposition / Enzyme / Leaf litter

References

[1] Aerts R. Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems: a triangular relationship Oikos, 1997, 79: 439-449.

[2] Almin K.E., Eriksson K.E. Enzymic degradation of polymers, I. Viscometric method for the determination of enzymic activity Biochinica et Biophysica Acta, 1967, 139: 238-247.

[3] Anderson J.M., Hetherington S.L. Temperature, nitrogen availability and mixture effects on the decomposition of heather [Calluna vulgaris (L.) Hull] and bracken [Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn] litters Functional Ecology, 1999, 13: 116-124.

[4] Austin A.T., Vitousek P.M. Precipitation, decomposition and litter decomposability of Metrosideros polymorpha in native forests on Hawaii Journal of Ecology, 2000, 88: 129-138.

[5] Ayres E., Dromph K.M., Bardgett R.D. Do plant species encourage soil biota that specialize in the rapid decomposition of their litter? Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2006, 38: 183-186.

[6] Bååth E., Frostegård, Pennanen T., Fritze H. Microbial community structure and pH response in relation to soil organic matter quality in wood-ash fertilized, clear-cut or burned coniferous forest soils Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 1995, 27: 229-240.

[7] Bargali S.S., Singh S.P., Singh R.P. Patterns of weight loss and nutrient release from decomposing leaf litter in an age series of eucalypt plantations Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 1993, 25: 1731-1738.

[8] Brown S., Lugo A.E. Tropical secondary forests Journal of Tropical Ecology, 1990, 6: 1-32.

[9] Cleveland C.C., Reed S.C., Townsend A.R. Nutrient regulation of organic matter decomposition in a tropical rain forest Ecology, 2006, 87: 492-503.

[10] De Santo A.V., Rutigliano F.A., Berg B., Fioretto A., Puppi G., Alfani A. Fungal mycelium and decomposition of needle litter in three contrasting coniferous forests Acta Oecologia, 2002, 23: 247-259.

[11] Freeman C., Ostle N., Kang H. An enzymatic ‘latch’ on a global carbon store Nature, 2001, 409: 149

[12] Gartner T.B., Cardon Z.G. Decomposition dynamics in mixed-species leaf litter Oikos, 2004, 104: 230-246.

[13] Giardina C.P., Ryan M.G. Evidence that decomposition rates of organic carbon in mineral soil do not vary with temperature Nature, 2000, 404: 858-861.

[14] Guo L.B., Sims R.E.H. Eucalypt litter decomposition and nutrient release under a short rotation forest regime and effluent irrigation treatments in New Zealand-I. External effects Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2001, 33(10): 1381-1388.

[15] Hao J., Tian X., Song F., He X., Zhang Z., Zhang Peng. Involvement of lignocellulolytic enzymes in the decomposition of leaf litter in a subtropical forest Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 2006, 53(3): 193-198.

[16] Hobbie S.E. Temperature and plant species control over litter decomposition in Alaskan Tundra Ecological Monograph, 1996, 66: 503-522.

[17] Huang Y., Eglinton G., Van Der Hage E.R.E., Boon J.J., Bol R., Ineson P. Dissolved organic matter and its parent organic matter in grass upland soil horizons studied by analytical pyrolysis techniques European Journal of Soil Science, 1998, 49: 1-15.

[18] Hughes R.F., Kauffman J.B., Jaramillo V.J. Biomass, carbon, and nutrient dynamics of secondary forests in a humid tropical region of Mexico Ecology, 1999, 80: 1892-1907.

[19] Hyvönen R., Berg M.P., Ågren G.I. Modelling carbon dynamics in coniferous forest soils in a temperature gradient Plant and Soil, 2002, 242: 33-39.

[20] King H.G.C., Heath G.W. The chemical analysis of small samples of leaf material and the relationship between the disappearance and composition of leaves Pedobiologia, 1967, 7: 192-197.

[21] Kourtev P.S., Ehrenfeld J.G., Huang W.Z. Enzyme activities during litter decomposition of two exotic and two native plant species in hardwood forests of New Jersey Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2002, 34: 1207-1218.

[22] Kuperman R.G. Litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in oak-hickory forests along a historic gradient of nitrogen and sulfur deposition Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 1999, 31: 237-244.

[23] Law B.E., Thornton P.E., Irvine J., Anthoni P.M., van Tuyl S. Carbon storage and fluxes in ponderosa pine forests at different developmental stages Global Change Biology, 2001, 7: 755-777.

[24] Luxhøi J., Magid J., Tscherko D., Kandeler E. Dynamics of invertase, xylanase and coupled quality indices of decomposing green and brown plant residues Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2002, 34(4): 501-508.

[25] Mo J.M., Brown S., Xue J.H., Fang Y.T., Li Z.A. Response of litter decomposition to simulated N deposition in disturbed, rehabilitated and mature forests in subtropical China Plant and Soil, 2006, 282: 135-151.

[26] Olson J.S. Energy storage and the balance of producers and decomposers in ecological systems Ecology, 1963, 44: 322-331.

[27] Osono T., Takeda H. Comparison of litter decomposing ability among diverse fungi in a cool temperate deciduous forest in Japan Mycologia, 2002, 94: 421-427.

[28] Osono T., Takeda H. Fungal decomposition of Abies needle and Betula leaf litter Mycologia, 2006, 98(2): 172-179.

[29] Parmelee, R.W. 1995. Soil fauna: linking different levels of the ecological hierarchy. In: Jones, C.G., Lawton, J. (eds.), Linking species and ecosystems. Chapman and Hall, pp. 107–116.

[30] Pennanen T., Liski J., Bååth E., Kitunen V., Uotila J., Westman C.J., Fritze H. Structure of the microbial communities in coniferous forest soils in relation to site fertility and stand development stage Microbial Ecology, 1999, 38: 168-179.

[31] Petersen H., Luxton M. A comparative analysis of soil fauna populations and their role in decomposition processes Oikos, 1982, 39: 287-388.

[32] Reith F., Drake H.L., Küsel K. Anaerobic activities of bacteria and fungi in moderately acidic conifer and deciduous leaf litter Fems Microbiology Ecology, 2002, 41(1): 27-35.

[33] Saetre P. Spatial patterns of ground vegetation, soil microbial biomass and activity in a mixed spruce-birch stand Ecography, 1999, 22(2): 183-192.

[34] Salamanca E.F., Raubuch M., Joergensen R.G. Relationships between soil microbial indices in secondary tropical forest soils Applied Soil Ecology, 2002, 21: 211-219.

[35] Schlesinger W.H., Lichter J. Limited carbon storage in soils and litter of experimental forest plots under increased atmospheric CO₂ Nature, 2001, 411: 466-469.

[36] Schulze E.D., Wirth C., Heimann M. Managing forests after Kyoto Science, 2000, 289: 2058-2059.

[37] Scowcroft P.G., Turner D.R., Vitousek P.M. Decomposition of Metrosideros polymorpha leaf litter along elevational gradients in Hawaii Global Change Biology, 2000, 6: 73-85.

[38] Sjöberg G., Nilsson S.I., Persson T., Karlsson P. Degradation of hemicellulose, cellulose and lignin in decomposing spruce needle litter in relation to N Soil Biology & Biochemistry, 2004, 36: 1761-1768.

[39] Sinsabaugh R.L., Antibus R.K., Linkins A.E., McClaugherty C.A., Rayburn L., Repert D., Weiland T. Wood decomposition: nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in relation to extracellular enzyme activity Ecology, 1993, 74: 1586-1593.

[40] Sinsabaugh R.L., Carreiro M.M., Repert D.A. Allocation of extracellular enzymatic activity in relation to litter composition, N deposition, and mass loss Biogeochemistry, 2002, 60: 1-24.

[41] Stokland J., Kauserud H. Phellinus nigrolimitatus-a wood-decomposing fungus highly influenced by forestry Forest Ecology and Management, 2004, 187: 333-343.

[42] Tian X., Takeda H., Azuma J. Dynamics of organic-chemical components in leaf litters during a 3.5-year decomposition European Journal of Soil Biology, 2000, 36: 81-89.

[43] Thormann M.N., Currah R.S., Bayley S.E. Succession of microfungal assemblages in decomposing peatland plants Plant and Soil, 2003, 250: 323-333.

[44] Tuomela M., Vikman M., Hatakka A., Itävaara M. Biodegradation of lignin in a compost environment: a review Bioresource Technology, 2000, 72: 169-183.

[45] Vitousek P. M. Nutrient cycling and nutrient use efficiency American Naturalist, 1982, 119: 553-572.

[46] Vitousek P.M., Turner D.R., Parton W.J., Sanford R.L. Litter decomposition on the Mauna Loa environmental matrix, Hawai’i: patterns, mechanisms, and models Ecology, 1994, 75(2): 418-429.

[47] Zhang Q., Chen X., Wu H., Song Yongchang. Structure and distribution pattern of Castanopsis eyrei population in Huangshan Mountain, Anhui Province Journal of Plant Resource Environment, 1997, 6(4): 35-39.