Decomposition regularities of leaf litter and fine roots of Cunninghamia lanceolata and their divergent drivers at different altitudes in the Wuyi Mountain

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2024.0211

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Litter is an important source of organic matter in forest soils, and litter decomposition is crucial in the global carbon cycle. There is a large topographic relief that has formed various vegetation types and ecosystems along the altitudinal gradient in the Wuyi Mountain, China. Studying the differences in the decomposition regularities and driving factors of leaf litter and fine roots of Cunninghamia lanceolata at different altitudes can provide scientific theoretical basis for protecting and managing ecosystems in the study area.

Methods In this study, C. lanceolata plantation forests at three altitudes in the Wuyi Mountain were selected as the research platform for climate change research. A 3.5-year-experiment on litter and fine root decomposition was conducted using the decomposition bag approach along the altitude gradient.

Important findings The decomposition rate of leaf litter was higher than that of fine roots across the altitude gradient. The decomposition rates of leaf litter and fine roots decreased with increasing altitude, while we observed increased differences in decomposition rates between leaf litter and fine roots. Furthermore, the release rates of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus from leaf litter and fine roots reduced with increasing altitude, which had an inhibitory effect on lignin decomposition in litter and roots. The temperature was found to drive fine root decomposition and nutrient changes, while soil nutrient status and microbial communities across the altitudinal gradient acted primarily on leaf litter, suggesting divergent drivers controlling litter and root decomposition across the altitude gradient. Taken together, this study explores the impact of temperature, soil, and microorganisms on leaf litter and fine root decomposition, thereby deepening the understanding of differences in aboveground and belowground litter decomposition of the same tree species and their response to climate change.

Key words: leaf litter, fine root, decomposition rate, nutrient release, altitude, Cunninghamia lanceolata

ZHENG Lin-Min, XIONG Xiao-Ling, JIANG Yong-Meng, WANG Man, ZHANG Jin-Xiu, ZENG Zhi-Wei, LYU Mao-Kui, XIE Jin-Sheng. Decomposition regularities of leaf litter and fine roots of Cunninghamia lanceolata and their divergent drivers at different altitudes in the Wuyi Mountain[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2025, 49(2): 244-255.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2024.0211

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2025/V49/I2/244

Figures/Tables 11

Table 1 Initial chemical composition of leaf litter and fine root of Cunninghamia lanceolata (mean ± SE, n = 4)

凋落物类型 Litter type	碳含量 Carbon content (g·kg^-1)	氮含量 Nitrogen content (g·kg^-1)	磷含量 Phosphorus content (g·kg^-1)	可萃取物含量 Extractive content (%)	纤维素含量 Cellulose content (%)	木质素含量 Lignin content (%)
凋落叶 Leaf litter	482.06 ± 3.90	5.59 ± 0.14	0.50 ± 0.00	48.20 ± 0.34	21.23 ± 0.13	30.57 ± 0.23
细根 Fine root	452.22 ± 2.56	6.80 ± 0.11	0.45 ± 0.00	35.82 ± 0.52	26.91 ± 0.55	37.39 ± 0.17

Table 2 Basic information of pure forests of Cunninghamia lanceolata at different altitudes in the Wuyi Mountain

海拔 Altitude (m)	坡向 Aspect of slope	坡度 Slope (°)	土壤类型 Soil type	年平均气温 Annual average air temperature (℃)	年降水量 Annual precipitation (mm)	土壤含水量 Soil water content (%)
200	东南 Southeast	25	红壤 Red soil	18.85	2 411	10.18
700	东南 Southeast	35	黄红壤 Yellow-red soil	16.74	2 374	14.74
1 200	东南 Southeast	24	黄壤 Yellow soil	14.65	2 481	15.00

Table 3 Identifier of phospholipid fatty acids

微生物类群 Microbial type		磷脂脂肪酸标志物 Phospholipid fatty acid signatures
细菌 Bacteria	常见细菌 Common bacteria	12:0, 14:0, 15:0, 17:0, 20:0
	革兰氏阳性菌 Gram-positive bacteria	16:0, 18:0, 16:0 2OH, a13:0, a15:0, a17:0, i13:0, i14:0, i15:0, i16:0
	放线菌 Actinomycetes	10Me 16:0, 10Me 17:0,10Me 18:0, i17:0
	革兰氏阴性菌 Gram-negative bacteria	14:1ω5c, 16:1ω7c, 18:1ω7c, 18:1ω9c, cy17:0, 10Me17:1ω7c
真菌 Fungi	常见真菌 Common fungi	18:1ω9c, 18:2ω6c, 18:3ω3c
真菌 Fungi	丛枝菌根真菌 Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi	16:1ω5c

Table 4 Properties of soil and microbial community at different altitudes (mean ± SE, n = 4)

	200 m	700 m	1 200 m
土壤酸碱度 Soil pH	5.05 ± 0.16^A	4.86 ± 0.11^A	4.23 ± 0.01^B
土壤有机碳含量 SOC (g·kg⁻¹)	26.14 ± 1.62^B	50.53 ± 3.25^A	53.31 ± 3.60^A
土壤总氮含量 TN (g·kg⁻¹)	1.90 ± 0.15^B	3.15 ± 0.17^A	2.62 ± 0.19^A
土壤总磷含量 TP (g·kg⁻¹)	0.39 ± 0.01^A	0.32 ± 0.01^B	0.28 ± 0.01^C
土壤总碳氮比 C:N	13.76 ± 0.41^C	16.08 ± 0.39^B	20.35 ± 0.75^A
可溶性有机碳含量 DOC (mg·kg⁻¹)	87.55 ± 10.10^C	201.28 ± 7.19^B	353.17 ± 28.77^A
可溶性有机氮含量 DON (mg·kg⁻¹)	4.40 ± 0.64^B	5.98 ± 0.24^B	12.73 ± 1.94^A
矿质氮含量 MN (mg·kg⁻¹)	28.36 ± 1.07^B	33.25 ± 0.58^A	29.77 ± 1.88^AB
革兰氏阳性菌生物量 GP (nmol·g⁻¹)	24.09 ± 0.50^A	28.47 ± 2.80^A	22.94 ± 0.93^A
革兰氏阴性菌生物量 GN (nmol·g⁻¹)	29.55 ± 0.52^B	43.71 ± 4.50^A	33.15 ± 1.90^B
真菌生物量 Fungi biomass (nmol·g⁻¹)	8.46 ± 0.34^B	12.76 ± 1.07^A	15.25 ± 1.34^A
总微生物生物量 Total PLFAs (nmol·g⁻¹)	75.25 ± 1.20^B	101.63 ± 8.93^A	84.65 ± 4.17^AB
GP:GN	0.89 ± 0.01^A	0.71 ± 0.02^B	0.74 ± 0.00^B
F:B	0.15 ± 0.01^B	0.18 ± 0.02^B	0.27 ± 0.02^A

Fig. 1 Dry mass remaining rate of leaf litter and fine root of Cunninghamia lanceolata at different altitudes in the Wuyi Mountain (mean ± SE, n = 4). L, leaf litter; R, fine root. Different uppercase letters indicate the dry mass remaining rate of the same litter significant differences among different altitudes (p < 0.05); * indicates that the dry mass remaining rate is a significant difference between leaf litter and fine root at the same altitude. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01.

Table 5 Exponential regression equation of dry mass remaining (y, %) as a function of leaf litter of Cunninghamia lanceolata and fine root decomposition to time (t) at different altitudes

凋落物类型 Litter type	海拔 Altitude (m)	Olson负指数方程 Olson negative exponential equation	分解系数 Decomposition coefficient (k)	R²	半分解时间 T_0.50 (a)	分解95%时间 T_0.95 (a)
凋落叶 Leaf litter	200	y = 103.55e^-0.62^t	0.62^Aa	0.98	1.11^Bb	4.82^Bb
	700	y = 98.65e^-0.41^t	0.41^Ba	0.94	1.70^Ab	7.35^Ab
	1 200	y = 95.04e^-0.39^t	0.39^Ba	0.99	1.79^Ab	7.72^Ab
细根 Fine root	200	y = 98.74e^-0.38^t	0.38^Ab	0.99	1.83^Ca	7.92^Ca
	700	y = 95.49e^-0.25^t	0.25^Bb	0.98	2.83^Ba	12.23^Ba
	1 200	y = 92.96e^-0.20^t	0.20^Bb	0.97	3.53^Aa	15.24^Aa

Fig. 2 Carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) content of leaf litter and fine root of Cunninghamia lanceolata at different altitudes (mean ± SE, n = 4). L, leaf litter; R, fine root. Different uppercase letters indicate the C, N, P content of the same litter significant differences among different altitudes (p < 0.05); * indicates that the C, N, P content are significant differences between leaf litter and fine root at the same altitude. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ns, p > 0.05.

Fig. 3 Carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) remaining rate of leaf litter and fine root of Cunninghamia lanceolata at different altitudes (mean ± SE, n = 4). L, leaf litter; R, fine root. Different uppercase letters indicate the C, N, P remaining rate of the same litter significant differences among different altitudes (p < 0.05); * indicates that the C, N, P remaining rate are significant differences between leaf litter and fine root at the same altitude. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001; ns, p > 0.05.

Fig. 4 Extractive, cellulose and lignin remaining rate of leaf litter and fine root of Cunninghamia lanceolata at different altitudes (mean ± SE, n = 4). L, leaf litter; R, fine root. Different uppercase letters indicate the extractive, cellulose, lignin remaining rate of the same litter significant differences among different altitudes (p < 0.05); * indicates that the extractive, cellulose, lignin remaining rate are significant differences between leaf litter and fine root at the same altitude. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001; ns, p > 0.05.

Fig. 5 Correlation (r) of dry mass, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and lignin remaining rate of leaf litter and fine root of Cunninghamia lanceolata with environmental factors. C:N, soil total carbon to nitrogen ratio; DOC, dissolved organic carbon content; DON, dissolved organic nitrogen content; Fungi, fungi biomass; F:B, fungi biomass to bacteria biomass ratio; GP:GN, gram positive biomass to gram negative biomass ratio; SM, soil moisture; SOC, soil organic carbon content; T, air temperature; TN, total nitrogen content; TP, total phosphorus content. *, p < 0.05; **, p < 0.01; ***, p < 0.001; n = 4.

Fig. 6 Variance partitioning analysis of environmental factors and decomposition of litter. A, Leaf litter. B, Fine root. DOC, dissolved organic carbon content; DON, dissolved organic nitrogen content; Fungi, fungi biomass; F:B, fungi biomass to bacteria biomass ratio; GP:GN, gram positive biomass to gram negative biomass ratio; SM, soil moisture; SOC, soil organic carbon content; T, air temperature; TN, total nitrogen content; TP, total phosphorus content.

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