植物生态学报 ›› 2025, Vol. 49 ›› Issue (10): 1733-1743.DOI: 10.17521/cjpe.2024.0306

• 研究论文 • 上一篇    下一篇

川西高寒窄叶鲜卑花灌丛凋落枝和凋落叶生产与分解

陈诚智1, 高钰森1, 罗力嘉1, 王东1,2,*()   

  1. 1西华师范大学环境科学与工程学院, 四川南充 637009
    2中国科学院成都生物研究所山地生态恢复与生物多样性保护四川省重点实验室, 成都 610213
  • 收稿日期:2024-09-11 接受日期:2025-01-27 出版日期:2025-10-20 发布日期:2025-01-27
  • 通讯作者: *王东(dongwang1108@163.com)
  • 基金资助:
    国家自然科学基金(U24A20352);国家自然科学基金(31901193);国家自然科学基金(32501512);四川省自然科学基金(2022NSFSC1737);四川省自然科学基金(2023YFG0348)

Twig and leaf litter production and decomposition in an alpine Sibiraea angustata shrubland of western Sichuan, China

CHEN Cheng-Zhi1, GAO Yu-Sen1, LUO Li-Jia1, WANG Dong1,2,*()   

  1. 1College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, China West Normal University, Nanchong, Sichuan 637009, China
    2Mountain Ecological Restoration and Biodiversity Conservation Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu 610213, China
  • Received:2024-09-11 Accepted:2025-01-27 Online:2025-10-20 Published:2025-01-27
  • Supported by:
    The National Natural Science Foundation of China(U24A20352);The National Natural Science Foundation of China(31901193);The National Natural Science Foundation of China(32501512);The Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(2022NSFSC1737);The Natural Science Foundation of Sichuan Province(2023YFG0348)

摘要: 高寒灌丛因其较高的土壤碳储量及对全球变化的敏感性, 已成为全球碳循环研究的热点区域。凋落枝和凋落叶在陆地生态系统物质循环中起着重要作用, 但有关二者生产与分解的对比研究还十分缺乏, 难以准确评估其对土壤碳和养分循环的影响差异。基于此, 该研究以青藏高原东部的优势灌丛——窄叶鲜卑花(Sibiraea angustata)为研究对象, 连续4年(2012-2015)监测了凋落枝和凋落叶的生产与分解, 并量化其碳氮残留量。结果表明: (1)凋落叶具有较高的生产量, 其年产量平均为凋落枝的4.41倍, 分别为138.94和31.48 g∙m-2∙a-1; (2)凋落枝的分解速率显著低于凋落叶, 二者的分解常数分别为0.356·a-1和0.522·a-1, 且凋落枝分解的最终残留比例(0.287)为凋落叶(0.059)的4.86倍; (3)在4年的分解过程中, 凋落叶中的氮动态表现为净释放模式, 而凋落枝则为“富集—稳定—释放”模式; (4)凋落枝和凋落叶的碳残留量较为接近(3.85和3.72 g∙m-2∙a-1), 但凋落叶的氮残留量更高(0.06和0.11 g∙m-2∙a-1)。该研究明确了凋落枝慢速分解在高寒灌丛碳储量累积中的关键作用, 以及凋落叶快速氮释放和高效氮归还对缓解土壤氮限制的重要性, 为准确评估凋落枝和凋落叶对土壤碳氮循环的贡献提供了重要依据。

关键词: 凋落物生产, 凋落物分解, 碳氮归还, 青藏高原, 高寒灌丛

Abstract:

Aims Alpine shrublands are crucial for global carbon cycle due to their substantial soil carbon storage and sensitivity to global changes. Twig and leaf litter play a crucial role in terrestrial ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling; however, less is known about their production and decomposition. Such a knowledge gap hinders accurate assessments of their contributions to soil carbon and nutrient cycling.
Methods This study investigated the annual production, decomposition rates, and carbon and nitrogen retention of twig and leaf litter in an alpine Sibiraea angustata shrubland ecosystem on the eastern margin of the Qingzang Plateau of China over a four-year period.
Important findings Results showed that: (1) Leaf litter production (138.94 g·m-2·a-1) was 4.41 times higher than twig litter production (31.48 g·m-2·a-1). (2) Decomposition rate of twig litter (K = 0.356·a-1) was significantly slower than that of leaf litter (K = 0.522·a-1). The proportion of recalcitrant fraction of twig litter during decomposition was 4.86 times higher than that of leaf litter (0.287 vs. 0.059, respectively). (3) Nitrogen release patterns differed between twig and leaf litter: leaf litter exhibited a net nitrogen release, while twig litter followed a pattern of “enrichment—stabilization— release”. (4) After four years of decomposition, the estimated annual carbon retention of twig and leaf litter was similar (3.85 g∙m-2∙a-1 for twig litter and 3.72 g∙m-2∙a-1 for leaf litter). However, leaf litter retained significantly more nitrogen than twig litter (0.11 g∙m-2∙a-1 vs. 0.06 g∙m-2∙a-1). This study highlights the complementary roles of twig litter in promoting carbon accumulation in alpine shrubland due to its slower decomposition. In contrast, leaf litter plays a more crucial role in alleviating soil nitrogen limitation due to its faster nitrogen release and higher nitrogen return. Our results provide valuable foundation for accurately assessing the contributions of twig and leaf litter to soil carbon and nitrogen cycling.

Key words: litterfall production, litter decomposition, carbon and nitrogen inputs, Qingzang Plateau, alpine shrubland