Effects of snowpack on early foliar litter humification during winter in a subalpine forest of western Sichuan

doi:10.3724/SP.J.1258.2014.00050

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Foliar litter humification is an important ecological process relating to soil carbon and nutrient budget in subalpine forest ecosystems, and the process of foliar litter humification can be affected by various snowpacks with different thicknesses in winter. However, little is known on the effects of snowpack on foliar litter humification. The objective of this study is to explore the effects of snowpack on early foliar litter humification during the first winter in subalpine forest.
Methods A field litterbag experiment was conducted in a subalpine forest in southwestern China from November 2012 to April 2013. Air-dried foliar litter of fir (Abies faxoniana), cypress (Sabina saltuaria), larch (Larix mastersiana), birch (Betula albo-sinensis), willow (Salix paraplesia), and azalea (Rhododendron lapponicum) were incubated under snowpacks with varying thicknesses (deep snowpack, medium snowpack, thin snowpack, and no snowpack) due to variations in the canopy openness. Net accumulation of humus carbon, humification degrees, and humification rates were measured at snow formation, snow cover, and snow melt stage as foliar litter humification proceeded.
Important findings Significant humification was observed in the six foliar litter types during the first winter regardless of the condition of snowpacks. The highest humification degree was observed in birch foliar litter (4.45%-5.67%), and the humification degrees were 1.91%-2.15%, 1.14%-2.03%, 1.06%-1.97%, 0.01%-1.25%, and 0.39%-1.21%, respectively, for fir, azalea, willow, larch, and cypress foliar litter under varying snowpacks. The net accumulation of humus carbon of all foliar litters increased at the snow formation, snow melt stage, and the whole winter, which exhibited an increasing tendency with the decrease of snow cover thickness. In contrast, net accumulation of humus carbon showed a declining trend at the snow cover stage, and significantly increased with the decrease of snow cover thickness. In addition, correlation analysis results indicated that the humification degree was positively correlated with total nitrogen and acid-insoluble residues and negatively related to the organic carbon, total phosphorus, and water- and organic-soluble components. These results clearly suggest that foliar litter humification in subalpine forest can be enhanced by reduced snow cover in a scenario of climate warming, although the humification degree is controlled by snowpack and litter qualities at different stages of snow cover in winter.

Key words: foliar litter, humification, humus carbon, snowpack

NI Xiang-Yin,YANG Wan-Qin,LI Han,XU Li-Ya,HE Jie,WU Fu-Zhong. Effects of snowpack on early foliar litter humification during winter in a subalpine forest of western Sichuan[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2014, 38(6): 540-549.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.3724/SP.J.1258.2014.00050

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2014/V38/I6/540

Figures/Tables 8

References 42

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物种 Species	有机碳 OC (g·kg^-1)	全氮 TN (g·kg^-1)	全磷 TP (g·kg^-1)	水溶性组分 WSC (g·kg^-1)	有机溶性组分 OSC (g·kg^-1)	酸溶性组分 ASC (g·kg^-1)	酸不溶性组分 AIR (g·kg^-1)
岷江冷杉 Abies faxoniana	505.60 ± 29.61^a	8.75 ± 0.60^c	1.14 ± 0.10^b	40.83 ± 0.54^ab	27.62 ± 2.28^ab	27.36 ± 1.33^b	23.92 ± 2.54^b
方枝柏 Sabina saltuaria	516.36 ± 17.67^a	8.77 ± 0.09^c	1.24 ± 0.05^ab	35.74 ± 0.69^c	33.16 ± 3.43^a	32.43 ± 1.29^a	20.60 ± 3.41^b
四川红杉 Larix mastersiana	543.49 ± 6.29^a	8.60 ± 0.41^c	1.33 ± 0.02^a	40.08 ± 1.08^b	19.11 ± 0.68^c	29.24 ± 0.87^ab	21.46 ± 0.94^b
红桦 Betula albo-sinensis	496.86 ± 14.51^ab	13.34 ± 0.22^a	0.91 ± 0.04^c	25.06 ± 1.96^d	11.43 ± 0.75^d	27.74 ± 0.94^b	50.96 ± 0.96^a
康定柳 Salix paraplesia	452.27 ± 16.51^b	11.46 ± 0.89^b	1.11 ± 0.02^b	41.71 ± 0.32^ab	18.48 ± 1.57^c	28.56 ± 1.88^b	26.15 ± 3.29^b
高山杜鹃 Rhododendron lapponicum	502.91 ± 15.98^a	6.66 ± 0.21^d	1.07 ± 0.09^bc	43.14 ± 1.16^a	25.84 ± 2.29^b	27.00 ± 0.59^b	21.84 ± 3.42^b

物种 Species	有机碳 OC (g·kg^-1)	全氮 TN (g·kg^-1)	全磷 TP (g·kg^-1)	水溶性组分 WSC (g·kg^-1)	有机溶性组分 OSC (g·kg^-1)	酸溶性组分 ASC (g·kg^-1)	酸不溶性组分 AIR (g·kg^-1)
岷江冷杉 Abies faxoniana	505.60 ± 29.61^a	8.75 ± 0.60^c	1.14 ± 0.10^b	40.83 ± 0.54^ab	27.62 ± 2.28^ab	27.36 ± 1.33^b	23.92 ± 2.54^b
方枝柏 Sabina saltuaria	516.36 ± 17.67^a	8.77 ± 0.09^c	1.24 ± 0.05^ab	35.74 ± 0.69^c	33.16 ± 3.43^a	32.43 ± 1.29^a	20.60 ± 3.41^b
四川红杉 Larix mastersiana	543.49 ± 6.29^a	8.60 ± 0.41^c	1.33 ± 0.02^a	40.08 ± 1.08^b	19.11 ± 0.68^c	29.24 ± 0.87^ab	21.46 ± 0.94^b
红桦 Betula albo-sinensis	496.86 ± 14.51^ab	13.34 ± 0.22^a	0.91 ± 0.04^c	25.06 ± 1.96^d	11.43 ± 0.75^d	27.74 ± 0.94^b	50.96 ± 0.96^a
康定柳 Salix paraplesia	452.27 ± 16.51^b	11.46 ± 0.89^b	1.11 ± 0.02^b	41.71 ± 0.32^ab	18.48 ± 1.57^c	28.56 ± 1.88^b	26.15 ± 3.29^b
高山杜鹃 Rhododendron lapponicum	502.91 ± 15.98^a	6.66 ± 0.21^d	1.07 ± 0.09^bc	43.14 ± 1.16^a	25.84 ± 2.29^b	27.00 ± 0.59^b	21.84 ± 3.42^b

	df	F_HC	F_HD	F_HR
Time	2	738.973^**	2475.411^**	1578.775^**
Litter	5	491.873^**	721.283^**	757.425^**
Snow	3	51.422^**	35.570^**	89.808^**
Time × Litter	10	276.287^**	468.349^**	381.989^**
Time × Snow	6	60.320^**	161.962^**	152.321^**
Litter × Snow	15	3.764^**	7.741^**	8.867^**
Time × Litter × Snow	30	15.752^**	21.699^**	23.618^**

	df	F_HC	F_HD	F_HR
Time	2	738.973^**	2475.411^**	1578.775^**
Litter	5	491.873^**	721.283^**	757.425^**
Snow	3	51.422^**	35.570^**	89.808^**
Time × Litter	10	276.287^**	468.349^**	381.989^**
Time × Snow	6	60.320^**	161.962^**	152.321^**
Litter × Snow	15	3.764^**	7.741^**	8.867^**
Time × Litter × Snow	30	15.752^**	21.699^**	23.618^**

	雪被形成期 Snow formation stage		雪被覆盖期 Snow cover stage		雪被融化期 Snow melt stage		整个冬季 Whole winter
	腐殖质碳 Humus carbon	腐殖化度 Humification degree	腐殖质碳 Humus carbon	腐殖化度 Humification degree	腐殖质碳 Humus carbon	腐殖化度 Humification degree	腐殖质碳 Humus carbon	腐殖化度 Humification degree
雪被厚度 Snow cover thickness	-0.484^**	-0.536^**	0.395^**	0.562^**	-0.169^*	-0.196^**	-0.234^**	-0.155^*
日平均温度 Daily average temperature	-0.057	0.020	-0.153^*	-0.102	-0.070	-0.054	-0.018	-0.053
昼平均温度 Daytime average temperature	0.100	0.068	-0.062	-0.071	-0.060	-0.063	-0.007	-0.042
夜平均温度 Nighttime average temperature	0.163^*	0.107	0.012	0.099	0.054	0.093	0.074	0.030
正积温 Positive accumulated temperature	0.018	0.006	-0.112	-0.173^*	-0.037	0.013	-0.019	0.028
负积温 Negative accumulated temperature	-0.107	-0.137^*	0.049	0.150^*	0.037	0.025	-0.006	-0.041
冻融循环次数 Number of freeze-thaw cycles	0.085	0.063	-0.216^**	-0.149^*	-0.009	0.044	0.052	0.047
有机碳 Organic carbon	-0.068	-0.247^**	0.110	-0.352^**	-0.129	-0.158^*	-0.324^**	-0.459^**
全氮 Total nitrogen	0.238^**	0.186^**	-0.123	0.011	0.315^**	0.280^**	0.488^**	0.524^**
碳氮比 C to N ratio	-0.191^**	-0.135^*	0.104	-0.147^*	-0.335^**	-0.328^**	-0.512^**	-0.539^**
全磷 Total phosphorus	-0.395^**	-0.305^**	0.365^**	0.146^*	-0.654^**	-0.619^**	-0.727^**	-0.725^**
水溶性组分 Water soluble components	-0.339^**	-0.256^**	0.251^**	0.218^**	-0.409^**	-0.423^**	-0.639^**	-0.554^**
有机溶性组分 Organic soluble components	-0.195^**	-0.517^**	0.333^**	0.313^**	-0.415^**	-0.458^**	-0.417^**	-0.552^**
酸溶性组分 Acid soluble components	-0.080	0.165^*	-0.202^**	-0.297^**	-0.145^*	-0.132	-0.040	-0.096
酸不溶性组分 Acid insoluble residue	0.373^**	0.455^**	-0.220^**	-0.157^*	0.404^**	0.457^**	0.581^**	0.698^**