Dataset Information

Effects of experimental nitrogen and phosphorus addition on litter decomposition in an old-growth tropical forest.

ABSTRACT: The responses of litter decomposition to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions were examined in an old-growth tropical forest in southern China to test the following hypotheses: (1) N addition would decrease litter decomposition; (2) P addition would increase litter decomposition, and (3) P addition would mitigate the inhibitive effect of N addition. Two kinds of leaf litter, Schima superba Chardn. & Champ. (S.S.) and Castanopsis chinensis Hance (C.C.), were studied using the litterbag technique. Four treatments were conducted at the following levels: control, N-addition (150 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1)), P-addition (150 kg P ha(-1) yr(-1)) and NP-addition (150 kg N ha(-1) yr(-1) plus 150 kg P ha(-1) yr(-1)). While N addition significantly decreased the decomposition of both litters, P addition significantly inhibited decomposition of C.C., but did not affect the decomposition of S.S. The negative effect of N addition on litter decomposition might be related to the high N-saturation in this old-growth tropical forest; however, the negative effect of P addition might be due to the suppression of "microbial P mining". Significant interaction between N and P addition was found on litter decomposition, which was reflected by the less negative effect in NP-addition plots than those in N-addition plots. Our results suggest that P addition may also have negative effect on litter decomposition and that P addition would mitigate the negative effect of N deposition on litter decomposition in tropical forests.

SUBMITTER: Chen H

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3877223 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effects of experimental nitrogen and phosphorus addition on litter decomposition in an old-growth tropical forest.

Chen Hao H Dong Shaofeng S Liu Lei L Ma Chuan C Zhang Tao T Zhu Xiaomin X Mo Jiangming J

PloS one 20131231 12

The responses of litter decomposition to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) additions were examined in an old-growth tropical forest in southern China to test the following hypotheses: (1) N addition would decrease litter decomposition; (2) P addition would increase litter decomposition, and (3) P addition would mitigate the inhibitive effect of N addition. Two kinds of leaf litter, Schima superba Chardn. & Champ. (S.S.) and Castanopsis chinensis Hance (C.C.), were studied using the litterbag techn ...[more]

PMID: 24391895

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Project description:Human activities have increased the input of nitrogen (N) to forest ecosystems and have greatly affected litter decomposition and the soil environment. But differences in forests with different nitrogen deposition backgrounds. To better understand the response of litter decomposition and soil environment of N-limited forest to nitrogen deposition. We established an in situ experiment to simulate the effects of N deposition on soil and litter ecosystem processes in a Picea schrenkiana forest in the Tianshan Mountains, China. This study included four N treatments: control (no N addition), low N addition (LN: 5 kg N ha-1 a-1), medium N addition (MN: 10 kg N ha-1 a-1) and high N addition (HN: 20 kg N ha-1 a-1). Our results showed that N addition had a significant effect on litter decomposition and the soil environment. Litter mass loss in the LN treatment and in the MN treatment was significantly higher than that in the control treatment. In contrast, the amount of litter lost in the HN treatment was significantly lower than the other treatments. N application inhibited the degradation of lignin but promoted the breakdown of cellulose. The carbon (C), N, and phosphorus (P) contents of litter did not differ significantly among the treatments, but LN promoted the release of C and P. Our results also showed that soil pH decreased with increasing nitrogen application rates, while soil enzyme activity showed the opposite trend. In addition, the results of redundancy analysis (RDA) and correlation analyses showed that the soil environment was closely related to litter decomposition. Soil enzymes had a positive effect on litter decomposition rates, and N addition amplified these correlations. Our study confirmed that N application had effects on litter decomposition and the soil environment in a N-limited P. schrenkiana forest. LN had a strong positive effect on litter decomposition and the soil environment, while HN was significantly negative. Therefore, increased N deposition may have a negative effect on material cycling of similar forest ecosystems in the near future.

Project description:Background and aimsThe plant economics spectrum theory provides a useful framework to examine plant strategies by integrating the co-ordination of plant functional traits along a resource acquisition-conservation trade-off axis. Empirical evidence for this theory has been widely observed for seed plants (Spermatophyta). However, whether this theory can be applied to ferns (Pteridophyta), a ubiquitous and ancient group of vascular plants, has rarely been evaluated so far.MethodsWe measured 11 pairs of plant functional traits on leaves and fine roots (diameter <2 mm) on 12 coexisting fern species in a sub-tropical forest. Litterbags of leaves and roots were placed in situ and exposed for 586 d to measure decomposition rates. The variation of traits across species and the co-ordination among traits within and between plant organs were analysed. Finally, the influence of the traits on decomposition rates were explored.Key resultsMost leaf and root traits displayed high cross-species variation, and were aligned along a major resource acquisition-conservation trade-off axis. Many fern traits co-varied between leaves and fine roots, suggesting co-ordinated responses between above- and below-ground organs. Decomposition rates of leaves were significantly higher than those of fine roots, but they were significantly and positively correlated. Finally, our results highlight that the decomposition of both leaves and roots was relatively well predicted by the leaf and root economics spectra.ConclusionsOur results support the existence of an acquisition-conservation trade-off axis within ferns and indicate that traits have important 'afterlife' effects on fern litter decomposition. We conclude that the plant economics spectrum theory that is commonly observed across seed plants can be applied to ferns species, thereby extending the generality of this theory to this ancient plant lineage in our study site. Our study further suggests that the evolutionary and ecological basis for the relationships among key economics traits appears to be similar between ferns and seed plants. Future studies involving larger data sets will be required to confirm these findings across different biomes at larger spatial scales.

Dataset Information

Effects of experimental nitrogen and phosphorus addition on litter decomposition in an old-growth tropical forest.

Publications

Effects of experimental nitrogen and phosphorus addition on litter decomposition in an old-growth tropical forest.

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