Effects of land use and precipitation on above- and below-ground litter decomposition in a semi-arid temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

Wang, Yihui; Gong, Jirui; Liu, Min; Luo, Qinpu; Xu, Sha; Yan, Ping; Zhai, Zhanwei

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2015.07.010

Cited by 29 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Given the water limitations, MAP explained a higher proportion of the variability in decomposition than MAT. Wang et al (2015) also found that precipitation was the foremost factor that controlled litter decomposition in the Inner Mongolia grassland ecosystem. Therefore, it is not surprising that precipitation is the principal factor that determines the grassland litter turnover time in a water-limited ecosystem.…”

Section: Contrasting Effects Of Mat and Map On Litter Turnover Timementioning

confidence: 82%

The spatial patterns of litter turnover time in Chinese terrestrial ecosystems

Cai

Chang

Zhang

et al. 2020

European J Soil Science

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The feedback between plant, soil and climate is partly determined by plant litter turnover time, which is influenced by climate, litter quality and soil properties. However, the spatial patterns of litter turnover time and its interrelation with these variables are rarely quantified. With a database of 1,378 litter turnover times and key associated climate, litter quality and soil properties (total of 20 variables), this study investigated the driving factors and spatial patterns of litter turnover time across Chinese terrestrial ecosystems. The mean litter turnover time was the longest in forest ecosystems, followed by that in grassland and cropland ecosystems. The litter turnover time varied significantly depending on the litter quality and climate zone, and increased exponentially as latitude increased. Mean annual temperature (MAT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) could accurately predict litter turnover time via negative exponential equations. Among these variables, MAT had the greatest influence on litter turnover time, which accounted for 37.4% of the variation, followed by litter quality (ecosystem types, litter types, C:N of litter and lignin content; 33.4%) and soil properties (sand content, soil pH and soil organic carbon (SOC); 29.2%) based on a boosted regression tree (BRT) model. Path analysis identified that MAT negatively affected litter turnover time both directly and indirectly through regulating soil properties and litter quality, which positively and directly affected litter turnover time. Finally, the spatial patterns of litter turnover time were obtained with a regional dataset of ecosystem types, MAT, sand content, soil pH and SOC as BRT model drivers. Overall, our results suggest that climate variables have contrasting effects on litter turnover time and could mediate the impact on litter turnover time by litter quality and soil properties. These results highlight important implications for climate‐smart soil management and can be used to create reliable model predictions. Highlights We explored the driving factors and spatial patterns of litter turnover time in various ecosystems Accurate estimates of litter turnover time were obtained from dataset from 1,378 experimental sites Litter turnover time exponentially increased as latitude increased Climate‐mediated litter quality and soil properties controlled the litter turnover time

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Section: Contrasting Effects Of Mat and Map On Litter Turnover Timementioning

confidence: 82%

The spatial patterns of litter turnover time in Chinese terrestrial ecosystems

Cai

Chang

Zhang

et al. 2020

European J Soil Science

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“…However, there have also been contrasting observations that suggested the litter decomposition rate was higher in fenced plots (Haynes et al, ; Lindsay & Cunningham, ). The main factors that appear to be responsible for these differences in plant litter decomposition rates among grazed and fenced plots include differences in soil nutrients (Semmartin et al, ), in the macrofaunal community (Lindsay & Cunningham, ) and in microclimate conditions (Haynes et al, ; Wang et al, ). In the present study, we did not measure soil nutrient conditions or the macrofaunal community.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, litter decomposition at fenced sites can be accelerated by the greater abundance of functional groups such as beetles and opportunist ants (Lindsay & Cunningham, ). Fencing can also modify the soil environment by increasing the standing biomass, which in turn reduces the fluctuations of soil temperature and stabilizes soil moisture by decreasing evapotranspiration (Haynes et al, ; Wang et al, ). Others have found that decomposition of fresh litter of Scots pine (needles) and grass leaves in an area of mobile sands north of Kootwijk (in the Netherlands) did not differ significantly between grazed and non‐grazed sites (Smit, Kooijman, & Sevink, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grazing exclusion altered the effect of plant root diameter on decomposition rates in a semiarid grassland ecosystem, northeastern China

Luo

Ding

Zhao

et al. 2020

Ecological Research

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Root decomposition often decreases with increasing root diameter, but this relationship is affected by other factors, including the microclimate and land use. The mechanisms that underlie these interactions are unclear. We performed an Artemisia halodendron root decomposition litterbag experiment using fine (<2 mm), medium (2–5 mm) and coarse (>5 mm) roots. We used the same incubation duration (356 days) with five starting dates (May, June, July, October and September) in fenced (grazing exclusion) and grazed plots. Root samples installed in May decomposed faster than those installed in September, and roots decomposed faster in fenced plots than in grazed plots. Root decomposition was the highest for fine roots installed in any month, and medium roots decomposed faster than coarse roots with installation in all the months except May and July. Grazing exclusion and starting incubation time both interacted with root diameter. Root decomposition for a given diameter did not differ significantly between fenced and grazed plots; however, in both land uses, root decomposition decreased significantly with increasing root diameter. Microclimate, especially precipitation, differed among the starting dates, and precipitation patterns (especially in the first growing season) significantly (p < .01) affected coarse root decomposition in the fenced plots. In summary, root decomposition was significantly (p < .01) affected by root diameter. This effect was altered by grazing exclusion and by starting dates. These results highlight the importance of the starting date for root decomposition in a semiarid grassland, suggesting this date should be accounted for in future studies of root decomposition.

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“…In August, the mean temperature during the 15 N labeling period was 20.6°C, the total month precipitation was 29.5 mm and there were no rainfall for 8 days around the experimental date. The soils are classified as chestnut soil (Chinese Soil Taxonomy Research Group 2001;Wang et al 2015) and correspond to Calcic Orthic Aridisol according to the USDA soil taxonomy (Soil Survey Staff 1987), with low nutrient levels (Table 1) and a low water-holding capacity (Wang et al 2015).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrogen acquisition strategies used by Leymus chinensis and Stipa grandis in temperate steppes

Tian

Ouyang

et al. 2016

Biol Fertil Soils

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Leymus chinensis and Stipa grandis are two important plant species of temperate steppes in Inner Mongolia of North China. They differ in their life forms, e.g., L. chinensis is a type of rhizomatous clonal grass, whereas S. grandis is a type of tussock grass. Here we hypothesize that both plant species possess distinct nitrogen (N) acquisition strategies for their growth and survival. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a four-factor experimental field study using a short-term (three hours) 15 N labeling technique in two plant communities mono-dominated by L. chinensis and S. grandis of the temperate steppes over two months (July and August) and at two soil depths. In both of communities, L. chinensis and S. grandis directly absorbed all three of the common forms of N, including substantial portions of N-derived from glycine (organic and inorganic forms) ranged from 2.7 to 17.8 %, although they absorbed more inorganic N. Nitrogen uptake rates showed significant effects of communities, months, soil depths, and N forms. The uptake rate was higher in August than in July and at 0-5 cm than at 5-15 cm soil depths. L. chinensis and S. grandis showed different preference on N form across months. L. chinensis shifted its uptake pattern from more nitrate (NO 3 − ) in July to more ammonium (NH 4 + ) in August, whereas S. grandis took up comparable NH 4 + and NO 3 − in both months. In general, L. chinensis showed a more flexible N acquisition strategy and S. grandis performed a more concentrated and relatively more stable N acquisition strategy. The distinct N acquisition strategies used by L. chinensis and S. grandis varied greatly across different months and soil depths. These findings are more helpful in further understanding the plasticity of nutrient utilization issues of different plant species in response to N-limited conditions of grassland ecosystems.

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Effects of land use and precipitation on above- and below-ground litter decomposition in a semi-arid temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia, China

Cited by 29 publications

References 26 publications

The spatial patterns of litter turnover time in Chinese terrestrial ecosystems

The spatial patterns of litter turnover time in Chinese terrestrial ecosystems

Grazing exclusion altered the effect of plant root diameter on decomposition rates in a semiarid grassland ecosystem, northeastern China

Nitrogen acquisition strategies used by Leymus chinensis and Stipa grandis in temperate steppes

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