Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico

PeerJ

article

Bruno Chávez-Vergara¹  Agustín Merino²  Antonio González-Rodríguez³  Ken Oyama⁴  Felipe García-Oliva³ 

[1] Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México;Escuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela;Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México;Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

关键词: Litter decomposition;    Quercus;    Differential Scaning Calorimetry;    13C NMR;    Enzymatic activity;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.5095

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundLitter decomposition is a key process in the functioning of forest ecosystems, because it strongly controls nutrient recycling and soil fertility maintenance. The interaction between the litter chemical composition and the metabolism of the soil microbial community has been described as the main factor of the decomposition process based on three hypotheses: substrate-matrix interaction (SMI), functional breadth (FB) and home-field advantage (HFA). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of leaf litter quality (as a direct plant effect, SMI hypothesis), the metabolic capacity of the microbial community (as a legacy effect, FB hypothesis), and the coupling between the litter quality and microbial activity (HFA hypothesis) on the litter decomposition of two contiguous deciduous oak species at a local scale.MethodsTo accomplish this objective, we performed a litterbag experiment in the field for 270 days to evaluate mass loss, leaf litter quality and microbial activity in a complete factorial design for litter quality and species site.ResultsThe litter of Quercus deserticola had higher rate of decomposition independently of the site, while the site of Quercus castanea promoted a higher rate of decomposition independently of the litter quality, explained by the specialization of the soil microbial community in the use of recalcitrant organic compounds. The Home-Field Advantage Index was reduced with the decomposition date (22% and 4% for 30 and 270 days, respectively).DiscussionWe observed that the importance of the coupling of litter quality and microbial activity depends on decomposition stage. At the early decomposition stage, the home-advantage hypothesis explained the mass loss of litter; however, in the advanced decomposition stage, the litter quality and the metabolic capacity of the microbial community can be the key drivers.

【 授权许可】

CC BY