scholarly journals Variability of aboveground litter inputs alters soil physicochemical and biological processes: a meta-analysis of litterfall-manipulation experiments

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 5245-5272 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Xu ◽  
L. Liu ◽  
E. J. Sayer
Keyword(s):  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Inorganic Nitrogen ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Litter Addition ◽  
Subtropical Forests ◽  
Aboveground Litter ◽  
Soil Temperature And Moisture

Abstract. Global change has been shown to greatly alter the amount of aboveground litter inputs to soil, which could cause substantial cascading effects on belowground biogeochemical cyling. Although having been studied extensively, there is uncertainty about how changes in aboveground litter inputs affect soil carbon and nutrient turnover and transformation. Here, we conducted a comprehensive compilation of 68 studies on litter addition or removal experiments, and used meta-analysis to assess the responses of soil physicochemical properties and carbon and nutrient cycling under changed aboveground litter inputs. Our results suggested that litter addition or removal could significantly alter soil temperature and moisture, but not soil pH. Litter inputs were more crucial in buffering soil temperature and moisture fluctuations in grassland than in forest. Soil respiration, soil microbial biomass carbon and total carbon in the mineral soil increased with increasing litter inputs, suggesting that soil acted as a~net carbon sink although carbon loss and transformation increased with increasing litter inputs. Total nitrogen and the C : N ratio in the mineral soil increased with increased litter inputs. However, there was no correlation between litter inputs and extractable inorganic nitrogen in the mineral soil. Compared to other ecosystems, tropical and subtropical forests are more sensitive to variation in litter inputs. Increased or decreased litter inputs altered the turnover and accumulation of soil carbon and nutrient in tropical and subtropical forests more substantially over a shorter time period compared to other ecosystems. Overall, our study suggested that, although the magnitude of responses differed greatly among ecosystems, increased litter inputs generally accelerated the decomposition and accumulation of carbon and nutrients in soil, and decreased litter inputs reduced them.

scholarly journals Variability of above-ground litter inputs alters soil physicochemical and biological processes: a meta-analysis of litterfall-manipulation experiments

2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 7423-7433 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Xu ◽  
L. L. Liu ◽  
E. J. Sayer
Keyword(s):  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Biogeochemical Cycling ◽  
Litter Addition ◽  
Litter Removal ◽  
Litter Manipulation ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Soil Temperature And Moisture

Abstract. Global change has been shown to alter the amount of above-ground litter inputs to soil greatly, which could cause substantial cascading effects on below-ground biogeochemical cycling. Despite extensive study, there is uncertainty about how changes in above-ground litter inputs affect soil carbon and nutrient turnover and transformation. Here, we conducted a meta-analysis on 70 litter-manipulation experiments in order to assess how changes in above-ground litter inputs alter soil physicochemical properties, carbon dynamics and nutrient cycles. Our results demonstrated that litter removal decreased soil respiration by 34%, microbial biomass carbon in the mineral soil by 39% and total carbon in the mineral soil by 10%, whereas litter addition increased them by 31, 26 and 10%, respectively. This suggests that greater litter inputs increase the soil carbon sink despite higher rates of carbon release and transformation. Total nitrogen and extractable inorganic nitrogen in the mineral soil decreased by 17 and 30%, respectively, under litter removal, but were not altered by litter addition. Overall, litter manipulation had a significant impact upon soil temperature and moisture, but not soil pH; litter inputs were more crucial in buffering soil temperature and moisture fluctuations in grassland than in forest. Compared to other ecosystems, tropical and subtropical forests were more sensitive to variation in litter inputs, as altered litter inputs affected the turnover and accumulation of soil carbon and nutrients more substantially over a shorter time period. Our study demonstrates that although the magnitude of responses differed greatly among ecosystems, the direction of the responses was very similar across different ecosystems. Interactions between plant productivity and below-ground biogeochemical cycling need to be taken into account to predict ecosystem responses to environmental change.

Effects of litter manipulation on soil biochemical processes: A global meta-analysis

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyi He ◽  
Jiguang Feng ◽  
Biao Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Global Changes ◽  
Litter Addition ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Biochemical Processes ◽  
Litter Removal ◽  
Litter Manipulation ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Multiple Variables

<p>Global changes can alter the quantity and quality of above-and below-ground inputs, which will affect soil carbon (C) dynamics and nutrient cycles. The effects of detritus from above- and below-ground are not entirely uniform. Although numerous experiments have been conducted, the general patterns of how litter manipulation affect soil biochemical processes and whether such effects varied among changes in above- and below-ground inputs remain unclear.</p><p>Here, we conducted a meta-analysis of 2181 observations from 216 published studies to examine the responses of belowground processes to manipulated above- and below-ground litter alterations.Our results showed that, across all studies, litter manipulation generally had significant effects on soil moisture, but had minor effects on soil temperature and pH. Litter addition generally stimulated C and nutrient cycle, and microbial variables, whereas removal of litter, root and both of them generally suppressed or did not change these processes. Specifically, litter addition significantly increased soil respiration (R<sub>s</sub>) and soil organic carbon (SOC) content in the mineral soil by 24.5% and 6.2%, respectively. Litter removal, root removal, and no inputs (removal of both litter and root) reduced R<sub>s</sub> by 23.6%, 38.1%, and 50.2%, respectively. Litter removal and no inputs on average decreased SOC content in the mineral soil by 19% and 22.8%, respectively, but such negative effect did not occur under root removal. This suggests that aboveground litter may be more valid in soil C stabilization than roots within a relatively short period. In addition, manipulation level also regulated the responses of SOC, R<sub>s</sub> and MBC to litter alterations. The direction of litter manipulation effects on multiple variables are basically similar among ecosystem types.</p><p>Overall, our findings provide a reference for assessing the impact of primary productivity growth on C and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems under global changes, and highlight that the effects of aboveground litters and roots should be separately incorporated into soil C models.</p>

Variation in postfire organic layer thickness in a black spruce forest complex in interior Alaska and its effects on soil temperature and moisture

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (9) ◽  
pp. 2164-2177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S Kasischke ◽  
Jill F Johnstone
Keyword(s):  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Fuel Consumption ◽  
Fire History ◽  
Black Spruce ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Layer Depth ◽  
Interior Alaska ◽  
Soil Temperature And Moisture

This study investigated the relationship between climate and landscape characteristics and surface fuel consumption as well as the effects of variations in postfire organic layer depth on soil temperature and moisture in a black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) forest complex in interior Alaska. Mineral soil moisture and temperature at the end of the growing season and organic layer depth were measured in three burns occurring in different years (1987, 1994, 1999) and in adjacent unburned stands. In unburned stands, average organic layer and humic layer depth increased with stand age. Mineral soil temperature and moisture varied as a function of the surface organic layer depth in unburned stands, indicating that as a stand matures, the moisture content of the deep duff layer is likely to increase as well. Fires reduced the depth of the surface organic layers by 5 to 24 cm. Within each burn we found that significant variations in levels of surface fuel consumption were related to several factors, including mineral soil texture, presence or absence of permafrost, and timing of the fires with respect to seasonal permafrost thaw. While seasonal weather patterns contribute to variations in fuel moisture and consumption during fires, interactions among the soil thermal regime, surface organic layer depth, and previous fire history are also important in controlling patterns of surface fuel consumption.

scholarly journals ESTIMATION OF SOIL BULK DENSITY AND CARBON USING MULTI-SOURCE REMOTELY SENSED DATA

2020 ◽  
Vol V-3-2020 ◽  
pp. 541-548
Author(s):  
R. Pittman ◽  
B. Hu
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
Remotely Sensed ◽  
Variable Importance ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Remotely Sensed Data ◽  
Environmental Covariates ◽  
Gap Fraction

Abstract. Bulk density and soil carbon models were fitted for soil samples collected during field campaigns in 2018 and 2019 for the Kapuskasing region of the District of Cochrane in Ontario, Canada. Prediction maps for bulk density and soil carbon were generated for the 0–15 cm depth mineral soil layer. The application of multi-source remotely sensed data as environmental covariates for model predictors was implemented. Environmental covariates were obtained from multispectral satellite imagery, LiDAR (light detection and ranging) retrievals and airborne geomagnetic surveys, as well from a digital elevation model (DEM) for topographic covariates. Two covariates derived from LiDAR, canopy height model (CHM) and gap fraction, were of high variable importance when fitting models for average bulk density; gap fraction had the highest to second highest variable importance for average bulk density when considered among a full set of 76, or reduced sets of 12 or 5 separate predictors respectively. Environmental covariates corresponding to vegetation cover, specifically reflectance from multispectral imagery or LiDAR data, had the highest variable importance when compared with other categories of soil formation factors. Random forest (RF) models were generated, with RF models based upon just 12 predictors obtaining reasonable results with coefficients of determinations (R2) greater than 0.7 for the standard derivation of bulk density, standard deviation of total carbon and average total carbon for the 0–15 cm depth layer.

Empirical modelling of plant and soil carbon flux drivers under field conditions

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris McCloskey ◽  
Guy Kirk ◽  
Wilfred Otten ◽  
Eric Paterson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Field Conditions ◽  
Gas Flux ◽  
Soil C ◽  
C Dynamics ◽  
Plant Respiration ◽  
Soil Temperature And Moisture

<p>Our understanding of soil carbon (C) dynamics is limited; field measurements necessarily conflate fluxes from plant and soil sources and we therefore lack long-term field-scale data on soil C fluxes to use to test and improve soil C models. Furthermore, it is often unclear whether findings from lab-based studies, such as the presence of rhizosphere priming, apply to soil systems in the field. It is particularly important that we are able to understand the roles of soil temperature and moisture, and plant C inputs, as drivers of soil C dynamics in order to predict how changing climate and plant productivity may affect the net C balance of soils. We have developed a field laboratory with which to generate much-needed long-term C flux data under field conditions, giving near-continuous measurements of plant and soil C fluxes and their drivers.</p><p>The laboratory contains 24 0.8-m diameter, 1-m deep, naturally-structured soil monoliths of two contrasting C3 soils (a clay-loam and a sandy soil) in lysimeters. These are sown with a C4 grass (<em>Bouteloua dactyloides</em>), providing a large difference in C isotope signature between C4 plant respiration and C3-origin soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition, which enables clear partitioning of the net C flux. This species is used as a pasture grass in the United States, and regular trimming through the growing season simulates low-intensity grazing. The soil monoliths are fitted with gas flux chambers and connected via an automated sampling loop to a cavity ring-down spectrometer, which measures the concentration and <sup>12</sup>C:<sup>13</sup>C isotopic ratio of CO<sub>2</sub> during flux chamber closure. Depth-resolved measurements of soil temperature and moisture in each monolith are made near-continuously, along with measurements of incoming solar radiation, rainfall, and air temperature a the field site. The gas flux chambers are fitted with removable reflective backout covers allowing flux measurements both incorporating, and in the absence of, photosynthesis.</p><p>We have collected net ecosystem respiration data, measurements of photosynthesis, and recorded potential drivers of respiration over two growing seasons through 2018 and 2019. Through partitioning fluxes between plant respiration and SOM mineralisation we have revealed clear diurnal trends in both plant and soil C fluxes, along with overarching seasonal trends which modify both the magnitude of fluxes and their diurnal patterns. Rates of photosynthesis have been interpolated between measurement periods using machine learning to generate a predictive model, which has allowed us to investigate the effect of plant productivity on SOM mineralisation and assess whether rhizosphere priming can be detected in our system. Through regression analyses and linear mixed effects modelling we have evaluated the roles of soil temperature, soil moisture, and soil N content as drivers of variation in plant and soil respiration in our two contrasting soils. This has shown soil temperature to be the most important control on SOM mineralisation, with soil moisture content playing only a minor role. We have also used our empirical models to suggest how the carbon balance of pasture and grassland soils may respond to warming temperatures.</p>

Soil microclimate and nitrogen availability 10 years after mechanical site preparation in northern British Columbia

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 1854-1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
M D MacKenzie ◽  
M G Schmidt ◽  
L Bedford
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Soil Temperature ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Nitrogen Availability ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Site Preparation ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Significant Treatment ◽  
Mechanical Site Preparation

Mechanical site preparation (MSP) changes the distribution and character of forest floor and mineral soil and may affect soil nutrient availability, soil water content, and soil temperature. The effects of different kinds of MSP were compared to a control in the tenth growing season at two research sites in northern British Columbia. To compare MSP results with those of the natural disturbance regime, a burned windrow treatment was also included in the analysis. The bedding plow, fire, and madge treatments all had significantly greater crop-tree growth compared to the control. The bedding plow and madge treatments had significantly lower soil bulk density, higher soil temperature, and lower soil water throughout the growing season compared with that of the control. The bedding plow also resulted in significantly higher concentrations of total carbon, total nitrogen, NH4+, and NO3–than that of the control, at both the 0–10 and 10–20 cm depths. The madge rotoclear resulted in significantly greater potential mineralizable N than that of the control. Ionic resins bags, installed for one growing season, did not show any significant treatment differences in available soil nitrogen. MSP did not reduce soil fertility on these sites when compared with an untreated control, but it is difficult to say that it improved it.

Response of mineral soil carbon storage to harvest residue retention depends on soil texture: A meta-analysis

2018 ◽  
Vol 408 ◽  
pp. 9-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaohua Wan ◽  
Liangjian Xiao ◽  
Matthew A. Vadeboncoeur ◽  
Chris E. Johnson ◽  
Zhiqun Huang
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Soil Texture ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Soil Carbon Storage ◽  
Harvest Residue ◽  
Residue Retention

scholarly journals Changes in soil carbon and nutrients following six years of litter removal and addition in a tropical semi-evergreen rain forest

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmund Vincent John Tanner ◽  
Merlin William Alfred Sheldrake ◽  
Benjamin L. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Standing Crop ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Litter Addition ◽  
Litter Removal ◽  
Litter Manipulation ◽  
Litter Standing Crop

Abstract. Increasing atmospheric CO2 and temperature may increase forest productivity, including litterfall, but the consequences for soil organic matter remain poorly understood. To address this, we measured soil carbon and nutrient concentrations at nine depths to 2 m after six years of continuous litter removal and litter addition in a semi-evergreen rain forest in Panama. Soils in litter addition plots, compared to litter removal plots, had higher pH and contained greater concentrations of KCl-extractable nitrate (both to 30 cm); Mehlich-III extractable phosphorus and total carbon (both to 20 cm); total nitrogen (to 15 cm); Mehlich-III calcium (to 10 cm); Mehlich-III magnesium and lower bulk density (both to 5 cm). In contrast, litter manipulation did not affect ammonium, manganese, potassium or zinc, and soils deeper than 30 cm did not differ for any nutrient. Comparison with previous analyses in the experiment indicates that overall the effect of litter manipulation on nutrient concentrations and the depth to which the effects are significant are increasing with time. To allow for changes in bulk density in calculation of changes in carbon stocks, we standardized total carbon and nitrogen on the basis of a constant mineral mass. For 200 kg m−2 of mineral soil (approximately the upper 20 cm of the profile) about 0.5 kg C m−2 was 'missing' from the litter removal plots, with a similar amount accumulated in the litter addition plots. There was an additional 0.4 kg C m−2 extra in the litter standing crop of the litter addition plots compared to the control. This increase in carbon in surface soil and the litter standing crop can be interpreted as a potential partial mitigation of the effects of increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

scholarly journals Variability of Aboveground Litter Inputs Alters Soil Carbon and Nitrogen in a Coniferous–Broadleaf Mixed Forest of Central China

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renhui Miao ◽  
Jun Ma ◽  
Yinzhan Liu ◽  
Yanchun Liu ◽  
Zhongling Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Mixed Forest ◽  
Central China ◽  
Human Disturbances ◽  
Litter Addition ◽  
Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Litter Input ◽  
Soil Carbon And Nitrogen ◽  
Aboveground Litter ◽  
Litter Quantity

Global changes and human disturbances can strongly affect the quantity of aboveground litter entering soils, which could result in substantial cascading effects on soil biogeochemical processes in forests. Despite extensive reports, it is unclear how the variations in litter depth affect soil carbon and nitrogen cycling. The responses of soil carbon and nitrogen to the variability of litter inputs were examined in a coniferous–broadleaf mixed forest of Central China. The litter input manipulation included five treatments: no litter input, natural litter, double litter, triple litter, and quadruple litter. Multifold litter additions decreased soil temperature but did not affect soil moisture after 2.5 years. Reductions in soil pH under litter additions were larger than increases under no litter input. Litter quantity did not affect soil total organic carbon, whereas litter addition stimulated soil dissolved organic carbon more strongly than no litter input suppressed it. The triggering priming effect of litter manipulation on soil respiration requires a substantial litter quantity, and the impacts of a slight litter change on soil respiration are negligible. Litter quantity did not impact soil total nitrogen, and only strong litter fluctuations changed the content of soil available nitrogen (nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen). Litter addition enhanced soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen more strongly than no litter input. Our results imply that the impacts of multifold litter inputs on soil carbon and nitrogen are different with a single litter treatment. These findings suggest that variability in aboveground litter inputs resulting from environmental change and human disturbances have great potential to change soil carbon and nitrogen in forest ecosystems. The variability of aboveground litter inputs needs to be taken into account to predict the responses of terrestrial soil carbon and nitrogen cycling to environmental changes and forest management.

scholarly journals Changes in soil carbon and nutrients following 6 years of litter removal and addition in a tropical semi-evergreen rain forest

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (22) ◽  
pp. 6183-6190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmund Vincent John Tanner ◽  
Merlin W. A. Sheldrake ◽  
Benjamin L. Turner
Keyword(s):  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Bulk Density ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Standing Crop ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Litter Addition ◽  
Litter Removal ◽  
Litter Manipulation ◽  
Litter Standing Crop

Abstract. Increasing atmospheric CO2 and temperature may increase forest productivity, including litterfall, but the consequences for soil organic matter remain poorly understood. To address this, we measured soil carbon and nutrient concentrations at nine depths to 2 m after 6 years of continuous litter removal and litter addition in a semi-evergreen rain forest in Panama. Soils in litter addition plots, compared to litter removal plots, had higher pH and contained greater concentrations of KCl-extractable nitrate (both to 30 cm); Mehlich-III extractable phosphorus and total carbon (both to 20 cm); total nitrogen (to 15 cm); Mehlich-III calcium (to 10 cm); and Mehlich-III magnesium and lower bulk density (both to 5 cm). In contrast, litter manipulation did not affect ammonium, manganese, potassium or zinc, and soils deeper than 30 cm did not differ for any nutrient. Comparison with previous analyses in the experiment indicates that the effect of litter manipulation on nutrient concentrations and the depth to which the effects are significant are increasing with time. To allow for changes in bulk density in calculation of changes in carbon stocks, we standardized total carbon and nitrogen on the basis of a constant mineral mass. For 200 kg m−2 of mineral soil (approximately the upper 20 cm of the profile) about 0.5 kg C m−2 was “missing” from the litter removal plots, with a similar amount accumulated in the litter addition plots. There was an additional 0.4 kg C m−2 extra in the litter standing crop of the litter addition plots compared to the control. This increase in carbon in surface soil and the litter standing crop can be interpreted as a potential partial mitigation of the effects of increasing CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.

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