Priming effect of soil organic carbon decomposition induced by Cunninghamia lanceolate leaf litter and fine root and its response to nitrogen addition in subtropical forests

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2023.0256

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims Priming effect (PE), as the change in the decomposition rate of soil organic carbon (SOC) caused by exogenous carbon (C) input, plays important roles in regulating the storage and dynamics of global SOC. Leaf litter and fine root are the main sources of SOC in forest ecosystems, which can significantly affect PE. In addition, increased soil nitrogen (N) availability caused by atmospheric N deposition also impacts PE. However, the differences between the PE induced by leaf litter and fine root differ and their response to increased soil N availability remain unclear.

Methods In this study, we conducted a 35-days incubation experiment by adding ¹³C-labelled leaf litter and fine root into Cunninghamia lanceolate soil. Leaf litter was covered on soil surface and fine root was mixed in the soils to simulate their natural field conditions. The amount and carbon isotope composition (δ¹³C) value of soil CO₂ were measured during the experiment, and soil nutrient contents and microbial community composition were also measured after incubation.

Important findings 1) Leaf litter addition promoted the SOC decomposition, that is, leaf litter induced a positive PE, with the magnitude of 1.69 mg C·kg^-1·d^-1, while fine root addition induced a negative PE with the magnitude of -1.26 mg C·kg^-1·d^-1. 2) N addition reduced the magnitude of positive PE induced by leaf litter addition by 38.7%, while it increased the magnitude of negative PE induced by fine root addition by 16.6%. 3) Leaf litter addition reduced fungi bacteria ratio by 22.9%, while adding fine root increased the fungal biomass by 30.8%. Furthermore, N addition increased the fungal bacterial ratio and the fungal biomass. Our results demonstrated the differences in the PE induced by leaf litter and fine root addition, and provided theoretical support for the prediction and management of SOC in forests under the scenario of increasing atmospheric N deposition.

Key words: soil organic carbon decomposition, priming effect, nitrogen deposition, forest litter, soil microbial community composition

WANG Liang, ZHAO Xue-Chao, YANG Shao-Bo, WANG Qing-Kui. Priming effect of soil organic carbon decomposition induced by Cunninghamia lanceolate leaf litter and fine root and its response to nitrogen addition in subtropical forests[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2024, 48(11): 1434-1444.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2023.0256

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2024/V48/I11/1434

Figures/Tables 7

Table 1 Chemical properties and carbon isotope composition (δ13C) of leaves and fine roots of Cunninghamia lanceolata at the end of 13C labeling (mean ± SE)

凋落物类型 Litter type	¹³C丰度 δ¹³C (‰)	碳含量 C (g·kg^-1)	氮含量 N (g·kg^-1)	C:N	木质素含量 Lignin (g·kg^-1)	木质素:氮 Lignin:N
叶 Leaf	-2.61 ± 0.90^a	469.1 ± 0.43^a	23.76 ± 0.18^a	19.75 ± 0.13^b	121.5 ± 0.11^b	5.15 ± 0.75^b
细根 Fine root	-16.41 ± 0.17^b	473.1 ± 9.38^a	12.95 ± 0.29^b	36.53 ± 0.16^a	135.4 ± 0.23^a	10.25 ± 0.12^a

Table 2 Physical and chemical properties of incubate soil in Cunninghamia lanceolata forest (mean ± SE)

处理 Treatment	pH	土壤有机碳含量 Soil organic carbon (C) content (g·kg^-1)	全氮含量 Total nitrogen (N) content (g·kg^-1)	碳氮比 C:N
CK	4.06 ± 0.03^a	15.74 ± 0.95^a	1.83 ± 0.22^a	8.65 ± 0.55^a
L	4.01 ± 0.05^a	15.37 ± 0.22^ab	1.89 ± 0.33^a	8.30 ± 1.43^a
R	4.07 ± 0.05^a	15.37 ± 0.30^ab	1.86 ± 0.31^a	8.39 ± 1.23^a
N	3.74 ± 0.06^b	14.73 ± 0.33^b	1.83 ± 0.25^a	8.14 ± 0.87^a
LN	3.77 ± 0.06^b	14.82 ± 0.10^ab	1.94 ± 0.23^a	7.73 ± 0.94^a
RN	3.81 ± 0.03^b	15.44 ± 0.84^ab	1.88 ± 0.22^a	8.28 ± 0.80^a

Table 3 Main effects (p) of litter type, nitrogen addition and their interactions on CO2 from various sources, priming effect, soil extracellular enzyme activities, microbial biomass and community composition

变量 Variable	凋落物 Litter	氮添加 Nitrogen addition	凋落物×氮添加 Litter × nitrogen addition
总CO₂ Total CO₂	<0.001	<0.001	0.030
凋落物源CO₂ Litter-derived CO₂	<0.001	<0.001	0.277
有机碳源CO₂ SOC-derived CO₂	<0.001	<0.001	0.627
激发效应 Priming effect	<0.001	<0.001	0.504
革兰氏阳性细菌 Gram-positive bacteria	<0.001	<0.001	0.011
革兰氏阴性细菌 Gram-negative bacteria	0.127	<0.001	0.630
放线菌 Actinomycetes	<0.001	0.001	0.552
真菌 Fungi (F)	<0.001	0.036	0.009
细菌 Bacteria (B)	<0.001	<0.001	0.453
真菌细菌比 F:B	<0.001	<0.001	0.247
总微生物生物量 Total PLFAs	<0.001	<0.001	0.162
β-1,4葡萄糖苷酶 β-1,4 glucosidase	<0.001	<0.001	0.001
N-乙酰氨基肽酶 N-acetyl-glucosaminidase	<0.001	<0.001	0.913
纤维二糖苷酶 β-cellobiohydrolase	<0.001	<0.001	0.038
木聚糖酶 Xylanase	<0.001	<0.001	0.172

Fig. 1 Effects of litter and nitrogen addition on total (A), litter- (B) and SOC-derived CO2 (C) and priming effect (D) in Cunninghamia lanceolata forest (mean ± SE, n = 3). CK, control; L, Cunninghamia lanceolate leaf litter addition; R, Cunninghamia lanceolate fine root addition. SOC, soil organic carbon. Different lowercase letters represent significant difference among different litter addition treatments (p < 0.05), and different uppercase letters indicate significant differences between different nitrogen addition treatments (p < 0.05).

Fig. 2 Effects of litter and nitrogen addition on soil microbial biomass and community composition in Cunninghamia lanceolata forest (mean ± SE, n = 3). CK, control; L, Cunninghamia lanceolate leaf litter addition; R, Cunninghamia lanceolate fine root addition. Different lowercase letters represent significant differences among different litter addition treatments. Different uppercase letters indicate significant differences between different nitrogen addition treatments with and without nitrogen additions (p < 0.05). ACT, actinomycetes; B, bacteria; F, fungi; PLFAs, phospholipid fatty acids.

Fig. 3 Effects of litter and nitrogen (N) additions on soil extracellular enzyme activities in Cunninghamia lanceolata forest (mean ± SE, n = 3). CK, control; L, Cunninghamia lanceolate leaf litter addition; R, Cunninghamia lanceolate fine root addition. Different lowercase letters represent significant differences among different litter addition treatments. Different uppercase letters indicate significant differences between different nitrogen addition treatments with and without N additions (p < 0.05).

Fig. 4 Correlation analysis of priming effect with fungi (F) content, bacteria (B) content, F:B and β-cellobiohydrolase activity. Data in the figure are subtracted from the change in the control.

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