Ecosystem type and resource quality are more important than global change drivers in regulating early stages of litter decomposition

2019 ◽  
Vol 129 ◽  
pp. 144-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raúl Ochoa-Hueso ◽  
Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo ◽  
Paul Tuan An King ◽  
Merryn Benham ◽  
Valentina Arca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Resource Quality ◽  
Early Stages

Species Richness Interacts with Drought to Affect Litter Decomposition via its Effect on Litter Nitrogen Concentration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiang Wang ◽  
Yuan Ge ◽  
J. Hans C. Cornelissen ◽  
Xiaoyan Wang ◽  
Song Gao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Global Change ◽  
Climatic Change ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
Plant Invasions ◽  
Exotic Plant ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Litter Nitrogen

Abstract Biodiversity loss, exotic plant invasions and climatic change are currently the three major challenges to our globe and can each affect various ecological processes, including litter composition. To gain a better understanding of global change impacts on ecological processes, these three global change components need to be considered simultaneously. Here we assembled experimental plant communities with species richness levels (1, 2, 4, 8 or 16) and subjected them to drought (no, moderate or intensive drought) and invasion (invasion by the exotic annual plant Symphyotrichum subulatum or not). We collected litter of the native plant communities and let it decompose for nine months within the communities. Drought decreased litter decomposition, while the exotic plant invasion had no impact. Increasing species richness decreased litter decomposition under the mesic condition (no drought), but had little impact under moderate and intensive drought. A structural equation model showed that drought and species richness affected litter decomposition mainly via influencing litter nitrogen concentration, but not via altering the quantity and diversity of soil meso-fauna or soil physio-chemical properties. The negative impact of species diversity on litter decomposition under the mesic condition was mainly ascribed to a sampling effect, i.e. via particularly low litter nitrogen concentrations in the two dominant species. Our results indicate that species richness can interact with drought to affect litter decomposition via effect on litter nitrogen. We conclude that nitrogen-dependent litter decomposition should be a mechanism to predict integrated effects of plant diversity loss, exotic plant invasions and climatic change on litter decomposition.

The Role of Mites and Nematodes in Early Stages of Buried Litter Decomposition in a Desert

Ecology ◽  
1981 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 664-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Perseu F. Santos ◽  
Janice Phillips ◽  
Walter G. Whitford
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Early Stages

scholarly journals Fish facing global change: are early stages the lifeline?

2019 ◽  
Vol 147 ◽  
pp. 159-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Vagner ◽  
José-Luis Zambonino-Infante ◽  
David Mazurais
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Early Stages

scholarly journals Effects of global change factors and living roots on root litter decomposition in a Qinghai-Tibet alpine meadow

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Meng Shu ◽  
Qingzhou Zhao ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
Lin Zhang ◽  
Peng Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Alpine Meadow ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Tibet Plateau ◽  
Root Decomposition ◽  
N Addition ◽  
Root Litter ◽  
Qinghai Tibet Plateau

AbstractRoots account for a major part of plant biomass in Tibetan alpine meadows. Understanding root decomposition with global change is key to predict carbon (C) and nutrient dynamics on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Yet, few experiments have carefully examined root decomposition as influenced by global change. We conducted a field study to investigate the effects of nitrogen (N) addition, air warming, precipitation change, and the presence/absence of living roots on root decomposition in a Tibetan alpine meadow. Our results showed that N addition increased the mass and C remaining, and induced N accumulation in the litter. Increased precipitation significantly amplified the positive effect of N addition on litter mass remaining. The presence of alive roots in the litterbags decreased root litter C remaining but significantly increased N and phosphorus remaining of the litter. However, we did not find any significant effects of air warming on the litter decomposition. In the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, N deposition is predicted to increase and precipitation regime is predicted to change. Our results suggest that the interaction between increased N and precipitation may reduce root decomposition in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the future, and that the large stock of living roots exert a dominant impact on nutrient dynamics of root decomposition in the Tibetan alpine systems.

scholarly journals Termite Control of Leaf Litter Decomposition of Eight Selected Plant Species of Sudano-guinea Savannahs of Ngaoundere, Cameroon

2020 ◽  
pp. 13-26
Author(s):  
A. Ibrahima ◽  
S. Kalba Sirzoune ◽  
P. Badakoa ◽  
A. A. Mang A. Menick ◽  
P. Souhore
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Decomposition Rate ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Resource Quality ◽  
Maytenus Senegalensis

Few studies on effects of termites on litter decomposition have been done in African savannahs, particularly in the Adamawa savannahs of Cameroon. In the framework of management of resource quality to restore or improve soil fertility of farming systems of Sudano-guinea savannahs of Ngaoundere, Cameroon, study on termites’ control of leaf litter decomposition of eight plant species was conducted on the field. The selected plant species are Bixa orellana, Erythrina sigmoïdea, Ficus polita, Maytenus senegalensis, Mucuna stans, Piliostigma thonningii, Vitex madiensis and Vitellaria paradoxa. Leaf litter samples were incubated in situ using litterbags of 2 mm mesh during 24 weeks in two plots out of canopy, corresponding to two treatments, with and without termites. Experimental design was split-plot with three replications. Collected data was carried out on litter dry mass remaining (LMR). Results showed total mass loss at the end of incubation time (24 weeks) and decomposition rate constants (k) differed significantly among plant species for the two treatments. The values ranged respectively from 23.05% and 0.012 week-1 in V. madiensis to 61.93% of initial dry mass and 0.046 week-1 in P. thonningii for treatment without termites and from 43.88% and 0.022 week-1 in B. orellana to 91.51% and 0.095 week-1 in P. thonningii for treatment with termites. These macro organisms fasted litter decomposition in all plant species, with intensity variation according to species. Litter mass loss and decomposition rate constant (k) correlated with litter thickness, density, area and specific area mass, and these relationships were influenced by the presence of termites. Globally litter decomposition was influenced by termite activities and resource quality. These results contributed to understand litter decomposition process in the sudano-guinea savannahs of Ngaoundere in order improve soil fertility, nutrient cycling and some plant species domestication.

scholarly journals Microplastic effects on carbon cycling processes in soils

PLoS Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. e3001130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthias C. Rillig ◽  
Eva Leifheit ◽  
Johannes Lehmann
Keyword(s):  
Global Change ◽  
Plant Growth ◽  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Carbon Cycling ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycles ◽  
Research Needs ◽  
Concerted Effort ◽  
Soil Microbial

Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles <5 mm, are found in environments, including terrestrial ecosystems, planetwide. Most research so far has focused on ecotoxicology, examining effects on performance of soil biota in controlled settings. As research pivots to a more ecosystem and global change perspective, questions about soil-borne biogeochemical cycles become important. MPs can affect the carbon cycle in numerous ways, for example, by being carbon themselves and by influencing soil microbial processes, plant growth, or litter decomposition. Great uncertainty surrounds nano-sized plastic particles, an expected by-product of further fragmentation of MPs. A major concerted effort is required to understand the pervasive effects of MPs on the functioning of soils and terrestrial ecosystems; importantly, such research needs to capture the immense diversity of these particles in terms of chemistry, aging, size, and shape.

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