scholarly journals Leaf litter decomposition rates increase with rising mean annual temperature in Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori D Bothwell ◽  
Paul C Selmants ◽  
Christian P Giardina ◽  
Creighton M. Litton
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Nutrient Release ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Litter Decay ◽  
Wet Forests

Decomposing litter in forest ecosystems supplies nutrients to plants, carbon to heterotrophic soil microorganisms and is a large source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Despite its essential role in carbon and nutrient cycling, the temperature sensitivity of leaf litter decay in tropical forest ecosystems remains poorly resolved, especially in tropical montane wet forests where the warming trend may be amplified compared to tropical wet forests at lower elevations. We quantified leaf litter decomposition rates along a highly constrained 5.2 °C mean annual temperature (MAT) gradient in tropical montane wet forests on the Island of Hawaii. Dominant vegetation, substrate type and age, soil moisture, and disturbance history are all nearly constant across this gradient, allowing us to isolate the effect of rising MAT on leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release. Leaf litter decomposition rates were a positive linear function of MAT, causing the residence time of leaf litter on the forest floor to decline by ~31 days for each 1 °C increase in MAT. Our estimate of the Q10 temperature coefficient for leaf litter decomposition was 2.17, within the commonly reported range for heterotrophic organic matter decomposition (1.5 – 2.5) across a broad range of ecosystems. The percentage of leaf litter nitrogen (N) remaining after six months declined linearly with increasing MAT from ~ 88% of initial N at the coolest site to ~74% at the warmest site. The lack of net N immobilization during all three litter collection periods at all MAT plots indicates that N was not limiting to leaf litter decomposition, regardless of temperature. These results suggest that leaf litter decay in tropical montane wet forests may be more sensitive to rising MAT than in tropical lowland wet forests, and that increased rates of N release from decomposing litter could delay or prevent progressive N limitation to net primary productivity with climate warming.

scholarly journals Leaf litter decomposition rates increase with rising mean annual temperature in Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori D Bothwell ◽  
Paul C Selmants ◽  
Christian P Giardina ◽  
Creighton M. Litton
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Nutrient Release ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Litter Decay ◽  
Wet Forests

Decomposing litter in forest ecosystems supplies nutrients to plants, carbon to heterotrophic soil microorganisms and is a large source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Despite its essential role in carbon and nutrient cycling, the temperature sensitivity of leaf litter decay in tropical forest ecosystems remains poorly resolved, especially in tropical montane wet forests where the warming trend may be amplified compared to tropical wet forests at lower elevations. We quantified leaf litter decomposition rates along a highly constrained 5.2 °C mean annual temperature (MAT) gradient in tropical montane wet forests on the Island of Hawaii. Dominant vegetation, substrate type and age, soil moisture, and disturbance history are all nearly constant across this gradient, allowing us to isolate the effect of rising MAT on leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release. Leaf litter decomposition rates were a positive linear function of MAT, causing the residence time of leaf litter on the forest floor to decline by ~31 days for each 1 °C increase in MAT. Our estimate of the Q10 temperature coefficient for leaf litter decomposition was 2.17, within the commonly reported range for heterotrophic organic matter decomposition (1.5 – 2.5) across a broad range of ecosystems. The percentage of leaf litter nitrogen (N) remaining after six months declined linearly with increasing MAT from ~ 88% of initial N at the coolest site to ~74% at the warmest site. The lack of net N immobilization during all three litter collection periods at all MAT plots indicates that N was not limiting to leaf litter decomposition, regardless of temperature. These results suggest that leaf litter decay in tropical montane wet forests may be more sensitive to rising MAT than in tropical lowland wet forests, and that increased rates of N release from decomposing litter could delay or prevent progressive N limitation to net primary productivity with climate warming.

scholarly journals Leaf litter decomposition rates increase with rising mean annual temperature in Hawaiian tropical montane wet forests

PeerJ ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e685 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lori D. Bothwell ◽  
Paul C. Selmants ◽  
Christian P. Giardina ◽  
Creighton M. Litton
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Mean Annual Temperature ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Wet Forests

scholarly journals No Difference in Instream Decomposition Among Upland Agricultural and Forested Streams in Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen C. Kadeka ◽  
Frank O. Masese ◽  
David M. Lusega ◽  
Augustine Sitati ◽  
Benjamin N. Kondowe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Fine Mesh ◽  
Agricultural Streams

Expansion of agriculture is particularly worrying in tropical regions of the world, where native forests have been replaced by croplands and grasslands, with severe consequences for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functioning. However, limited data exist on the effects of agriculture on the functioning of tropical streams. We conducted a leaf litter decomposition experiment in coarse- and fine-mesh litterbags using the three species of leaves (Eucalyptus globulus [non-native], Vernonia myriantha, and Syzygium cordatum [indigenous]) in three forested and agricultural streams to determine the effect of agriculture on instream leaf litter decomposition in headwater stream sites. We also examined the functional composition of macroinvertebrates in the streams through the contents of benthic kick samples. Agricultural streams had a less dense riparian canopy and smaller abundance of coarse organic particulate matter, and higher electric conductivity and suspended solids than forested streams. In terms of the effects of litter quality on decomposition rates, Vernonia had the fastest decomposition rates while Eucalyptus had the slowest in both forested and agricultural sites. Shredder invertebrates were less abundant in agricultural streams, and in both stream types, they were less diverse and abundant than other functional groups. Overall, leaf litter decomposition rates did not respond to agricultural land-use. The hypothesized negative effects of agriculture on organic matter processing were minimal and likely modulated by intact riparian zones along agricultural streams.

scholarly journals Effect of biochar addition on leaf-litter decomposition at soil surface during three years in a warm-temperate secondary deciduous forest, Japan

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yukiya Minamino ◽  
Nobuhide Fujitake ◽  
Takeshi Suzuki ◽  
Shinpei Yoshitake ◽  
Hiroshi Koizumi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Sequestration ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Leaf Litter Decomposition ◽  
Dry Conditions

AbstractThe addition of biochar to the forest floor should facilitate efficient carbon sequestration. However, little is known about how biochar addition effects litter decomposition, which is related to carbon and nutrient dynamics in forest ecosystems. This study evaluated the effect of biochar addition on leaf litter decomposition in a forest ecosystem. To examine whether leaf litter decomposition was stimulated above and below biochar, litterbag experiments were carried out for about 3 years in a field site where biochar was added at the rate of 0, 5 and 10 t ha−¹ (C0, C5 and C10 plots) to the forest floor in a temperate oak forest, Japan. Biochar addition at C10 significantly enhanced litter decomposition below biochar for 2 years after treatment and above biochar for 1 year after treatment. Litter water content in biochar plots tended to increase under dry conditions. Biochar addition enhanced litter decomposition because of increased microbial activity with increased moisture content and accelerated the decomposition progress rather than changing the decomposition pattern. However, the carbon emission through changing leaf litter decomposition was small when compared with the carbon addition by biochar, indicating that biochar could be an effective material for carbon sequestration in forest ecosystems.

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