Contribution of Fungi and Bacteria to Leaf Litter Decomposition in a Polluted River

The contribution of fungi and bacteria to the decomposition of alder leaves was examined at two reference and two polluted sites in the Ave River (northwestern Portugal). Leaf mass loss, microbial production from incorporation rates of radiolabeled compounds into biomolecules, fungal biomass from ergosterol concentration, sporulation rates, and diversity of aquatic hyphomycetes associated with decomposing leaves were determined. The concentrations of organic nutrients and of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus in the stream water was elevated and increased at downstream sites. Leaf decomposition rates were high (0.013 day⁻¹ < k < 0.042 day⁻¹), and the highest value was estimated at the most downstream polluted site, where maximum values of microbial production and fungal biomass and sporulation were found. The slowest decomposition occurred at the other polluted site, where, along with the nutrient enrichment, the lowest current velocity and dissolved-oxygen concentration in water were observed. At this site, fungal production, biomass, and sporulation were depressed, suggesting that stimulation of fungal activity by increased nutrient concentrations might be offset by other factors. Although bacterial production was higher at polluted sites, fungi accounted for more than 94% of the total microbial net production. Fungal yield coefficients varied from 10.2 to 13.6%, while those of bacteria were less than 1%. The contribution of fungi to overall leaf carbon loss (29.0 to 38.8%) greatly exceeded that of bacteria (4.2 to 13.9%).     

Leaf Litter Mixtures Alter Microbial Community Development: Mechanisms for Non-Additive Effects in Litter Decomposition

To what extent microbial community composition can explain variability in ecosystem processes remains an open question in ecology. Microbial decomposer communities can change during litter decomposition due to biotic interactions and shifting substrate availability. Though relative abundance of decomposers may change due to mixing leaf litter, linking these shifts to the non-additive patterns often recorded in mixed species litter decomposition rates has been elusive, and links community composition to ecosystem function. We extracted phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs) from single species and mixed species leaf litterbags after 10 and 27 months of decomposition in a mixed conifer forest. Total PLFA concentrations were 70% higher on litter mixtures than single litter types after 10 months, but were only 20% higher after 27 months. Similarly, fungal-to-bacterial ratios differed between mixed and single litter types after 10 months of decomposition, but equalized over time. Microbial community composition, as indicated by principal components analyses, differed due to both litter mixing and stage of litter decomposition. PLFA biomarkers a15∶0 and cy17∶0, which indicate gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria respectively, in particular drove these shifts. Total PLFA correlated significantly with single litter mass loss early in decomposition but not at later stages. We conclude that litter mixing alters microbial community development, which can contribute to synergisms in litter decomposition. These findings advance our understanding of how changing forest biodiversity can alter microbial communities and the ecosystem processes they mediate.     

残茬覆盖与耕作方式对夏玉米叶片衰老代谢和籽粒产量的影响

对小麦机械收获后残茬覆盖与不覆盖两种条件下免耕、翻耕和播种行深松3种土壤耕作方式的夏玉米开花后叶片衰老生理特性和籽粒产量进行了研究。结果表明,残茬覆盖和深松耕作的玉米叶片SOD和POD活性提高、MAD含量降低、叶绿素和可溶性蛋白质含量高、降解速度慢,维持了叶片后期较高的生理功能。最终开花后干物质生产量和玉米籽粒产量表现为：覆盖显著高于不覆盖,深松显著高于翻耕和免耕,残茬覆盖与深松结合效果最好。     

Effect of Inorganic Nutrients on Relative Contributions of Fungi and Bacteria to Carbon Flow from Submerged Decomposing Leaf Litter

The relative contributions of fungi and bacteria to carbon flow from submerged decaying plant litter at different levels of inorganic nutrients (N and P) were studied. We estimated leaf mass loss, fungal and bacterial biomass and production, and microbial respiration and constructed partial carbon budgets for red maple leaf disks precolonized in a stream and then incubated in laboratory microcosms at two levels of nutrients. Patterns of carbon flow for leaf disks colonized with the full microbial assemblage were compared with those colonized by bacteria but in which fungi were greatly reduced by placing leaf disks in colonization chambers sealed with membrane filters to exclude aquatic hyphomycete conidia but not bacterial cells. On leaves colonized by the full microbial assemblage, elevated nutrient concentrations stimulated fungi and bacteria to a similar degree. Peak fungal and bacterial biomass increased by factors of 3.9 and 4.0; cumulative production was 3.9 and 5.1 times higher in the high nutrient in comparison with the low nutrient treatment, respectively. Fungi dominated the total microbial biomass (98.4 to 99.8%) and cumulative production (97.3 and 96.5%), and the fungal yield coefficient exceeded that of bacteria by a factor of 36 and 27 in low- and high-nutrient treatments, respectively. Consequently, the dominant role of fungi in leaf decomposition did not change as a result of nutrient manipulation. Carbon budgets indicated that 8% of leaf carbon loss in the low-nutrient treatment and 17% in the high-nutrient treatment were channeled to microbial (essentially fungal) production. Nutrient enrichment had a positive effect on rate of leaf decomposition only in microcosms with full microbial assemblages. In treatments where fungal colonization was reduced, cumulative bacterial production did not change significantly at either nutrient level and leaf decomposition rate was negatively affected (high nutrients), suggesting that bacterial participation in carbon flow from decaying leaf litter is low regardless of the presence of fungi and nutrient availability. Moreover, 1.5 and 2.3 times higher yield coefficients of bacteria in the reduced fungal treatments at low and high nutrients, respectively (percentage of leaf carbon loss channeled to bacterial production), suggest that bacteria are subjected to strong competition with fungi for resources available in leaf litter.     

Browsing-induced Effects on Leaf Litter Quality and Decomposition in a Southern African Savanna

We investigated the linkages between leaf litter quality and decomposability in a savanna plant community dominated by palatable-spinescent tree species. We measured: (1) leaf litter decomposability across five woody species that differ in leaf chemistry; (2) mass decomposition, nitrogen (N); and carbon (C) dynamics in leaf litter of a staple browse species (Acacia nigrescens) as well as (3) variation in litter composition across six sites that experienced very different histories of attack from large herbivores. All decomposition trials included litter bags filled with chopped straw to control for variation in site effects. We found a positive relationship between litter quality and decomposability, but we also found that Acacia and straw litter mass remaining did not significantly vary between heavily and lightly browsed sites. This is despite the fact that both the quality and composition of litter returned to the soil were significantly different across sites. We observed greater N resorption from senescing Acacia leaves at heavily browsed sites, which in turn contributed to increase the C:N ratio of leaf litter and caused greater litter N immobilization over time. This, together with the significantly lower tree- and herb-leaf litter mass beneath heavily browsed trees, should negatively affect decomposition rates. However, estimated dung and urine N deposition from both browsers and grazers was significantly greater at high- than at low-herbivory sites. We hypothesize that N inputs from dung and urine boost litter N mineralization and decomposition (especially following seasonal rainfall events), and thereby offset the effects of poor leaf litter quality at chronically browsed sites. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Effects of Leaf Litter Species on Macroinvertebrate Colonization during Decomposition in a Portuguese Stream

This study evaluated if there are differences in leaf breakdown and invertebrate colonization among tree species differing in quality (toughness), and which factors could influence these differences. Common alder leaves decomposed significantly faster then either sweet chestnut or Spanish oak (k values of –0.0332, –0.0108, and –0.0112, respectively) during the first 2 months. Shredder abundance was highest when leaf mass remaining was 50%, and the samples clustered in mixed groups of sampling dates and leaf species, suggesting that stage of decomposition was an important factor influencing shredder colonization. During the first two months of decomposition, the physicochemical characteristics of leaf litter and the interaction between leaf toughness and the occurrence of frequent spates seemed to be the main factors affecting leaf breakdown rates in the stream. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The Effects of Fire Severity on Macroinvertebrate Detritivores and Leaf Litter Decomposition

High severity wildfire events are a feature of forests globally and are likely to be more prevalent with climate change. As a disturbance process, fire has the potential to change important ecological functions, such as decomposition, through its impact on biodiversity. Despite the recognised importance of decomposition in terms of fuel loads and energy flow, little is known about the post-fire effects of fire severity on decomposition by litter-dwelling macroinvertebrate detritivores. We tested the hypotheses that: 1) increasing fire severity is associated with decreased rates of leaf litter decomposition by macroinvertebrate detritivores; and 2) the abundance and biomass of macroinvertebrate detritivores decreases with increasing fire severity, while body size increases. We used a litterbag experiment at long-unburnt, ground-burnt and crown-burnt sites (n = 7 for all treatments) to test the effect of fire severity on: a) macroinvertebrate-driven break-down of litter fuel loads; and b) the size and abundance of macroinvertebrate detritivores three years after fire. Microhabitat conditions differed among fire severity classes. Macroinvertebrate exclusion reduced litter decomposition by 34.7%. Macroinvertebrate detritivores were larger and less abundant following higher severity fires, possibly as a result of fire-induced changes in habitat structure. Opposing effects of fire severity on macroinvertebrate abundance and body size resulted in both similar detritivore biomass and, most interestingly, no differences in leaf litter decomposition under different fire severities. This suggests that the diversity of macroinvertebrates enhances functional resilience of litter decomposition to fire and that litter-breakdown is not inhibited within three years following a high severity fire in this forest type and where recolonisation sources are readily available. We found no support for the hypothesis that high severity fires reduce litter decomposition and therefore increase the likelihood of future fires.     

High Diversity of Fungi may Mitigate the Impact of Pollution on Plant Litter Decomposition in Streams

We investigated how a community of microbial decomposers adapted to a reference site responds to a sudden decrease in the water quality. For that, we assessed the activity and diversity of fungi and bacteria on decomposing leaves that were transplanted from a reference (E1) to a polluted site (E2), and results were compared to those from decomposing leaves either at E1 or E2. The two sites had contrasting concentrations of organic and inorganic nutrients and heavy metals in the stream water. At E2, leaf decomposition rates, fungal biomass, and sporulation were reduced, while bacterial biomass was stimulated. Fungal diversity was four times lower at the polluted site. The structure of fungal community on leaves decomposing at E2 significantly differed from that decomposing at E1, as indicated by the principal response curves analysis. Articulospora tetracladia, Anguillospora filiformis, and Lunulospora curvula were dominant species on leaves decomposing at E1 and were the most negatively affected by the transfer to the polluted site. The transfer of leaves colonized at the reference site to the polluted site reduced fungal diversity and sporulation but not fungal biomass and leaf decomposition. Overall, results suggest that the high diversity on leaves from the upstream site might have mitigated the impact of anthropogenic stress on microbial decomposition of leaves transplanted to the polluted site.     

Leaf Nutrients and Macroinvertebrates Control Litter Mixing Effects on Decomposition in Temperate Streams

Ecosystems - Plant litter decomposition is an essential ecosystem function in temperate streams. Both riparian vegetation and decomposer communities are major determinants of the decomposition...     

核桃凋落叶分解对莴笋抗氧化系统及光合特性的影响

为探讨核桃对农作物的化感作用,该试验采用盆栽法,设置4个凋落叶施用量水平(0、30、60、90g/盆),研究了核桃凋落叶在土壤中自然分解过程中对莴笋(播种后80、100、120和140d)抗氧化系统、光合生理特征及其生长的影响。结果显示:(1)核桃凋落叶处理的莴笋叶片超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)活性在播种80d时得到促进,在100d时受到抑制,而在120d之后基本恢复至正常水平,并以SOD表现最为敏感。(2)核桃凋落叶处理100和120d时,莴笋叶片可溶性蛋白(SP)含量显著降低,而可溶性糖(SS)含量显著增加。(3)核桃凋落叶处理100、120d时,莴笋叶片净光合速率(Pn)受到显著抑制,各处理气孔导度(Gs)和蒸腾速率(Tr)显著低于对照。(4)核桃凋落叶处理的莴笋株高、地上部分生物量及地上部分占总生物量比重在处理120d时均显著低于对照,在140d时基本恢复正常。研究表明,核桃凋落叶在土壤中分解对莴笋产生的化感作用强度随分解时间延长呈现出逐渐增强后再减弱的变化趋势;莴笋可以通过调控自身的保护酶活性和渗透调节物质含量在一定程度上缓解化感物质伤害,对核桃凋落叶的化感作用有较强的耐受能力,生产中可以在核桃林下进行间作或者套作莴笋。     

Effects of Zinc on Leaf Decomposition by Fungi in Streams: Studies in Microcosms

The effect of zinc on leaf decomposition by aquatic fungi was studied in microcosms. Alder leaf disks were precolonized for 15 days at the source of the Este River and exposed to different zinc concentrations during 25 days. Leaf mass loss, fungal biomass (based on ergosterol concentration), fungal production (rates of [1-¹⁴C]acetate incorporation into ergosterol), sporulation rates, and species richness of aquatic hyphomycetes were determined. At the source of the Este River decomposition of alder leaves was fast and 50% of the initial mass was lost in 25 days. A total of 18 aquatic hyphomycete species were recorded during 42 days of leaf immersion. Articulospora tetracladia was the dominant species, followed by Lunulospora curvula and two unidentified species with sigmoid conidia. Cluster analysis suggested that zinc concentration and exposure time affected the structure of aquatic hyphomycete assemblages, even though richness had not been severely affected. Both zinc concentration and exposure time significantly affected leaf mass loss, fungal production and sporulation, but not fungal biomass. Zinc exposure reduced leaf mass loss, inhibited fungal production and affected fungal reproduction by either stimulating or inhibiting sporulation rates. The results of this work suggested zinc pollution might depress leaf decomposition in streams due to changes in the structure and activity of aquatic fungi.     

Effects of Zn,Fe and Mn on Leaf Litter Breakdown by Aquatic Fungi: a Microcosm Study

We investigated the effects of heavy metals on leaf litter decomposition in streams. Leaves were immersed (10 days) at a reference (R) and a metal‐impacted (I) site and exposed in microcosms with increased Zn, Mn or Fe content, and to stream water from site R or I. Fungal biomass was higher in microcosms with leaves colonized at I and water from R. Fungal sporulation was higher in microcosms with leaves and water from R. Concentrations of 4.9, 9.6 and 5 ppm of Zn, Mn and Fe decrease fungal sporulation. The number of fungal species (spore counts and DGGE fingerprints) was lower in leaves colonized at site I. Cluster analyses of DGGE showed that Fe was the metal that most altered the structure of fungal community. Our results suggest that metal pollution affect leaf‐associated fungi depending on metal identity and concentration, and effects appear to be less pronounced in metal‐adapted communities. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Precipitation Regime and Nitrogen Addition Effects on Leaf Litter Decomposition in Tropical Dry Forests

We conducted a year‐long field experiment to investigate how nitrogen addition affected decomposition of Piscidia piscipula and Gymnopodium floribundum along a precipitation gradient in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Nitrogen addition did not affect decomposition rates at the drier sites. However, fertilization at the wettest site increased the decomposition of Gymnopodium litter and decreased the decomposition of Piscidia litter. Water‐soluble carbon and lignin, and water‐soluble carbon and nitrogen concentrations were the best predictors of decomposition for Gymnopodium and Piscidia litters, respectively. We conclude that the effects of nitrogen addition on decomposition will vary from site to site as a function of mean annual precipitation, inherent soil fertility, and species identity.     

Placing the Effects of Leaf Litter Diversity on Saprotrophic Microorganisms in the Context of Leaf Type and Habitat

Because of conflicting results in previous studies, it is unclear whether litter diversity has a predictable impact on microbial communities or ecosystem processes. We examined whether effects of litter diversity depend on factors that could confound comparisons among previous studies, including leaf type, habitat type, identity of other leaves in the mixture, and spatial covariance at two scales within habitats. We also examined how litter diversity affects the saprotrophic microbial community using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism to profile bacterial and fungal community composition, direct microscopy to quantify bacterial biomass, and ergosterol extraction to quantify fungal biomass. We found that leaf mixture diversity was rarely significant as a main effect (only for fungal biomass), but was often significant as an interaction with leaf type (for ash-free dry mass recovered, carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, fungal biomass, and bacterial community composition). Leaf type and habitat were significant as main effects for all response variables. The majority of variance in leaf ash-free dry mass and C/N ratio was explained after accounting for treatment effects and spatial covariation at the meter (block) and centimeter (litterbag) scales. However, a substantial amount of variability in microbial communities was left unexplained and must be driven by factors at other spatial scales or more complex spatiotemporal dynamics. We conclude that litter diversity effects are primarily dependent on leaf type, rather than habitat type or identity of surrounding leaves, which can guide the search for mechanisms underlying effects of litter diversity on ecosystem processes.     

Diversity of Fungi, Bacteria, and Actinomycetes on Leaves Decomposing in a Stream

Although fungi, bacteria, and specific bacterial taxa, such as the actinomycetes, have been studied extensively in various habitats, few studies have examined them simultaneously, especially on decomposing leaves in streams. In this study, sugar maple and white oak leaves were incubated in a stream in northeastern Ohio for 181 days during which samples were collected at regular intervals. Following DNA extraction, PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was performed using fungus-, bacterium-, and actinomycete-specific primers. In addition, fungal and bacterial biomass was estimated. Fungal biomass differed on different days but not between leaves of the two species and was always greater than bacterial biomass. There were significant differences in bacterial biomass through time and between leaf types on some days. Generally, on the basis of DGGE, few differences in community structure were found for different leaf types. However, the ribotype richness of fungi was significantly greater than those of the bacteria and actinomycetes, which were similar to each other. Ribotype richness decreased toward the end of the study for each group except bacteria. Lack of differences between the two leaf types suggests that the microorganisms colonizing the leaf biofilm were primarily generalists that could exploit the resources of the leaves of either species equally well. Thus, we conclude that factors, such as the ecological role of the taxa (generalists versus specialists), stage of decay, and time of exposure, appeared to be more important determinants of microbial community structure than leaf quality.     

Diversity and Persistence of Ectomycorrhizal Fungi and Their Effect on Nursery-Inoculated Pinus pinaster in a Post-fire Plantation in Northern Portugal

Ectomycorrhizal fungi (ECMF) play an important role in forest ecosystems, often mitigating stress factors and increasing seedling performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a nursery inoculation on Pinus pinaster growth and on the fungal communities established when reforesting burned areas. Inoculated P. pinaster saplings showed 1.5-fold higher stem height than the non-inoculated controls after a 5 year growth period, suggesting that fungal inoculation could potentiate tree growth in the field. Ordination analysis revealed the presence of different ECMF communities on both plots. Among the nursery-inoculated fungi, Laccaria sp., Rhizopogon sp., Suillus bovinus and Pisolithus sp. were detected on inoculated Pinus saplings on both sampling periods, indicating that they persisted after field establishment. Other fungi were also detected in the inoculated plants. Phialocephala sp. was found on the first assessment, while Terfezia sp. was detected on both sampling periods. Laccaria sp. and Rhizopogon sp. were identified in the control saplings, belonging however to different species than those found in the inoculated plot. Inocybe sp., Thelephora sp. and Paxillus involutus were present on both sampling periods in the non-inoculated plots. The results suggest that ECMF inoculation at nursery stage can benefit plant growth after transplantation to a post-fire site and that the inoculated fungi can persist in the field. This approach has great potential as a biotechnological tool to aid in the reforestation of burned areas.     

The Spatial Distribution of Fungi on Decomposing Woody Litter in a Freshwater Stream,Western Ghats,India

We mapped filamentous fungal association with mechanically “hard” and “soft” woody litter naturally deposited in a stream of the Western Ghats of India. Using a durometer (rubber hardness tester), the toughness of surface of wood collected from stream was determined by considering durometer reading from 60–72 to 30–37 as hardwood and softwood, respectively. From each wood (1.5 cm diameter), two segments each of 3 cm length were excised and vertically cut into nine sections comprising eight marginal and one central section. From three stream locations, hardwood and softwood sections were assessed for the occurrence of lignicolous and Ingoldian fungi. A first set of wood sections was incubated in damp chambers up to 4 months with periodical screening (every 2 weeks) for lignicolous fungi. Another set was incubated in bubble chambers up to 72 h to ascertain colonization of Ingoldian fungi. In hardwood sections, 17 lignicolous fungi (ascomycetes, four; mitosporic fungi, 13; mean, 6.8; range, 6–8/section) and ten Ingoldian fungi (mean, 2; range, 0–4/section) comprising nine lignicolous (11.1–40.7%) and three Ingoldian (11.1–14.8%) fungi as core-group taxa were recovered. In softwood, ten lignicolous fungi (ascomycetes, 0; mitosporic fungi, ten; mean, 3.8; range, 2–5/section) and 26 Ingoldian fungi (mean, 8.1; range, 5–10/section) comprising six lignicolous (11.1–85.2%) and 12 Ingoldian (11.1–88.9%) fungi as core-group taxa were recovered. The ratio of lignicolous fungi/Ingoldian fungi was higher in hardwood than softwood (1.7 vs. 0.4). The spore output of Ingoldian fungi was higher in softwood (mean, 901 g⁻¹; range, 80–2546 g⁻¹) than hardwood (mean, 21 g⁻¹; range, 0–140 g⁻¹). The Shannon diversity of lignicolous fungi was higher in hardwood than softwood (3.604 vs. 2.665), whereas it was opposite for Ingoldian fungi (3.116 vs. 3.918). The overall fungal diversity was higher in softwood than hardwood (4.413 vs. 4.219). The range of Jaccard’s index of similarity among wood sections was higher in lignicolous fungi (8–71% and 13–75%) than Ingoldian fungi (0–50% and 8–55%) in hardwood and softwood. The rarefaction indices of expected number of taxa against hardwood sections revealed higher and persistent lignicolous fungi than the Ingoldian fungi, while the Ingoldian fungi were persistent in softwood sections, although they were lower than lignicolous fungi. Our study demonstrated the dominance of lignicolous fungi and Ingoldian fungi in hardwood and softwood, respectively.     

Temporal Shifts in Plant Diversity Effects on Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics During Litter Decomposition in a Mediterranean Shrubland Exposed to Reduced Precipitation

Ecosystems - Climate and plant diversity are major determinants of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics in decomposing plant litter. However, the direction and extent to which these dynamics are...     

Effects of Fungal Inocula and Habitat Conditions on Alder and Eucalyptus Leaf Litter Decomposition in Streams of Northern Spain

We investigated how fungal decomposer (aquatic hyphomycetes) communities colonizing alder and eucalyptus leaf litter respond to changes in habitat characteristics (transplantation experiment). We examined the breakdown of leaf materials and the associated fungal communities at two contrasting sites, a headwater stream (H) and a midreach (M). Agroforestry increased from headwater to midreach. One month after the start of experiments at both sites, some leaf samples from the midreach site were transplanted to the headwater site (M–H treatment). Although both sites showed similar dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations, eucalyptus leaves initially incubated at the midreach site (M, M–H) increased their breakdown rate compared to those incubated along the experiment at the headwater site (H). Alder breakdown rate was not enhanced, suggesting that their consumption was not limited by nutrient availability. Sporulation rates clearly differed between leaf types (alder > eucalyptus) and streams (H > M), but no transplantation effect was detected. When comparing conidial assemblages after transplantation, an inoculum effect (persistence of early colonizing species) was clear in both leaf species. Substrate preference and shifts in the relative importance of some fungal species along the process were also observed. Overall, our results support the determining role of the initial conditioning phase on the whole litter breakdown process, highlighting the importance of intrinsic leaf characteristics and those of the incubation habitat.     

Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Litter Decomposition and CO2 Release: Considering Changes in Litter Quantity

This study aims to evaluate the impacts of changes in litter quantity under simulated N deposition on litter decomposition, CO₂ release, and soil C loss potential in a larch plantation in Northeast China. We conducted a laboratory incubation experiment using soil and litter collected from control and N addition (100 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ for 10 years) plots. Different quantities of litter (0, 1, 2 and 4 g) were placed on 150 g soils collected from the same plots and incubated in microcosms for 270 days. We found that increased litter input strongly stimulated litter decomposition rate and CO₂ release in both control and N fertilization microcosms, though reduced soil microbial biomass C (MBC) and dissolved inorganic N (DIN) concentration. Carbon input (C loss from litter decomposition) and carbon output (the cumulative C loss due to respiration) elevated with increasing litter input in both control and N fertilization microcosms. However, soil C loss potentials (C output–C input) reduced by 62% in control microcosms and 111% in N fertilization microcosms when litter addition increased from 1 g to 4 g, respectively. Our results indicated that increased litter input had a potential to suppress soil organic C loss especially for N addition plots.