Decomposition of dominant plant species litter in a semi-arid grassland

Koukoura, Z.; Mamolos, Andreas P.; Kalburtji, Kiriaki L.

doi:10.1016/s0929-1393(03)00006-4

Cited by 82 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Changes in C stocks and N contents in relation to successional stage may be due to change in plant community composition (Koukoura et al 2003, Prévosto et al 2006, change in litter quality (also due to an increase in the content of secondary compounds, such as lignin or polyphenolic substances - Cortez et al 2007, Montané et al 2010, increases in soil moisture and decreases in soil temperature with shrub encroachment (Carl & Richter 1989, Franco-Pizana et al 1996, change in soil microbial (Rutigliano et al 2004, Fioretto et al 2009, Jangid et al 2011) and macrofaunal (Decaëns et al 1998) community structure, and decreases in bulk density following grazing abandonment and subsequent increases in the mineralization of soil organic matter (Mayer 2008).…”

Section: Differences Among Successional Stages Within Bioclimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…C and N dynamics in soils of abandoned fields are also likely to be affected by plant community composition. The main way the vegetation influences C and N input into soils is through litter deposition (Koukoura et al 2003, Cortez et al 2007, Foote & Grogan 2010. Many factors including temperature, moisture, pH, and other abiotic environmental conditions determine the quantity and quality of litter C and N inputs (Mayer 2008, Poll et al 2008) and the composition and abundance of the decomposer community (Rutigliano et al 2004, Aneja et al 2005, Cortez et al 2007, Liao & Boutton 2008, Fioretto et al 2009).…”

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confidence: 99%

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The effects of post-pasture woody plant colonization on soil and aboveground litter carbon and nitrogen along a bioclimatic transect

Mantia¹,

Gristina²,

Rivaldo³

et al. 2013

iForest

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© iForest -Biogeosciences and Forestry IntroductionAfter oceans, soils represent the largest carbon (C) reservoir on Earth. To a depth of 1 m, soils contain 1550 Gt of organic C and 950 Gt of inorganic C, more than the sum of C stored in terrestrial vegetation (560 Gt) and the atmosphere (760 Gt -Lal 2004a, 2004b. The size of the soil organic carbon (SOC) pool reflects C inputs of plant-derived organic matter residues and C losses resulting from mineralization (as carbon dioxide), leaching of dissolved organic C, and erosion. Vegetation, precipitation, and temperature determine a steady state level of C content for each soil (Guo & Gifford 2002, Paul et al. 2002, Dawson & Smith 2007, but this equilibrium between input and output can be modified by land-use change. In the last decades, one of the most important types of land-use change, particularly in the midlatitudes of the northern hemisphere, has been the abandonment of agricultural lands (FAO 2012). In general, the abandonment of cultivated or grazed lands results in colonization by woody plants (secondary succession). The species composition of successional plant communities varies along with macro-and mesoclimate and other abiotic and biotic factors (West et al. 1981). In the Mediterranean area, the recent abandonment of marginal agricultural areas (pasture and/or arable land) has caused an increase in the area occupied by pre-forest and forest communities (Bonet 2004).In the context of the Kyoto Protocol, research is needed to understand the process of C sequestration in soil. Areas subject to secondary succession are of particular interest because they might have great potential as C sinks (Alberti et al. 2011). Soil C dynamics after agricultural abandonment have been quantified in many studies (Knops & Tilman 2000, Davis et al. 2003, Vuichard et al. 2008, Kuemmerle et al. 2011, and the spread of woody plants into grasslands/pastures/croplands is generally thought to increase the C stored in these ecosystems (Pré-vosto et al. 2006, La Mantia et al. 2007, Montané et al. 2007, Alberti et al. 2011. Some authors, however, have reported that secondary succession causes a reduction in soil C (Goodale & Davidson 2002, Guo & Gifford 2002, Jackson et al. 2002, Paul et al. 2002, Alberti et al. 2008). It follows that further studies are required on factors that determine whether SOC increases or decreases after agricultural abandonment. One of these factors may be climate (Jackson et al. 2002). In a study in Italy, for example, changes in SOC after agricultural abandonment were significantly related to annual rainfall (Alberti et al. 2011). C and N dynamics in soils of abandoned fields are also likely to be affected by plant community composition. The main way the vegetation influences C and N input into soils is through litter deposition (Koukoura et al. 2003, Cortez et al. 2007, Foote & Grogan 2010. Many factors including temperature, moisture, pH, and other abiotic environmental conditions determine the quantity and quality of litter C and N inputs (Mayer 2008...

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Section: Differences Among Successional Stages Within Bioclimatesmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of post-pasture woody plant colonization on soil and aboveground litter carbon and nitrogen along a bioclimatic transect

Mantia¹,

Gristina²,

Rivaldo³

et al. 2013

iForest

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“…This probably led to stimulation of reproduction of different groups of microorganisms, which had a significant effect on the results of the experiment (Hopkin, Read 1992;Byzov et al 1996;Ashwini, Sridhar 2005;Byzov 2006). It would be interesting to examine in greater detail the results of the impact of M. kievense upon the granulometric composition of litter (Kheirallah 1990; Köhler et al 1991;Koukoura et al 2003;Brygadyrenko, Ivanyshyn 2014). The increase in the mass of the average size fragments (0.70-1.55 mm) in the containers where more intensive feeding by M. kievense was observed shows the intensive impact of this species upon litter decomposition.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in the body mass of Megaphyllum kievense (Diplopoda, Julidae) and the granulometric composition of leaf litter subject to different concentrations of copper

Brygadyrenko¹,

Ivanyshyn²

2015

J. For. Sci.

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“…Litter decomposition is the main process in ecosystems to circulate nutrients (van Vuuren et al 1993, Vitousek et al 1994, Aerts and Chapin 2000, Wang et al 2008, Klotzbücher et al 2011, supply organic and inorganic elements (Wang et al 2008), sustain soil fertility (Koukoura et al 2003), release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere gii, had slow decomposition. The mass loss of each litter species was negatively correlated with the cellulose (R 2 = 0.690, P = 0.081) and lignin (R 2 = 0.939, P = 0.007) content.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decomposition of leaf litter of some evergreen broadleaf trees in Korea

Lee¹,

Cha²,

Lee³

et al. 2015

J. Ecol. Environ.

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Litter decomposition is an important process in terrestrial ecosystem. However, studies on decomposition are rare, especially in evergreen broadleaf trees. We collected the leaf litter of five evergreen broadleaf trees (Daphniphyllum macropodum, Dendropanax morbifera, Castanopsis cuspidata var. thunbergii, Machilus thunbergii and Quercus acuta), and carried out a decomposition experiment using the litterbag method in Ju-do, Wando-gun, Korea for 731 days from December 25, 2011 to December 25, 2013 ). The decomposition of litter was positively influenced by thermal climate such as accumulated mean daily air temperature (year day index) and precipitation, as well as by physical characteristics such as thickness (R 2 =0.939, P = 0.007) and specific leaf area (SLA) (R 2 = 0.964, P = 0.003). The characteristics of chemical composition such as lignin (R 2 = 0.939, P = 0.007) and water-soluble materials (R 2 = 0.898, P = 0.014) showed significant correlations with litter decomposition. However, the nutrients in litter showed complicated species-specific trends. The litter of D. macropodum and D. morbifera had fast decomposition despite their low nitrogen concentration and high C/N ratio. This means that the litter decomposition was more strongly affected by physical characteristics than chemical composition and nutrient content. On the other hand, the litter of Q. acuta which had the slowest decay rate had a high amount of N and low C/N ratio. Thus, the decomposition of Q. acuta litter was more affected by the P content of the litter than the N content, although all litter had similar physical characteristics.

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Decomposition of dominant plant species litter in a semi-arid grassland

Cited by 82 publications

References 30 publications

The effects of post-pasture woody plant colonization on soil and aboveground litter carbon and nitrogen along a bioclimatic transect

The effects of post-pasture woody plant colonization on soil and aboveground litter carbon and nitrogen along a bioclimatic transect

Changes in the body mass of Megaphyllum kievense (Diplopoda, Julidae) and the granulometric composition of leaf litter subject to different concentrations of copper

Decomposition of leaf litter of some evergreen broadleaf trees in Korea

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