Microclimate along an elevational gradient controls foliar litter cellulose and lignin degradation in a subtropical forest

Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

Forests and Global Change

Bo Chen¹  Zhongsheng He¹  Yuting Yang¹  Jinfu Liu¹  Daowei Xu¹  Yu Hong¹  Jing Zhu¹  Lan Jiang¹  Kaijin Kuang²  Lyuyi Chen³ 

[1] College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China;Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resources Statistics of Fujian Colleges, Fuzhou, China;College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China;Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resources Statistics of Fujian Colleges, Fuzhou, China;College of Finance, Fujian Jiangxia University, Fuzhou, Fujian, China;Entomology and Nematology Department, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, United States;

关键词: cellulose;    elevation;    foliar litter;    lignin;    microclimate;   

DOI  :  10.3389/ffgc.2023.1134598

 received in 2022-12-30, accepted in 2023-04-25,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

Cellulose and lignin are the principal constituents of plant litter, and their degradation plays an important role in the maintaining the soil carbon balance in terrestrial ecosystems. Yet, our knowledge of the responses of litter mass loss and cellulose and lignin degradation to litter quality, environmental factors, and taxonomic diversity indices along an elevational gradient in subtropical forests remains sparse. To gain insight into litter decomposition dynamics and its influencing factors, we investigated the cellulose and lignin degradation of foliar litter that from the two most dominant tree species along an elevational gradient (900–1,600 m) in a subtropical forest on Daiyun Mountain, China. Our results showed the following. (1) The degradation rate of cellulose was higher than that of lignin for litter collected at each elevation. The mass loss for foliar litter at different elevations was greater in the early period (0–180 days) than later period (180–270 days). (2) Litter quality, as well as environmental factors and taxonomic diversity indices, together influenced the foliar litter mass loss rate in addition to the rates of cellulose and lignin degradation. The key environmental factors included air and soil temperature, which had significant correlations with litter decomposition positively. The litter quality, namely is N (nitrogen) and P (phosphorus) contents, had significant positive correlations with degradation rates of cellulose and lignin in litter, and vice versa for lignin/N and C/N ratios. Some of the taxonomic diversity indices had positive correlations with litter decomposition, indicating that the input of highly diver litter material leads to a non-additive effect. (3) The litter decomposition was affected by the combination of litter quality, environmental factors, and taxonomic diversity indices. Of these, however, the environmental factors are the main factors that controlled the litter decomposition along elevational gradients in this subtropical forest. The results could provide a theoretical basis for understanding foliar litter nutrient release for the subtropical forest ecosystem of China.

【 授权许可】

Unknown   
Copyright © 2023 Chen, Yang, Chen, Jiang, Hong, Zhu, Liu, Xu, Kuang and He.