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.

Effects of light intensity on litter decomposition in a subtropical region

“…The k values for the three broadleaved tree species were also higher than those for the three needle species (Table 3). These results indicated that the litter of broadleaved tree species decomposed more easily than that of coniferous species, consistent with many previous reports (Prescott et al 2000, Kazakou et al 2006, He et al 2007, Freschet et al 2012.…”

Quantifying carbon in dead and living trees; a case study in young beech and spruce stand over 9 years

“…Berger & Berger, 2014). The differences are often associated with dissimilar lignin and nutrient contentsof leaves and needles (Berger & Berger 2014) and possibly with higher diversity of microbial decomposers in broadleaved than coniferous forests (He et al, 2007). As for woody debris, Shorohova & Kapitsa (2016) commented that the decomposition rate in European forests depends on site moisture andon tree species.…”

Response of litter decomposition and related soil enzyme activities to different forms of nitrogen fertilization in a subtropical forest

“…The coniferous forest is the early stage, and the broad-leaved forest is the final stage in the succession trajectories of the forest ecosystems. These forests play an important role in global carbon (C) dynamics, partly due to their high productivity and nutrient turnover (Hughes et al 1999;He et al 2007). There is ample evidence that leaf litter decomposition and the consequent release of nutrients and carbon dioxide are key processes in determining ecosystem nutrient cycling and C flux (Hoorens et al 2003).…”