Formation of forest gaps accelerates C, N and P release from foliar litter during 4 years of decomposition in an alpine forest

Abstract

Relative to areas under canopy, the soils in forest gaps receive more irradiance and rainfall (snowfall); this change in microclimate induced by forest gaps may influence the release of carbon (C) and nutrients during litter decomposition. However, great uncertainty remains about the effects of forest gaps on litter decomposition. In this study, we incubated foliar litters from six tree and shrub species in forest gaps and canopy plots and measured the release of C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in different snow cover periods in an alpine forest from 2012 to 2016. We found that N was retained by 24-46% but that P was immediately released during an early stage of decomposition. However, forest gaps decreased litter N retention, resulting in more N and P being released from decomposing litters for certain species (i.e., larch, birch and willow litters). Moreover, the release of C and nutrients during litter decomposition stimulated by forest gaps was primarily driven by warmer soil temperature in this high-altitude forest. We conclude that gap formation during forest regeneration may accelerate C turnover and nutrient cycling and that this stimulation might be regulated by the litter species in this seasonally snow-covered forest.

Understory removal accelerates nucleic phosphorus release but retards residual phosphorus release in decomposing litter of Phyllostachys edulis in subtropical China

“…decomposition has attracted considerable attentions, little is known about the dynamics of P fractions in decomposing litter (Ni et al, 2018;Tu et al, 2014). According to its components and functions, P in plant tissue is often divided into four fractions:…”

Effects of Small Gaps on the Relationship Among Soil Properties, Topography, and Plant Species in Subtropical Rhododendron Secondary Forest, Southwest China

“…Compared with the higher temperature and moisture of summit position gap may also stimulate soil nutrition leaching [38], moderating soil temperature, moisture and leaching of medium and downhill position small gap may accelerate carbon turnover, litter decomposition and soil nutrition accumulation. The C/P ratio depending on local compositions of soil and litter, carbon and phosphorus was released during litter decomposition [39], following gap creation, the litterfall was reduced, resulting in the accumulation of carbon decreased [8], thus potentially reducing the small gap soil C/P ratio.…”

“…Gaps in mature forests profoundly affect species composition and stand structure in tropical, temperate, and boreal forest types [4]. The canopy gaps may accelerate carbon (C) turnover and nutrient cycling in the forest successional processes [8] and decrease the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) released by litters in warm subtropical forest [9], which may provide suitable nutrient environment for forest plant growth.…”

Gap Size in Hyrcanian Forest Affects the Lignin and N Concentrations of the Oriental Beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) Fine Roots but Does Not Change Their Morphological Traits in the Medium Term

“…Differently, a lack of consistency persists about the possible N concentration increase in fine roots in response to gap opening [30], particularly when consequent to artificial gap formation. Most of the studies had focused on alteration on soil processes such as nutrient release during litter decomposition [53,54], microbial activity [45,54], net mineralization and nitrification [55], but few papers concern fine roots [8,9,11]. Thinning operations stimulate the N concentration increase in European beech forests in the Southern Alps, [18], which results in fine roots with a shorter lifespan than those living in the forest left to grow for many years.…”