Dynamics in foliar litter decomposition for Pinus koraiensis and Quercus mongolica in a snow-depth manipulation experiment

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2017.0184

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Changes in snowpack induced by climate change may alter water and heat regimes at the ground surface, thus influencing activities of decomposers and litter decomposition in snow-covered regions. However, effects of snow-depth changes on litter decomposition are unclear. Our objective was to characterize the decomposition dynamics of two contrasting tree species—Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) and Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica) in a snow-depth manipulation experiment.

Methods The snow-depth manipulation experiment that included three treatments (i.e., snow-addition, snow-removal, and control) was conducted in a temperate Korean pine plantation in the Maoershan Forest Ecosystem Research Station, Northeast China. Air-dried foliar litter of the pine or oak (10 g litter per bag) was sealed in a nylon litterbag (15 cm × 20 cm). A total of 648 litterbags (3 plots × 3 treatments × 2 tree species × 3 replicates × 12 sampling dates) were placed evenly on the forest floor in October 2014. Three replicate litterbags per species were buried in each treatment plot and sampled 12 times (i.e., freezing onset stage, deep freezing stage, thawing stage, early, middle and late snow-free seasons) during the two-year period (2014-2016) to determine the temporal variation of the decomposition rate. Associated factors (i.e., mean temperature at litter layer, freeze-thaw cycle, available nitrogen and phosphorus at the organic layer) were measured simultaneously.

Important findings Tree species, snow-depth treatment, decomposition stage, and the measured associated factors all influenced the decomposition rates of the foliar litter. The litter mass loss was 52.1%-54.5% for the pine, and 53.9%-59.1% for the oak during the two-year period. The decomposition coefficients for the litter of the two species were the highest in the snow-addition plot, and the lowest in the snow-removal plot. Moreover, the snow-depth manipulation dramatically changed the relative contribution of the mass loss (R ratio) during the snow-covered or snow-free seasons to the yearly total loss. Compared with the control, the snow-addition treatment increased the R ratio during the snow-covered season by 9.1% for the pine and 10.4% for the oak, while the snow-removal treatment increased the R ratio during the snow-free season by 10.4% and 12.7%, respectively. In conclusion, changes in snowpack induced by climate change may significantly affect the foliar decomposition in temperate forests, and also alter the relative contribution of the litter decomposition in the snow-covered and snow-free seasons to the yearly decomposition.

Key words: snow-depth manipulation, temperate forest, foliar litter decomposition, climate change, snow-covered season, snow-free season

WU Qi-Qian, WANG Chuan-Kuan. Dynamics in foliar litter decomposition for Pinus koraiensis and Quercus mongolica in a snow-depth manipulation experiment[J]. Chin J Plan Ecolo, 2018, 42(2): 153-163.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2017.0184

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2018/V42/I2/153

Figures/Tables 9

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树种 Tree species	有机碳 Organic carbon (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	全磷 Total phosphorus (g·kg^-1)	碳/氮 C/N	碳/磷 C/P	氮/磷 N/P	木质素 Lignin (%)	纤维素 Cellulose (%)	木质素/氮 Lignin/N
红松 Pinus koraiensis	489.6 ± 1.4^a	4.5 ± 0.1^b	0.55 ± 0.01^b	107.0 ± 1.2^a	893.5 ± 6.1^a	8.1 ± 0.5^a	29.8 ± 0.3^a	14.6 ± 0.4^a	66.8 ± 0.2^a
蒙古栎 Quercus mongolica	458.8 ± 5.1^b	6.5 ± 0.1^a	1.30 ± 0.05^a	71.1 ± 0.6^b	351.7 ± 13.5^b	4.9 ± 0.2^b	16.1 ± 0.1^b	12.9 ± 0.1^b	25.0 ± 0.6^b

树种 Tree species	有机碳 Organic carbon (g·kg^-1)	全氮 Total nitrogen (g·kg^-1)	全磷 Total phosphorus (g·kg^-1)	碳/氮 C/N	碳/磷 C/P	氮/磷 N/P	木质素 Lignin (%)	纤维素 Cellulose (%)	木质素/氮 Lignin/N
红松 Pinus koraiensis	489.6 ± 1.4^a	4.5 ± 0.1^b	0.55 ± 0.01^b	107.0 ± 1.2^a	893.5 ± 6.1^a	8.1 ± 0.5^a	29.8 ± 0.3^a	14.6 ± 0.4^a	66.8 ± 0.2^a
蒙古栎 Quercus mongolica	458.8 ± 5.1^b	6.5 ± 0.1^a	1.30 ± 0.05^a	71.1 ± 0.6^b	351.7 ± 13.5^b	4.9 ± 0.2^b	16.1 ± 0.1^b	12.9 ± 0.1^b	25.0 ± 0.6^b

取样顺序 Sampling order	取样阶段 Sampling stage	取样日期 Sampling date	分解天数 Decomposing days
1	第一年冻结初期 1st year freezing onset stage	2014-12-02	49
2	第一年深冻期 1st year deep freezing stage	2015-03-18	145
3	第一年融化期 1st year thawing stage	2015-04-18	176
4	第一年无雪初期 1st year early snow-free season	2015-06-20	239
5	第一年无雪中期 1st year mid snow-free season	2015-08-20	300
6	第一年无雪末期 1st year late snow-free season	2015-10-20	366
7	第二年冻结初期 2nd year freezing onset stage	2015-12-25	407
8	第二年深冻期 2nd year deep freezing stage	2016-03-25	516
9	第二年融化期 2nd year thawing stage	2016-04-22	544
10	第二年无雪初期 2nd year early snow-free season	2016-06-20	603
11	第二年无雪中期 2nd year mid snow-free season	2016-08-22	666
12	第二年无雪末期 2nd year late snow-free season	2016-10-24	732

取样顺序 Sampling order	取样阶段 Sampling stage	取样日期 Sampling date	分解天数 Decomposing days
1	第一年冻结初期 1st year freezing onset stage	2014-12-02	49
2	第一年深冻期 1st year deep freezing stage	2015-03-18	145
3	第一年融化期 1st year thawing stage	2015-04-18	176
4	第一年无雪初期 1st year early snow-free season	2015-06-20	239
5	第一年无雪中期 1st year mid snow-free season	2015-08-20	300
6	第一年无雪末期 1st year late snow-free season	2015-10-20	366
7	第二年冻结初期 2nd year freezing onset stage	2015-12-25	407
8	第二年深冻期 2nd year deep freezing stage	2016-03-25	516
9	第二年融化期 2nd year thawing stage	2016-04-22	544
10	第二年无雪初期 2nd year early snow-free season	2016-06-20	603
11	第二年无雪中期 2nd year mid snow-free season	2016-08-22	666
12	第二年无雪末期 2nd year late snow-free season	2016-10-24	732

处理 Treatment	凋落物层平均温度 Average temperature in litter layer (°C)	凋落物层冻融循环 Freeze-thaw cycle in litter layer	有机层有机碳 Organic carbon in organic layer (g·kg^-1)	有机层全氮 Total nitrogen in organic layer (g·kg^-1)	有机层全磷 Total phosphorus in organic layer (g·kg^-1)	有机层碳/氮 C/N in organic layer	有机层碳/磷 C/P in organic layer	有机层氮/磷 N/P in organic layer
增雪 Snow-addition	4.4 ± 0.3^a	58 ± 1^c	81.4 ± 2.2^a	7.4 ± 0.2^a	1.3 ± 0.1^a	10.9 ± 0.2^b	62.4 ± 0.3^c	5.5 ± 0.2^c
对照 Control	3.8 ± 0.2^b	70 ± 1^b	75.4 ± 1.1^b	6.6 ± 0.3^b	0.9 ± 0.2^b	11.2 ± 0.2^b	83.9 ± 0.4^b	7.2 ± 0.1^b
除雪 Snow-removal	2.7 ± 0.5^c	84 ± 2^a	72.6 ± 0.6^c	6.1 ± 0.1^c	0.7 ± 0.1^c	12.0 ± 0.3^a	104.3 ± 0.6^a	8.7 ± 0.3^a