Abstract
Litter decomposition, governing nutrient and C cycling, is strongly influenced by the chemical litter quality. In order to determine the interspecific variation in leaf decomposition rates and to understand the chemical basis for such variation, decomposition dynamics of seven common canopy species was investigated over 2 year using the litterbag technique in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest on Okinawa Island, Japan. The species studied are representatives of the vegetation in the study area and differed significantly in their chemical litter quality. Dry mass loss at the end of study varied in the order: Distylium racemosum< Quercus miyagii< Rapanea neriifolia< Symplocos confusa< Castanopsis sieboldii< Schima wallichii< Daphniphyllum glaucescens. All species showed a pattern characterized by a rapid initial decomposition followed by lower rates except for D. glaucescenswhich decomposition rate appeared to be rather constant. In the late phase, decomposition rates were correlated positively to initial N and ash contents and negatively to lignin content, lignin:N, C:N, and C:P ratios. The effects of N and lignin content or lignin:N ratio were stronger than other quality parameters. There was a wide range in patterns of N and P concentrations, from a net accumulation to a rapid loss in decomposition. The correlation between N and P release suggests that N and P dynamics may have influenced each other during litter decomposition. Analysis of initial quality for species showed that the C:P ratios were extremely high (range 1639–3811) but the N:P ratios were from 28 to 56, indicating a likely P-limitation for this forest. Our results suggest that P is an important control of litter decomposition and N and P dynamics.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
R Aerts (1997) ArticleTitleClimate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems: a triangular relationship Oikos 79 439–449
M H Beare R W Parmelee P F Hendrix W Cheng D C Coleman D A Crossley (1992) ArticleTitleMicrobial and faunal interactions and effects on litter nitrogen and on decomposition in agroecosystems Ecol. Monogr. 62 569–591
F Berendse R Bobbink G Rouwenhorst (1989) ArticleTitleA comparative study on nutrient cycling in wet heathland ecosystems. (II) Litter decomposition and nutrient mineralization Oecologia 78 338–348 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00379107
B Berg C McClaugherty (2003) Plant Litter: Decomposition, Humus formation, Carbon Sequestration Springer-Verlag Berlin
K L Bocock O J Gilbert C K Capstick D C Turner J S Ward M J Woodman (1960) ArticleTitleChanges in leaf litter when placed on the surface of soil with contrasting humus types J. Soil Sci. 11 1–9 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaF3MXht1Kqtr8%3D
S Brown A E Lugo (1982) ArticleTitleStorage and production of organic matter in tropical forests and their role in the global carbon cycle Biotropica 14 161–187
F S Chapin SuffixIII P A Matson H A Mooney (2002) Principles of Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology Springer-Verlag New York
J H C Cornelissen K Thompson (1997) ArticleTitleFunctional leaf attributes predict litter decomposition rate in herbaceous plants New Phytol. 135 109–114 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1469-8137.1997.00628.x
M M Coûteaux P Bottner B Berg (1995) ArticleTitleLitter decomposition, climate and litter quality Trends Ecol. Evol. 10 63–66 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0169-5347(00)88978-8
E Cuevas S Brown A E Lugo (1991) ArticleTitleAbove- and below-ground organic matter storage and production in a tropical pine plantation and a paired secondary forest Plant Soil 135 257–268
H Dziadowiec (1987) ArticleTitleThe decomposition of plant litterfall in a oak-linden-hornbeam forest and an oak-pine mixed forest of the Bialoweza national Park Acta Soc. Bot. Pol. 56 169–185
InstitutionalAuthorNameEditorial Committee of Experimental Methods for Plant Nutrition, Japan (1990) Experimental Methods for Plant Nutrition Hakuyusya Tokyo
M J Effland (1977) ArticleTitleModified procedure to determine acid insoluble lignin in wood and pulp TAPPI 60 143–144 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaE2sXlvVKhtbc%3D
A Gallardo J Merino (1993) ArticleTitleLeaf decomposition in two Mediterranean ecosystems of southwest Spain: Influence of substrate quality Ecology 74 152–161
J R Gosz G E Likens F H Bormann (1973) ArticleTitleNutrient release from decomposing leaf and branch litter in the Hubbard Brook Forest, New Hampshire Ecol. Monogr. 43 173–191
S Hatushima T Amano (1994) Flora of the Ryukyus, South of Amami Island EditionNumber2 The Biological Society of Okinawa Nishihara
O W Heal J M Anderson M J Swift (1997) Plant litter quality and decomposition: a historical overview G Cadisch K E Giller (Eds) Driven by Nature: Plant Litter Quality and Decompositions CAB International London 3–30
E Hirata I Asato H Ikuzawa R Terazono (2001) Investigation on the Sustainable Management of Evergreen Broad-leaved Forest Dominated by Castanopsis sieboldiiin Okinawa Okinawa Development Bureau Japanese Government
S E Hobbie P M Vitousek (2000) ArticleTitleNutrient limitation of decomposition in Hawaiian forests Ecology 81 1867–1877
Y Itô (1997) ArticleTitleDiversity of forest tree species in Yanbaru, the northern part of Okinawa Island Plant Ecol. 133 125–133 Occurrence Handle10.1023/A:1009748016272
T Kira (1989) On the subtropical forests A Miyawaki (Eds) Vegetation of Japan Shinbundo Tokyo 119–127
A B Kwabiah N C Stoskopf R P Voroney C A Palm (2001) ArticleTitleNitrogen and phosphorus release from decomposing leaves under sub-humid tropical conditions Biotropica 33 229–240
G Loranger J F Ponge D Imbert P Lavelle (2002) ArticleTitleLeaf decomposition in two semi-evergreen tropical forest: influence of litter quality Biol. Fertil. Soil 35 247–252 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s00374-002-0467-3 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38Xkt1Wms7w%3D
J D Lousier D Parkinson (1978) ArticleTitleChemical element dynamics in decomposing leaf litter Can. J. Bot. 56 2795–2812 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaE1MXitFGjsg%3D%3D
M E McGroddy W L Silver R C Oliveira Particlede SuffixJr. (2004) ArticleTitleThe effect of phosphorus availability on decomposition dynamics in a seasonal lowland Amazonian forest Ecosystems 7 172–179 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s10021-003-0208-y Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD2cXjslyksbs%3D
J M Melillo J B Aber J F Muratore (1982) ArticleTitleNitrogen and lignin control of hardwood leaf litter decomposition dynamics Ecology 63 621–626 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL38XkvFWjurk%3D
R C G Mesquita Particlede S W Workman C L Neely (1998) ArticleTitleSlow decomposition in a cecropia-dominated secondary forest of central Amazonia Soil Biol. Biochem. 30 167–175 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0038-0717(97)00105-3
M J Moro F Domingo (2000) ArticleTitleLitter decomposition in four woody species in a Mediterranean climate: weight loss, N and P dynamics Ann. Bot. 86 1065–1071 Occurrence Handle10.1006/anbo.2000.1269 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3cXot1Kku7w%3D
J S Olson (1963) ArticleTitleEnergy storage and the balance of producers and decomposers in ecological systems Ecology 44 322–331
C A Palm A P Rowland (1997) A minimum dataset for characterization of plant quality for decomposition G Cadisch K E Giller (Eds) Driven by Nature: Plant Litter Quality and Decomposition CAB International London 379–392
J Pastor M A Stillwell D Tilman (1987) ArticleTitleLittle bluestem litter dynamics in Minnesota old fields Oecologia 72 327–330 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00377559
C E Prescott J P Corbin D Parkinson (1992) ArticleTitleImmobilization and availability of N and P in the forest floor of fertilized Rocky Mountain coniferous forest Plant Soil 143 1–10 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK38XkvV2ntbY%3D
L E Rustad (1994) ArticleTitleElement dynamics along a decay continuum in a red Spruce ecosystem, in Maine, USA Ecology 75 867–879
T Sariyildiz J M Anderson (2003a) ArticleTitleDecomposition of sun and shade leaves from three deciduous tree species, as affected by their chemical composition Biol. Fertil. Soils 37 137–146 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXitFCgtL0%3D
T Sariyildiz J M Anderson (2003b) ArticleTitleInteractions between litter quality, decomposition and soil fertility: a laboratory study Soil Biol. Biochem. 35 391–399 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0038-0717(02)00290-0 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3sXhvFGrtrs%3D
W H Schlesinger M V Hasey (1981) ArticleTitleDecomposition of chaparral shrub foliage: losses of organic and inorganic constituents from deciduous and evergreen leaves Ecology 62 762–774 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaL3MXks1Smt7g%3D
R L Sinsabaugh D L Moorhead A E Linkins (1994) ArticleTitleThe enzymic basis of plant litter decomposition: emergence of an ecological process Appl. Soil Ecol. 1 97–111 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0929-1393(94)90030-2
InstitutionalAuthorNameSoil Survey Staff (1999) Soil Taxonomy: A Basic System of Soil Classification for Making and Interpreting Soil Surveys, USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service Agriculture Handbook U.S. Government Printing Office Washington DC 869
N C Songwe D U U Okali F E Fasehun (1995) ArticleTitleLitter decomposition and nutrient release in a tropical rainforest, Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve: Cameroon J. Trop. Ecol. 11 333–350
StatSoft, Japan Inc. 1999 Statistica User’s Guide. (in Japanese).
N H Sullivan W H Bowden W H McDowell (1999) ArticleTitleShort-term disappearance of foliar litter in three species before and after a Hurricane Biotropica 31 382–393
M J Swift O W Heal J M Anderson (1979) Decomposition in Terrestrial Ecosystems Blackwell Oxford
M J Swift A Russel-Smith T J Perfect (1981) ArticleTitleDecomposition and mineral-nutrient dynamics of plant litter in a regenerating bush- fallow in sub-humid tropical Nigeria J.␣Ecol. 69 981–995
B R Taylor D Parkinson W F J Parsons (1989) ArticleTitleNitrogen and lignin content as predictors of litter decay rates: a microcosm test Ecology 70 97–104
G Tian B T Kang L Brusaard (1992) ArticleTitleBiological effects of plant residues with contrasting chemical composition under humid tropical conditions: decomposition and nutrient release Soil Biol. Biochem. 24 1051–1060 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK3sXmtF2k
P M Vitousek (2004) Nutrient Cycling and Limitation: Hawaii as A Model System Princeton University Press Princeton
P M Vitousek D R Turner W J Parton R L Sanford (1994) ArticleTitleLitter decomposition on the Mauna Loa environmental matrix, Hawaii: patterns, mechanisms, and models Ecology 75 418–429
D A Wardle G M Barker I K Bonner K S Nicholson (1998) ArticleTitleCan comparative approaches based on plant ecophysiological traits predict the nature of biotic interactions and individual plant species effects in ecosystems? J. Ecol. 86 405–420 Occurrence Handle10.1046/j.1365-2745.1998.00268.x
M E Wedderburn J Carter (1999) ArticleTitleLitter decomposition by four functional tree types for use in silvopastoral systems Soil Biol. Biochem. 31 455–461 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0038-0717(98)00151-5 Occurrence Handle1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXitVOqtLc%3D
X N Xu E Hirata Y Tokashiki T Shinohara (2001a) ArticleTitleStructure and species diversity of subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in northern Okinawan Island, Japan J. For. Res. 6 201–210
X N Xu E Hirata Y Tokashiki T Enoki T Shinohara (2001b) ArticleTitleDifferences of soil properties between evergreen broad-leaved and pine forests in northern Okinawa Island Japan. Jap. J. For. Environ. 43 1–8
X N Xu E Hirata H Shibata (2004a) ArticleTitleEffect of typhoon disturbance on fine litterfall and related nutrient input in a subtropical forest on Okinawa Island, Japan Bas. Appl. Ecol. 5 271–282 Occurrence Handle10.1016/j.baae.2004.01.001
X N Xu E Hirata T Enoki Y Tokashiki (2004b) ArticleTitleLeaf litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in a subtropical forest after typhoon disturbance Plant Ecol. 173 161–170 Occurrence Handle10.1023/B:VEGE.0000029319.05980.70
Xu X N, Wang Q and Hirata E 2004c Precipitation partitioning and related nutrient fluxes in a subtropical forest in Okinawa, Japan. Ann. For. Sci. (in press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xu, X., Hirata, E. Decomposition patterns of leaf litter of seven common canopy species in a subtropical forest: N and P dynamics. Plant Soil 273, 279–289 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-004-8069-5
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-004-8069-5