Distinct Bacterial Communities Dominate Tropical and Temperate Zone Leaf Litter

Little is known of the bacterial community of tropical rainforest leaf litter and how it might differ from temperate forest leaf litter and from the soils underneath. We sampled leaf litter in a similarly advanced stage of decay, and for comparison, we also sampled the surface layer of soil, at three tropical forest sites in Malaysia and four temperate forest sites in South Korea. Illumina sequencing targeting partial bacterial 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (rRNA) gene revealed that the bacterial community composition of both temperate and tropical litter is quite distinct from the soils underneath. Litter in both temperate and tropical forest was dominated by Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria, while soil is dominated by Acidobacteria and, to a lesser extent, Proteobacteria. However, bacterial communities of temperate and tropical litter clustered separately from one another on an ordination. The soil bacterial community structures were also distinctive to each climatic zone, suggesting that there must be a climate-specific biogeographical pattern in bacterial community composition. The differences were also found in the level of diversity. The temperate litter has a higher operational taxonomic unit (OTU) diversity than the tropical litter, paralleling the trend in soil diversity. Overall, it is striking that the difference in community composition between the leaf litter and the soil a few centimeters underneath is about the same as that between leaf litter in tropical and temperate climates, thousands of kilometers apart. However, one substantial difference was that the leaf litter of two tropical forest sites, Meranti and Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), was overwhelmingly dominated by the single genus Burkholderia, at 37 and 23 % of reads, respectively. The 454 sequencing result showed that most Burkholderia species in tropical leaf litter belong to nonpathogenic “plant beneficial” lineages. The differences from the temperate zone in the bacterial community of tropical forest litter may be partly a product of its differing chemistry, although the unvarying climate might also play a role, as might interactions with other organisms such as fungi. The single genus Burkholderia may be seen as potentially playing a major role in decomposition and nutrient cycling in tropical forests, but apparently not in temperate forests.     

Templates of food–habitat resources for the organization of soil animals in temperate and tropical forests

The functioning and structure of terrestrial ecosystems are shaped and maintained by plant–decomposer interactions. The food and habitat of animal populations are biogenic and are mainly of plant origin (plant litter) in terrestrial ecosystems. Primary resources of the food-habitat template for the organization of soil animals are provided by the primary production of plants, and are then modified through decomposition processes by microbial populations. In the microbial decomposition system, the efficiency of carbon utilization by microbial decomposers characterizes the decomposition processes between tropical and temperate forest ecosystems. Tropical forests show poor development of soil reservoir systems because of the high efficiency of lignin decomposition by microbial populations. The decomposition processes of leaf litter are described briefly for the understanding of organization of soil animal communities in tropical and temperate forests. A comparison of decomposition processes shows qualitative differences in decomposition between temperate and tropical forests. The composition of functional groups of soil animals is well explained by the decomposition processes in both forests.     

Elemental concentrations in a tropical montane rain forest in Sri Lanka

As a preliminary to studies on biogeochemistry of a tropical montane rain forest at about 1800 m altitude in Sri Lanka, the concentrations of 17 chemical elements in different forest compartments, i.e. in leaves of six floristically dominant tree species, undergrowth, litter, and soil at 0–10 cm and 11–60 cm depth were determined. Foliar chemical differences between species were large. Mean leaf water content, mean leaf area per leaf, and specific leaf weight of each species were also determined. Calcium seems to be used in relatively large quantities by these plants. Phosphorus concentration in all compartments was consistently low. A few species investigated appeared to concentrate aluminium and silicon at high amounts. Concentration differences between compartments were significant only for certain elements. Location effect on the concentrations in soil was considerable for most of the elements studied. When studying plant-soil chemical interactions in these forests, species-level concentrations must be taken into account as the species-specific chemical differences are obscured when treated as canopy leaves.     

Experimental removal and addition of leaf litter inputs reduces nitrate production and loss in a lowland tropical forest

Environmental perturbations such as changes in land use, climate, and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations may alter organic matter inputs to surface soils. While the carbon (C) cycle response to such perturbations has received considerable attention, potential responses of the soil nitrogen (N) cycle to changing organic matter inputs have been less well characterized. Changing litter inputs to surface to soils may alter the soil N cycle directly, by controlling N substrate availability, or indirectly, via interactions with soil C biogeochemistry. We investigated soil N-cycling responses to a leaf litter manipulation in a lowland tropical forest using isotopic and molecular techniques. Both removing and doubling leaf litter inputs decreased the size of the soil nitrate pool, gross nitrification rates, and the relative abundance of ammonia-oxidizing microorganisms. Gross nitrification rates were correlated with the relative abundance of ammonia-oxidizing archaea, and shifts in the N-cycling microbial community composition correlated with concurrent changes in edaphic properties, notably pH and C:N ratios. These results highlight the importance of understanding coupled biogeochemical cycles in global change scenarios and suggest that environmental perturbations that alter organic matter inputs in tropical forests could reduce inorganic N losses to surface waters and the atmosphere by limiting nitrate production.     

Tree species traits cause divergence in soil acidification during four decades of postagricultural forest development

A change in land use from agriculture to forest generally increases soil acidity. However, it remains unclear to what extent plant traits can enhance or mitigate soil acidification caused by atmospheric deposition. Soil acidification is detrimental for the survival of many species. An in‐depth understanding of tree species‐specific effects on soil acidification is therefore crucial, particularly in view of the predicted global increases in acidifying nitrogen (N) deposition. Here, we report soil acidification rates in a chronosequence of broadleaved deciduous forests planted on former arable land in Belgium. This region receives one of the highest loads of potentially acidifying atmospheric deposition in Europe, which allowed us to study a ‘worst case scenario’. We show that less than four decades of forest development caused significant soil acidification. Atmospheric deposition undoubtedly and unequivocally drives postagricultural forests towards more acidic conditions, but the rate of soil acidification is also determined by the tree species‐specific leaf litter quality and litter decomposition rates. We propose that the intrinsic differences in leaf litter quality among tree species create fundamentally different nutrient cycles within the ecosystem, both directly through the chemical composition of the litter and indirectly through its effects on the size and composition of earthworm communities. Poor leaf litter quality contributes to the absence of a burrowing earthworm community, which retards leaf litter decomposition and, consequently, results in forest‐floor build‐up and soil acidification. Also nutrient uptake and N₂ fixation are causing soil acidification, but were found to be less important. Our results highlight the fact that tree species‐specific traits significantly influence the magnitude of human pollution‐induced soil acidification.     

Ectomycorrhizal-Dominated Boreal and Tropical Forests Have Distinct Fungal Communities,but Analogous Spatial Patterns across Soil Horizons

Fungi regulate key nutrient cycling processes in many forest ecosystems, but their diversity and distribution within and across ecosystems are poorly understood. Here, we examine the spatial distribution of fungi across a boreal and tropical ecosystem, focusing on ectomycorrhizal fungi. We analyzed fungal community composition across litter (organic horizons) and underlying soil horizons (0–20 cm) using 454 pyrosequencing and clone library sequencing. In both forests, we found significant clustering of fungal communities by site and soil horizons with analogous patterns detected by both sequencing technologies. Free-living saprotrophic fungi dominated the recently-shed leaf litter and ectomycorrhizal fungi dominated the underlying soil horizons. This vertical pattern of fungal segregation has also been found in temperate and European boreal forests, suggesting that these results apply broadly to ectomycorrhizal-dominated systems, including tropical rain forests. Since ectomycorrhizal and free-living saprotrophic fungi have different influences on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics, information on the spatial distribution of these functional groups will improve our understanding of forest nutrient cycling.     

Litter mixture effects on tropical tree seedling growth--a greenhouse experiment

Decomposing litter provides critical nutrients for plants, particularly in nutrient-poor ecosystems such as tropical forests. We hypothesised that decomposing litter improves the performance of a variety of tropical tree seedlings, and that this litter effect varies depending on the species of litter present in litter mixtures. We addressed these hypotheses with a large pot experiment manipulating a range of different litter mixtures of contrasting quality and using seedlings of four tree species from the Amazonian forest of French Guiana. In contrast to our initial hypothesis, decomposing litter had either neutral or negative impacts on seedling growth, despite strongly different growth rates, biomass allocation patterns and leaf and root traits among tree species. Tree species varied in their responses to litter additions, which were further modified by species identity of the added litter. Our data show litter species-specific effects on growth, biomass allocation and leaf and root traits of tropical tree seedlings. These results suggest that a net nutrient release from decomposing litter does not necessarily improve tree seedling growth, even under nutrient-limiting conditions. In conclusion, litter layer composition may affect seedling establishment and recruitment success beyond litter-derived plant nutrient availability, which may contribute to tree species composition and dynamics in the studied tropical forest.     

Soil organic matter molecular composition with long-term detrital alterations is controlled by site-specific forest properties

Forest ecosystems are important global soil carbon (C) reservoirs, but their capacity to sequester C is susceptible to climate change factors that alter the quantity and quality of C inputs. To better understand forest soil C responses to altered C inputs, we integrated three molecular composition published data sets of soil organic matter (SOM) and soil microbial communities for mineral soils after 20 years of detrital input and removal treatments in two deciduous forests: Bousson Forest (BF), Harvard Forest (HF), and a coniferous forest: H.J. Andrews Forest (HJA). Soil C turnover times were estimated from radiocarbon measurements and compared with the molecular-level data (based on nuclear magnetic resonance and specific analysis of plant- and microbial-derived compounds) to better understand how ecosystem properties control soil C biogeochemistry and dynamics. Doubled aboveground litter additions did not increase soil C for any of the forests studied likely due to long-term soil priming. The degree of SOM decomposition was higher for bacteria-dominated sites with higher nitrogen (N) availability while lower for the N-poor coniferous forest. Litter exclusions significantly decreased soil C, increased SOM decomposition state, and led to the adaptation of the microbial communities to changes in available substrates. Finally, although aboveground litter determined soil C dynamics and its molecular composition in the coniferous forest (HJA), belowground litter appeared to be more influential in broadleaf deciduous forests (BH and HF). This synthesis demonstrates that inherent ecosystem properties regulate how soil C dynamics change with litter manipulations at the molecular-level. Across the forests studied, 20 years of litter additions did not enhance soil C content, whereas litter reductions negatively impacted soil C concentrations. These results indicate that soil C biogeochemistry at these temperate forests is highly sensitive to changes in litter deposition, which are a product of environmental change drivers.     

Leaf litter decomposition of 12 tree species in a subtropical forest in Japan

The leaf litter decomposition of 12 tree species was examined for three years in a subtropical forest in Japan to follow the pattern of changes in organic chemical constituents and nitrogen (N) and the relationship between these components. The remaining mass of the leaf litter reached 7–53% of the original mass at the end of the field incubation, and the decomposition constants (k) ranged from 0.37 to 2.39 year^?1. The decomposition constant was significantly negatively correlated with the initial content of acid-unhydrolyzable residue (AUR) for all 12 tree species. A net increase of AUR that lasted for the first 3 to 6 months was noted for leaf litter of four tree species. The absolute amount of total N increased initially and then decreased thereafter in leaf litter of five tree species, whereas total N mass decreased throughout the study period in leaf litter of the other species. Contents of AUR and total N in leaf litter generally increased linearly with the accumulated mass loss of litter during decomposition, resulting in positive slopes of linear regressions. Lignocellulose index and AUR to N ratio of the litter showed convergent trends for 12 tree species as the decomposition progressed. When compared with datasets for an Asian climatic gradient, the decomposition rates in the subtropical forest was intermediate between the rates in tropical and temperate forests, and AUR and N contents in decomposing litter were consistently lower than those in temperate forests, indicating faster loss of AUR and N.     

Distribution of Cryptostigmata and Mesostigmata (Acari) within the litter and soil layers of two subtropical forests

Differences in the litter and soil of northern temperate and tropical and subtropical forest soil and soil faunas are noted. Analyses of the distribution and abundance of Cryptostigmata and Mesostigmata mites in the litter and soil of two Australian subtropical forests are presented. The faunal associations in the litter and soil of these forests are different. It is suggested that the litter and soil habitats of subtropical and tropical forests should be regarded as separate but connected habitats in relation to their fauna. This contrasts with the assumption, for temperate forests, that litter and soil communities are portions of a single system.     

秦岭山区人工林地枯落叶客置对土壤生物、化学性质的影响

通过对秦岭山区日本落叶松、油松、灰楸和锐齿栎4种典型人工纯林2年的枯落叶客置试验,探讨了枯落叶客置对土壤生物、化学性质的影响,以及不同树种的种间关系.结果表明：阔叶林枯落叶的年分解速率高出针叶林33.70%.当针叶林枯落叶被客置到阔叶林地后,年分解速率提高8.35%～12.15%,而当阔叶林枯落叶被客置到针叶林地后,年分解速率下降5.38%～9.49%.针阔树种间的枯落叶客置均能不同程度地提高土壤有机碳、速效氮、速效磷和速效钾的含量,且针叶林地的增幅(8.70%～35.84%)明显大于阔叶林地(3.73%～10.44%),其中针叶林地客置灰楸枯落叶后的增幅(24.63%～35.84%)大于客置锐齿栎枯落叶(8.70%～28.15%). 客置阔叶林枯落叶使针叶林地土壤由偏酸向中性方向发展, 土壤酶活性、微生物量C、N含量及其微生物数量提高,其中,客置灰楸枯落叶的增幅大于客置锐齿栎枯落叶;客置针叶林枯落叶后阔叶林地土壤酶活性、微生物量C、N含量及其微生物数量变化因树种而异,其中锐齿栎林地土壤酶活性和微生物量C、N含量有所提高,而灰楸林地却有所下降.客置阔叶林地枯落叶可改善针叶林地的土壤性质,而客置针叶林枯落叶后阔叶林地的效应则因树种而异.说明在人工纯林土壤退化的防治过程中,引入其他树种形成混交林或进行枯落叶客置都应注意种间关系的方向性.     

Soil heterogeneity in tree mixtures depends on spatial clustering of tree species

Heterogeneity in soil characteristics promotes and maintains coexistence between a diverse set of species. In forests, trees have species-specific impacts on soil abiotic characteristics and mixing of tree species is being promoted as a tool to ensure high levels of diversity and functioning. Yet, limited knowledge is available on the effect of tree species composition and spatial clustering on heterogeneity in soil characteristics. In this paper we derived heterogeneity of key characteristics of the leaf litterfall, the forest floor and the mineral topsoil (C, N and base cation concentration, C:N ratio and mass) in 53 plots of 7 different tree species compositions. We found that heterogeneity increased from the leaf litterfall, through the forest floor down to the mineral topsoil. Mixing tree species did not lead to an increased heterogeneity in the forest floor and topsoil compared to monocultures. However, we did find that mixed plots where conspecific trees stand in groups are more heterogeneous than plots where species are intimately mixed. Our results imply that heterogeneity in soil characteristics does not necessarily increase with tree diversity, but that within mixed stands the spatial organization of tree species should be considered in relation to the scale at which heterogeneity is desired.     

Fungal community composition in neotropical rain forests: the influence of tree diversity and precipitation

Plant diversity is considered one factor structuring soil fungal communities because the diversity of compounds in leaf litter might determine the extent of resource heterogeneity for decomposer communities. Lowland tropical rain forests have the highest plant diversity per area of any biome. Since fungi are responsible for much of the decomposition occurring in forest soils, understanding the factors that structure fungi in tropical forests may provide valuable insight for predicting changes in global carbon and nitrogen fluxes. To test the role of plant diversity in shaping fungal community structure and function, soil (0-20?cm) and leaf litter (O horizons) were collected from six established 1-ha forest census plots across a natural plant diversity gradient on the Isthmus of Panama. We used 454 pyrosequencing and phospholipid fatty acid analysis to evaluate correlations between microbial community composition, precipitation, soil nutrients, and plant richness. In soil, the number of fungal taxa increased significantly with increasing mean annual precipitation, but not with plant richness. There were no correlations between fungal communities in leaf litter and plant diversity or precipitation, and fungal communities were found to be compositionally distinct between soil and leaf litter. To directly test for effects of plant species richness on fungal diversity and function, we experimentally re-created litter diversity gradients in litter bags with 1, 25, and 50 species of litter. After 6?months, we found a significant effect of litter diversity on decomposition rate between one and 25 species of leaf litter. However, fungal richness did not track plant species richness. Although studies in a broader range of sites is required, these results suggest that precipitation may be a more important factor than plant diversity or soil nutrient status in structuring tropical forest soil fungal communities.     

Experimental litterfall manipulation drives large and rapid changes in soil carbon cycling in a wet tropical forest

Global changes such as variations in plant net primary production are likely to drive shifts in leaf litterfall inputs to forest soils, but the effects of such changes on soil carbon (C) cycling and storage remain largely unknown, especially in C‐rich tropical forest ecosystems. We initiated a leaf litterfall manipulation experiment in a tropical rain forest in Costa Rica to test the sensitivity of surface soil C pools and fluxes to different litter inputs. After only 2 years of treatment, doubling litterfall inputs increased surface soil C concentrations by 31%, removing litter from the forest floor drove a 26% reduction over the same time period, and these changes in soil C concentrations were associated with variations in dissolved organic matter fluxes, fine root biomass, microbial biomass, soil moisture, and nutrient fluxes. However, the litter manipulations had only small effects on soil organic C (SOC) chemistry, suggesting that changes in C cycling, nutrient cycling, and microbial processes in response to litter manipulation reflect shifts in the quantity rather than quality of SOC. The manipulation also affected soil CO ₂ fluxes; the relative decline in CO ₂ production was greater in the litter removal plots (?22%) than the increase in the litter addition plots (+15%). Our analysis showed that variations in CO ₂ fluxes were strongly correlated with microbial biomass pools, soil C and nitrogen (N) pools, soil inorganic P fluxes, dissolved organic C fluxes, and fine root biomass. Together, our data suggest that shifts in leaf litter inputs in response to localized human disturbances and global environmental change could have rapid and important consequences for belowground C storage and fluxes in tropical rain forests, and highlight differences between tropical and temperate ecosystems, where belowground C cycling responses to changes in litterfall are generally slower and more subtle.     

Leaf litter inputs reinforce islands of nitrogen fertility in a lowland tropical forest

The role of lowland tropical forest tree communities in shaping soil nutrient cycling has been challenging to elucidate in the face of high species diversity. Previously, we showed that differences in tree species composition and canopy foliar nitrogen (N) concentrations correlated with differences in soil N availability in a mature Costa Rican rainforest. Here, we investigate potential mechanisms explaining this correlation. We used imaging spectroscopy to identify study plots containing 10–20 canopy trees with either high or low mean canopy N relative to the landscape mean. Plots were restricted to an uplifted terrace with relatively uniform parent material and climate. In order to assess whether canopy and soil N could be linked by litterfall inputs, we tracked litter production in the plots and measured rates of litter decay and the carbon and N content of leaf litter and leaf litter leachate. We also compared the abundance of putative N fixing trees and rates of free-living N fixation as well as soil pH, texture, cation exchange capacity, and topographic curvature to assess whether biological N fixation and/or soil properties could account for differences in soil N that were, in turn, imprinted on the canopy. We found no evidence of differences in legume communities, free-living N fixation, or abiotic properties. However, soils beneath high canopy N assemblages received ~ 60% more N via leaf litterfall due to variability in litter N content between plot types. The correlation of N in canopy leaves, leaf litter, and soil suggests that, under similar abiotic conditions, litterfall-mediated feedbacks can help maintain soil N differences among tropical tree assemblages in this diverse tropical forest.

     

Variations in leaf litter decomposition across contrasting forest stands and controlling factors at local scale

Aims Litter decomposition is a critical pathway linking the above- and belowground processes. However, factors underlying the local spatial variations in forest litter decomposition are still not fully addressed. We investigated leaf litter decomposition across contrasting forest stands in central China, with objective to determine the spatial variations and controlling factors in forest floor leaf litter decomposition in relation to changes in forest stands in a temperate forest ecosystem.Methods Leaf litter decomposition was studied by using litterbag method across several typical forest stand types in Baotianman Nature Reserve, central China, including pure stands of Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata, Q. glandulifera var. brevipetiolata and Q. variabilis, respectively, and mixed pine/oak stands dominated by Pinus armandii and Q. aliena var. acuteserrata, as well as stands of pure Q. aliena var. acuteserrata trees ranging in stand age from ~40 to>160 years. Measurements were made on litter mass remaining and changes in litter chemistry during decomposition over a 2-year period, along with data collections on selective biotic and environmental factors. A reciprocal transplant experiment involving Q. aliena var. acuteserrata and Q. variabilis was concurrently carried out to test the occurrence of 'home-field advantage (HFA)' in local forests when only considering contrasting oak tree species. Correlation analyses and path analyses were performed to identify the dominant drivers and their relative contributions to variations in leaf litter decomposition.Important findings Significant variations were found in the rate of leaf litter decomposition among stands of different tree species but not among stand age classes. The values of decay constant, k, varied from 0.62 in Q. aliena var. acuteserrata stands to 0.56 in Q. variabilis stands. The reciprocal litter transplant experiment showed that the rate of leaf litter decomposition was on average 5% slower in home-fields than on reciprocal sites. Path analysis identified litter acid-unhydrolyzable residue (AUR) to N ratio, soil microbial biomass carbon (MBC), soil pH and soil organic carbon (SOC) as most prominent factors controlling the rate of leaf litter decomposition, collectively accounting for 57.8% of the variations; AUR/N had the greatest negative effect on k value, followed by weaker positive effects of SOC and MBC. Our findings suggest that tree species plays a primary role in affecting forest floor leaf litter decomposition by determining the litter quality, with site environment being a secondary factor contributing to the local variations in leaf litter decomposition in this temperate forest ecosystem.     

辽东栎叶片凋落物在不同气候带下的分解及其主要元素释放的比较

应用分解网袋法对辽东栎（Quercus liaotungensis Koize)叶片凋落物分别在暖温带的东灵山,亚热带的神农架,热带的西双版纳为期1-2年的分解和K,Ca,Mg,Fe,P,Cu,Mn等营养元素释放动态进行比较研究。三个气候带下辽东栎叶片凋落物质量损失基本符合Olson的指数模型。但降解速率有很大的差别。气候条件对凋落物的分解和营养元素的释放影响很大,降水量增多,年均温增高,凋落物分解速率相应加快,研究还发现影响营养元素释放的因素除公认的土壤生物（土壤动物和土壤微生物）作用外。对于Fe,Mn等元素遵循的是“化学因素主导”模式。特征在于由于化学螯合作用。其释放过程和凋落物本身失重呈显著负相关。另外,对不同因素占主导的各种分解模式进行了归纳总结。     

Land crabs as key drivers in tropical coastal forest recruitment

Plant populations are regulated by a diverse assortment of abiotic and biotic factors that influence seed dispersal and viability, and seedling establishment and growth at the microsite. Rarely does one animal guild exert as significant an influence on different plant assemblages as land crabs. We review three tropical coastal ecosystems–mangroves, island maritime forests, and mainland coastal terrestrial forests–where land crabs directly influence forest composition by limiting tree establishment and recruitment. Land crabs differentially prey on seeds, propagules and seedlings along nutrient, chemical and physical environmental gradients. In all of these ecosystems, but especially mangroves, abiotic gradients are well studied, strong and influence plant species distributions. However, we suggest that crab predation has primacy over many of these environmental factors by acting as the first limiting factor of tropical tree recruitment to drive the potential structural and compositional organisation of coastal forests. We show that the influence of crabs varies relative to tidal gradient, shoreline distance, canopy position, time, season, tree species and fruiting periodicity. Crabs also facilitate forest growth and development through such activities as excavation of burrows, creation of soil mounds, aeration of soils, removal of leaf litter into burrows and creation of carbon-rich soil microhabitats. For all three systems, land crabs influence the distribution, density and size-class structure of tree populations. Indeed, crabs are among the major drivers of tree recruitment in tropical coastal forest ecosystems, and their conservation should be included in management plans of these forests.     

Controls over leaf litter decomposition in a mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest,Central China

Plant and Soil - Our understanding of the determinants of leaf litter decomposition is lacking for mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forests compared with tropical and temperate forests....