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Impact of species diversity, stand age and environmental factors on leaf litter decomposition in subtropical forests in China

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Abstract

Background and aims

Tree diversity is considered to influence decomposition either by changing environmental conditions or by non-additive litter mixture effects. Thus, we examined the influence of tree species richness, forest age and environmental factors on single-species decomposition, and tested the hypothesis that high litter species diversity induces predominantly positive non-additive mixture effects on decomposition processes.

Methods

Decomposition trials using litter bags were performed in subtropical forests in China. Plot-specific decompositions rates of the abundant species Schima superba were related to environmental factors across 27 forest stands differing in age and tree species richness. Effects of litter species diversity on decomposition and N loss was assessed based on 27 plot-specific litter mixtures comprising 7 to 17 species.

Results

Decomposition rate of Schima superba leaf litter was mainly affected by stand characteristics and microclimate but not tree diversity. Two thirds of plot-specific litter mixtures showed a positive non-additive mixture effect whose strength was marginally positively influenced by litter species richness.

Conclusions

Tree diversity at stand level does not directly influence decomposition of a common litter substrate. However, our results suggest that tree species richness in the litter layer can indirectly promote decomposition and nutrient cycling via positive non-additive mixture effects.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to record our gratitude to the staff of the Gutianshan National Nature Reserve, especially to Fang Teng, for the received support. We thank the members of the BEF- China project for help in plot establishment, and Andreas Kundela and Katherina Pietsch for sharing LAI and microclimate data. Nina Buchmann (Grassland Sciences group, ETH Zurich) provided helpful comments on a previous version of the manuscript. This study was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG FOR 891/1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biology, Geobotany and Botanical Garden, Martin Luther University Halle Wittenberg, D-06108, Halle, Germany

    Stefan Trogisch

  2. German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, D-04103, Leipzig, Germany

    Stefan Trogisch

  3. Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, CH-8092, Zurich, Switzerland

    Stefan Trogisch

  4. Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Jin-Sheng He

  5. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK

    Andy Hector

  6. Faculty of Biology, Geobotany, University of Freiburg, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Stefan Trogisch & Michael Scherer-Lorenzen

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  1. Stefan Trogisch
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  2. Jin-Sheng He
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  4. Michael Scherer-Lorenzen
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Correspondence to Stefan Trogisch.

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Trogisch, S., He, JS., Hector, A. et al. Impact of species diversity, stand age and environmental factors on leaf litter decomposition in subtropical forests in China. Plant Soil 400, 337–350 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2737-5

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