Classification of Morphogenetic Types of Mossy Litter in Paludine Spruce Forests Based on Humus Content

We have classified morphogenetic types of mossy litter by a multivariate statistical analysis of a fractional group of organic-matter composition. Three clusters of mossy litters—peats, peaty, and high-ash peaty— are recognized. This results in 94% prediction. Indicators contribute to discriminants in the following descending order: C: N > cellulose > HA-2 > HA-3 > FA-3 > hemicellulose = FA-1 = HA-1. According to canonical analysis, there were two significant roots in cluster determination. The first segregates mainly the peat cluster from two others. The share of canonical function of the root one is 58% of possible discrimination, mainly due to the weight of cellulose and C: N. Canonical function 2, describing 42% of the explained dispersion, discriminates the peaty cluster from the others due to the dominant contribution of FA-1 and FA-3. The classification function for the recognition of new objects was calculated and evaluated. The humus content of various types and clusters of mossy litters was examined. Morphogenetic classification follows the transformation of forest litter in the course of litter formation (continuum phase), quantitative biochemical discrimination is a discrete phase of this process.     

Myxomycete distribution varies among leaf litters of different vegetation in a local secondary forest of warm-temperate western Japan

Although many myxomycetes inhabit leaf litter on the forest floor and have feeding stages in litter layers, there has been little understanding regarding how the different types of leaf litter in a forest influence myxomycetes to distribute. In this study, I focused on the microhabitat distribution of foliicolous myxomycetes within a local secondary forest that consisted of various vegetation types in warm-temperate western Japan. Newly defoliated leaf litters were collected from the ground surfaces of seven different sites and then incubated in trays at a forested site throughout the entire fruiting seasons (in situ incubation method). Forty-eight species of myxomycetes (with varieties treated as species) were found in a total of 4042 samples. Leaf litters derived from different vegetation sites yielded diverse myxomycete assemblages, i.e. the Quercus glauca site yielded the richest myxomycete community (26 species), followed by Quercus variabilis site (24), Prunus verecunda site (22), Cinnamomum camphora site (21), Castanopsis cuspidata site (18), Pinus densiflora site (7) and bamboo site (7). Several myxomycete species were found to be preferentially distributed in deciduous broadleaf or evergreen leaf litter. The fraction of vegetative cover of deciduous and evergreen trees influenced the species richness and diversity of myxomycetes. Leaf litter heterogeneity derived from forest vegetation and defoliation season influenced the myxomycete distribution and species diversity. Research using in situ incubation method demonstrated that heterogeneous myxomycete microhabitats are distributed at a small spatial scale in a local forest.     

Forest soil organic carbon dynamics as affected by plant species and their corresponding litters: a fluorescence spectroscopy approach

Background and aims

The effect of forest cover distribution and plant litter input on soil organic carbon were analyzed to better understand the dynamics of carbon cycling across ecosystems on the “Natural Oriented Reserve Bosco delle Pianelle”. Fluorescence spectroscopy represents a very useful tool to characterize soil organic matter properties, since it allows to directly monitor the molecular status of a fluorophore depending on its chemical environment, as well as on its structure, substituents of the aromatic moieties, and molecular weight. Here, fluorescence analysis was performed on humic acids isolated from four litters (HALs) and their underlying soils (HAs) at three depths.

Methods

All samples were collected from a protected forest area, Southern Italy, under different plant covering: Quercus ilex L. (Q), mixed Carpinus betulus L. and Carpinus orientalis Mill. (CC), Pinus halepensis L. (P), and mixed Quercus trojana Webb. and Quercus ilex L. (QQ).

Results

Data obtained showed a fast decomposition process for P and QQ litters, with HAs in the underlying soils characterized by the presence of simple, highly fluorescent structural components also in the deepest layers. On the contrary, a slow decomposition process was observed for Q and CC litters, whose underlying soil HAs were characterized by an increasing aromatic polycondensation and humification degree from the surface to the deepest layers, as supported by low values of fluorescence intensity and high wavelength maxima.

Conclusions

Results obtained indicate that P and QQ species promote C accumulation and stock in the underlying soils, thanks to a greater decomposition of their litter, and fluorescence spectroscopy is a very simple and suitable method to evaluate the influence of three species distribution on soil organic carbon pools.     

Fate of organic carbon during decomposition of different litter types in Japan

Carbon dynamics during litter decomposition have been described in a variety of forest ecosystems and provided insights into carbon flow in soils. To quantitatively assess how decomposition processes vary between litter types, solid-state ¹³C cross-polarization and magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (CPMAS NMR) technique was applied to analyze conifer (cedar, cypress) and hardwood (chinquapin, beech, oak, birch) litter which had degraded during a 3 year litterbag experiment throughout Japan. The results were used to identify compositional changes and estimate decomposition constants (k values) in exponential equations. Total litter and carbon type mass losses during decomposition varied significantly between litter types, being affected by the initial physicochemical litter quality. Concomitant increases and decreases in carbonyl and O/N-alkyl C compositions, respectively, were observed for all litter types, but aromatic and aliphatic C dynamics were less consistent. In hardwoods, [aromatic/aliphatic C ratio] was generally stable during decomposition, suggesting that, in hardwoods, the decomposabilities of aromatic and aliphatic C were similar. In the conifers, an increasing [aromatic/aliphatic C ratio] during decomposition suggested that aromatic C was more recalcitrant than aliphatic C. These results suggest that different decomposition processes between litter types might be related to different aromatic and aliphatic C behaviors, as affected by lignin stability and lipid leachability and biosynthesis. Variations in the k values for total litter and carbon types were not obvious between litter types, although the mass loss patterns differed significantly. The k values estimated in this study may contribute to predictions of soil carbon dynamics and the validation of carbon compartment models in forest ecosystems.     

冬季雪被对青藏高原东缘高海拔森林凋落叶P元素释放的影响

雪被是影响高海拔森林凋落物分解的重要生态因子,其是否影响到生长季节与非生长季节凋落物中的P元素释放,尚未量化。为了量化季节性雪被对高海拔森林凋落物分解过程中P元素释放的影响,于2010年10月至2012年10月间,在青藏高原东缘川西高海拔森林不同厚度冬季雪被斑块下,设置凋落物分解袋实验。检测该地区代表性树种岷江冷杉(Abies faxoniana)、红桦(Betula albo-sinensis)、四川红杉(Larix mastersiana)和方枝柏(Sabina saltuaria)凋落叶在雪被覆盖不同关键时期(雪被形成前期、完全覆盖期和消融期)以及生长季节的P元素动态。结果表明,凋落物质量与雪被厚度均显著影响了P元素的释放过程。雪被覆盖时期凋落物P元素释放率表现为有雪被覆盖大于无雪被覆盖,而生长季节中除岷江冷杉外的其他3种凋落物P元素释放率均为无雪被覆盖下最大。相对于无雪被覆盖斑块,冬季雪被的存在提供了保护绝缘层,促进凋落物P元素释放,提高了各物种冬季P元素释放贡献率。这些结果表明,全球变化情景下的雪被减少可能减缓高海拔森林凋落物P元素的释放过程,改变森林土壤P元素水平。所以在研究高寒、高海拔地区全球气候变化下生态系统功能的工作中,应注重雪被这一异质性环境因子对生态系统功能的影响。     

三个亚热带森林优势种凋落物非结构性碳水化合物含量的季节动态

非结构性碳水化合物(NSC)是凋落物中的易分解组分,在凋落物分解早期快速释放进入土壤并被微生物利用,参与森林土壤生物地球化学循环,因此新鲜凋落物中NSC变化规律是认识森林土壤碳和养分循环的关键之一。选取亚热带常绿阔叶林优势树种米槠(Castanopsis carlesii)和主要造林树种杉木(Cunninghamia lanceolata)、马尾松(Pinus massoniana)为研究对象,分析其新鲜凋落叶和凋落枝中NSC(可溶性糖和淀粉)含量的动态变化规律。结果表明：凋落物中NSC含量在不同月份表现出明显的时间动态,米槠、杉木和马尾松凋落叶和凋落枝中NSC含量总体上在11—12月呈上升趋势,而在2—6月呈缓慢下降趋势。不同类型的凋落物NSC含量存在显著差异,米槠、杉木和马尾松凋落叶中NSC含量分别为3.03%—3.56%、2.18%—4.37%、3.38%—4.89%,凋落枝中NSC含量分别为1.87%—4.22%、2.88%—4.28%、2.75%—5.27%,米槠和马尾松凋落叶中NSC含量高于凋落枝,而杉木凋落枝中NSC含量高于凋落叶。不同树种凋落物NSC含量差异显著,米槠和...     

Building-block architecture of botulinum toxin complex: Conformational changes provide insights into the hemagglutination ability of the complex

Clostridium botulinum produces the botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT). Previously, we provided evidence for the “building-block” model of botulinum toxin complex (TC). In this model, a single BoNT is associated with a single nontoxic nonhemagglutinin (NTNHA), yielding M-TC; three HA-70 molecules are attached and form M-TC/HA-70, and one to three “arms” of the HA-33/HA-17 trimer (two HA-33 and one HA-17) further bind to M-TC/HA-70 via HA-17 and HA-70 binding, yielding one-, two-, and three-arm L-TC. Of all TCs, only the three-arm L-TC caused hemagglutination. In this study, we determined the solution structures for the botulinum TCs using small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The mature three-arm L-TC exhibited the shape of a “bird spreading its wings”, in contrast to the model having three “arms”, as revealed by transmission electron microscopy. SAXS images indicated that one of the three arms of the HA-33/HA-17 trimer bound to both HA-70 and BoNT. Taken together, these findings regarding the conformational changes in the building-block architecture of TC may explain why only three-arm L-TC exhibited hemagglutination.     

Effects of nitrogen addition on litter decomposition, soil microbial biomass, and enzyme activities between leguminous and non-leguminous forests

Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is an expanding problem that affects the functioning and composition of forest ecosystems, particularly the decomposition of forest litters. Legumes play an important role in the nitrogen cycle of forest ecosystems. Two litter types were chosen from Zijin Mountain in China: Robinia pseudoacacia leaves from a leguminous forest (LF) and Liquidambar formosana leaves from a non-leguminous forest (NF). The litter samples were mixed into original forest soils and incubated in microcosms. Then, they were treated by five forms of N addition: NH₄ ⁺, NO₃ ^?, urea, glycine, and a mixture of all four. During a 6-month incubation period, litter mass losses, soil microbial biomass, soil pH, and enzyme activities were investigated. Results showed that mixed N and NO₃ ^?-N addition significantly accelerated the litter decomposition rates of LF leaves, while mixed N, glycine-N, and urea-N addition significantly accelerated the litter decomposition rates of NF leaves. Litter decomposition rates and soil enzyme activities under mixed N addition were higher than those under single form of N additions in the two forest types. Nitrogen addition had no significant effects on soil pH and soil microbial biomass. The results indicate that nitrogen addition may alter microbial allocation to extracellular enzyme production without affecting soil microbial biomass, and then affected litter decomposition process. The results further reveal that mixed N is a more important factor in controlling litter decomposition process than single form of N, and may seriously affect soil N cycle and the release of carbon stored belowground.     

亚热带不同次生林地凋落物持水特性及季节变化

为了解亚热带不同演替阶段次生林地的凋落物持水特性规律,选取湖南大山冲森林公园保存完好的三种亚热带典型次生林地,按两月一次采集新近的凋落物并采用水浸泡法测定凋落物持水量、持水率和吸水速率,对比分析不同森林类型凋落物持水性差异及其与凋落物碳氮凋落量的关系。结果表明：（1）三种次生林地凋落物量及组成均表现出特有的变化规律。针叶林和常绿阔叶林凋落物量以夏季5-9月最大,落叶阔叶林凋落物则以春、秋两个季节最大;（2）三种次生林地凋落物的饱和持水量、半饱和时间以及与水亲和力均呈现显著季节性变化特征。针叶林凋落物饱和持水量在5-7月达到最高为（59.68±2.91） g/m²,常绿阔叶林凋落物饱和持水量则在9月达到最高,落叶阔叶林凋落物饱和持水量在11月份达到最高为（190.60±8.81） g/m²;三种次生林凋落物的半饱和时间均以11月份为最低,且落叶阔叶林凋落物半饱和时间比其他两种次生林地更低,全年平均（0.62±0.12） h;凋落物的水亲和力系数,全年均以落叶阔叶林最大为142.72±26.12;（3）落叶阔叶林凋落物饱和持水率全年显著高于其他两种次生林（P<0.01）,且针叶林和落叶阔叶林凋落物饱和持水率均在11月份达到最大值;（4）落叶阔叶林凋落物吸水速率A值显著低于其他两种次生林（P<0.01）,而针叶林凋落物吸水速率系数B值显著高于其他两种次生林（P<0.01）;（5）凋落物饱和持水量与凋落物水亲和力和饱和持水率存在显著正相关关系,与凋落物凋落碳氮总量同样存在显著正相关关系;凋落物饱和持水率与凋落物半饱和时间、吸水速率系数A和B值存在显著负相关,与凋落物碳含量和C/N比极显著负相关,与凋落物氮含量极显著正相关（P<0.01）。综上,不同次生林类型凋落物持水性存在显著差异,凋落物持水性与凋落物碳氮量存在显著联系,该研究为深入探讨森林生态环境效应提供了支撑,丰富了森林凋落物持水特性的研究理论。     

Response of degradative enzymes to N fertilization during litter decomposition in a subtropical forest through a microcosm experiment

With the continuing increase in human activities causing accelerating rates of anthropogenic nitrogen deposition inputs into forests, there is considerable interest in understanding the effects of nitrogen deposition on litter decomposition. Two dominant litters were chosen from Zijin Mountain in China: Quercus acutissima from a broad-leaved forest and Pinus massoniana from a coniferous forest. The litters were incubated in microcosms and treated with a gradient of nitrogen fertilization. During a 6-month incubation, changes in chemical composition (i.e., lignin, total carbohydrate, and nitrogen), litter mass losses, soil pH values, and the activities of degradative enzymes were determined. Results showed that medium-nitrogen and high-nitrogen fertilization significantly accelerated litter decomposition rates of leaves, while only the high-nitrogen fertilization significantly accelerated litter decomposition rates of needles. The results also showed that cellulase and nitrate reductase were primarily responsible for litter decomposition in the broad-leaved forest, while catalase, cellulase, and acid phosphatase were primarily responsible for litter decomposition in the coniferous forest under conditions of no N fertilization; catalase, cellulase, and acid phosphatase were primarily responsible for litter decomposition in the broad-leaved forest, while catalase, cellulase, invertase, and nitrate reductase were primarily responsible for litter decomposition in the coniferous forest under conditions of N fertilization. Nitrogen fertilization-stimulated litter decomposition was due to the fact that the activities of enzymes, particularly cellulase, were accelerated.     

Factors influencing leaf litter decomposition: an intersite decomposition experiment across China

The Long-Term Intersite Decomposition Experiment in China (hereafter referred to as LTIDE-China) was established in 2002 to study how substrate quality and macroclimate factors affect leaf litter decomposition. The LTIDE-China includes a wide variety of natural and managed ecosystems, consisting of 12 forest types (eight regional broadleaf forests, three needle-leaf plantations and one broadleaf plantation) at eight locations across China. Samples of mixed leaf litter from the south subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest in Dinghushan (referred to as the DHS sample) were translocated to all 12 forest types. The leaf litter from each of other 11 forest types was placed in its original forest to enable comparison of decomposition rates of DHS and local litters. The experiment lasted for 30 months, involving collection of litterbags from each site every 3 months. Our results show that annual decomposition rate-constants, as represented by regression fitted k-values, ranged from 0.169 to 1.454/year. Climatic factors control the decomposition rate, in which mean annual temperature and annual actual evapotranspiration are dominant and mean annual precipitation is subordinate. Initial C/N and N/P ratios were demonstrated to be important factors of regulating litter decomposition rate. Decomposition process may apparently be divided into two phases controlled by different factors. In our study, 0.75 years is believed to be the dividing line of the two phases. The fact that decomposition rates of DHS litters were slower than those of local litters may have been resulted from the acclimation of local decomposer communities to extraneous substrate.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium equiseti</Emphasis> LPSC 1166 and its in vitro role in the decay of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Heterostachys ritteriana</Emphasis> leaf litter

The role of microorganisms in litter degradation in arid and semi-arid zones, where soil and water salinization is one of the main factors limiting carbon turnover and decay, remains obscure. Heterostachys ritteriana (Amaranthaceae), a halophyte shrub growing in arid environments such as “Salinas Grandes” (Córdoba, Argentina), appears to be the main source of organic matter in the area. Little is known regarding the microorganisms associated with H. ritteriana, although they are a potential source of enzymes such as cellulolytic ones, which might be important in biotechnological fields such as bioethanol production using ionic liquids. In the present study, by studying the microbiota growing on H. ritteriana leaf litter in “Salinas Grandes,” we isolated the cellulolytic fungus Fusarium equiseti LPSC 1166, which grew and degraded leaf litter under salt stress. The growth of this fungus was a function of the C substrate and the presence of NaCl. Although in vitro the fungus used both soluble and polymeric compounds from H. ritteriana litter and synthesized extracellular β-1,4 endoglucanases, its activity was reduced by 10% NaCl. Based on these results, F. equiseti LPSC 1166 can be described as a halotolerant cellulolytic fungus most probably playing a key role in the decay of H. ritteriana leaf litter in “Salinas Grandes.”     

Litter species traits, but not richness, contribute to carbon and nitrogen dynamics in an alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau

Aims

Litter, as afterlife of plants, plays an important role in driving belowground decomposition processes. Here we tested effects of litter species identity and diversity on carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics during litter decomposition in N-limited alpine meadow soil from the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau.

Methods

We incubated litters of four meadow species, a sedge (“S”, Kobresia humilis), a grass (“G”, Elymus nutans), a herb (“H”, Saussurea superba), and a legume (“L”, Oxytropis falcata), in monoculture and in mixture with meadow soil. CO₂ release was measured 21 times during the incubation, and soil available N and microbial biomass C and N were measured before and after the experiment.

Results

The organic C decay rate did not differ much among soils amended with monocultures or mixtures of litter, except in the H, S, L, and S+H treatments, which had much higher decay rates. Potential decomposable C pools were lowest in the control, highest in the L treatment, and intermediate in the S treatment. Mineralized N was completely immobilized by soil microbes in all treatments except the control, S+L, and S+G+L treatments. Litter mixtures had both additive and non-additive effects on CO₂-C emission (mainly antagonistic effects), net N mineralization (mainly synergistic), and microbial biomass C and N (both). Overall, these parameters were not significantly correlated with litter species richness. Similarly, microbial C or N was not significantly correlated with litter N content or C/N. However, cumulative CO₂-C emission and net N mineralization were positively correlated with litter N content and negatively correlated with litter C/N.

Conclusions

Litter N content and C/N rather than litter species richness drove the release of CO₂-C and net available N in this ecosystem. The antagonistic effects of litter mixtures contributed to a modest release of CO₂-C, but their synergistic effects enhanced net available N. We suggest that in alpine meadow communities, balancing species with high and low N contents will benefit soil carbon sequestration and plant competition for available N with soil microbes.     

长白山北坡主要森林群落凋落物现存量月动态

以长白山北坡4种主要森林群落类型为研究对象,于2006年群落生长季节(5-10月)每月初采用直接收获法对森林凋落物现存量进行连续定位调查研究。结果表明:各群落内凋落物现存量大小依次为阔叶红松林(6.43 t/hm²)>白桦林(6.02 t/hm²)>云冷杉林(5.51 t/hm²)>山杨林(5.50 t/hm²);凋落叶和枝现存量占现存凋落物总量的比例最大,达50%以上,其次为半分解物(>35%),花果皮等所占比例较少,各占总量的10%和5%以下。凋落物现存量月动态阔叶红松林、白桦林和山杨林呈双峰型变化,峰值出现在5月和7月;云冷杉林则呈单峰型变化,峰值仅出现在7月。位于相近海拔高度的阔叶红松林、白桦林和山杨林,凋落物各组分现存量月动态变化趋势相似,其中白桦林和山杨林变化趋势基本相同,凋落枝、皮及半分解物现存量5月和7月较高,凋落叶则呈现下降趋势,而阔叶红松林凋落叶和枝现存量5月和7月较高,而位于较高海拔的云冷杉林,则与前者呈现不同变化趋势,8月前波动较大,从5月开始明显上升,7月达到峰值,8月后曲线渐趋平缓或略有下降。进一步对阔叶红松林和云冷杉林内凋落叶现存量月动态进行比较得出,阔叶红松林7月份凋落叶现存量高不完全取决于红松叶现存量,主要由色木槭、紫椴和水曲柳等阔叶树种叶凋落物现存量变化决定,而云冷杉林则取决于红松和云冷落叶的凋落物的量。     

茂兰喀斯特森林退化区凋落物的分解动态

为了解亚热带气候型的茂兰喀斯特森林退化区次生林和灌木林的凋落物分解动态过程,该研究采用分解袋法,对茂兰喀斯特森林退化区不同类型的凋落物在不同坡位的分解状况进行了为期18个月的观测,并通过分析凋落物分解时的失重量和失重率的动态变化,比较了次生林和灌木林的凋落叶的失重率变化,探讨了不同坡位对凋落物分解的影响。结果表明:各种类型凋落物的分解速率和失重率在退化区内存在明显的差异,落叶>常绿叶>枯枝(P<0.05),三种凋落物整体变化趋势在分解过程中大致相同,它们在早期都快速分解,中期分解变慢,后期开始加速;落叶在次生林与灌木林中的前期分解速率基本同步,后期为灌木林落叶>次生林落叶,而常绿叶在灌木林与次生林中的分解速率则表现为基本同步;利用回归方程对凋落叶分解50%和95%所需时间进行估测,得出落叶和常绿叶在灌木林中分解50%和95%所需时间少于次生林的;在不同坡位,三种凋落物分解速率的总体趋势为中坡>上坡;三种凋落物的C含量波动性较大,但总体变化趋势是随分解时间的增加而减少,随着分解时间增加,N含量增加,而C/N比则降低。     

Higher accumulation capacity of cadmium than zinc by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis halleri ssp. germmifera</Emphasis> in the field using different sowing strategies

Background and Aims

Litter decomposition serves an important role in maintaining nitrogen (N) availability within forest ecosystems. However, the interactive effects of exogenous N, drought, and litter quality and mixing on N immobilization during decomposition remain unclear. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of litter quality, reduced precipitation, N addition, and their interactions on litter mass loss and N immobilization.

Methods

This field study analyzed the effects of N addition and decreased precipitation on the decomposition rates and associated N immobilization of four types of litter: Quercus mongolica (QM), Tilia amurensis (TA), Pinus koraiensis (PK), and a mixture (MIX) of all three. The chemical quality of the MIX was prepared in a 4:3:3 (mass) ratio of PK, TA, and QM litters. Litterbags were placed in an N addition and precipitation manipulation forest field and collected after 92, 154, 365, 457, and 874 days. Decomposing litter residues were characterized for mass loss and N content to assess N immobilization.

Results

The addition of N had no significant effect on litter decomposition under both precipitation conditions, but a reduction in precipitation significantly depressed litter decomposition. The increases in N immobilization with N addition depended on the litter type and decomposition period. Precipitation reduction had significant effects on N immobilization and enhanced the magnitude and duration of N immobilization in decomposing litter, and both of which can be increased by N addition. The results indicate that the litter species is the major regulator that controls mass loss and N immobilization. Furthermore, the MIX treatment did not show non-additive effects on mass loss but did exhibit some weak synergistic effects on N immobilization.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that decomposing litters could help to sequester N depending on the litter identity and water regime in temperate forest ecosystems.

     

Litter decomposition of a pine plantation is affected by species evenness and soil nitrogen availability

Background and aims

Litter decomposition is a key process controlling flows of energy and nutrients in ecosystems. Altered biodiversity and nutrient availability may affect litter decomposition. However, little is known about the response of litter decomposition to co-occurring changes in species evenness and soil nutrient availability.

Methods

We used a microcosm experiment to evaluate the simultaneous effects of species evenness (two levels), identity of the dominant species (three species) and soil N availability (control and N addition) on litter decomposition in a Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantation in Northeast China. Mongolian pine needles and senesced aboveground materials of two dominant understory species (Setaria viridis and Artemisia scoparia) were used for incubation.

Results

Litter evenness, dominant species identity and N addition significantly affected species interaction and litter decomposition. Higher level of species evenness increased the decomposition rate of litter mixtures and decreased the incidence of antagonistic effects. A. scoparia-dominated litter mixtures decomposed faster than P. sylvestris var. mongolica- and S. viridis-dominated litter mixtures. Notably, N addition increased decomposition rate of both single-species litters and litter mixtures, and meanwhile altered the incidence and direction of non-additive effects during decomposition of litter mixtures. The presence of understory species litters stimulated the decomposition rate of pine litters irrespective of N addition, whereas the presence of pine litters suppressed the mass loss of A. scoparia litters. Moreover, N addition weakened the promoting effects of understory species litters on decomposition of pine litters.

Conclusions

Pine litter retarded the decomposition of understory species litters whereas its own decomposition was accelerated in mixtures. Nitrogen addition and understory species evenness altered species interaction through species-specific responses in litter mixtures and thus affected litter decomposition in Mongolian pine forests, which could produce a potential influence on ecosystem C budget and nutrient cycling.     

高山森林凋落物分解过程中的微生物生物量动态

凋落物分解过程中的微生物生物量动态对于深入了解森林凋落物分解机理具有重要意义。为了解高山森林典型树种凋落物分解过程中的微生物生物量特征,采用凋落物分解袋法,研究了土壤冻结期(3月)、融冻期(4月-5月)、生长季节(5-10月)和冻结初期(11月)红桦(Betula albosinensi)、岷江冷杉(Abies faxoniana)和粗枝云杉(Picea asperata)凋落物分解过程的微生物生物量C(MBC)、微生物生物量N(MBN)和微生物生物量P(MBP)动态。四个关键时期,凋落物的MBC、MBN以生长季节最高,但非生长季节的三个关键时期也检测出较高的MBC、MBN。在融冻期结束后,三类凋落物分解过程中MBC和MBN均出现爆发性增长。然而,MBP在生长季节中期(8月)、完全冻结期(3月)和冻结初期(11月)均相对较低,但在融冻期和生长季节后期(9月)相对较高。另外,红桦凋落物的MBC、MBN和MBP含量均高于岷江冷杉和粗枝云杉凋落物(除4月粗枝云杉凋落物MBP异常升高外)。这些结果为更加清晰地认识高寒森林凋落物分解过程及机理,以及进一步理解陆地生态系统结构和功能提供了一定基础数据。     

A Behavioural Ecology Approach to Assessing the Effect of Alien Vegetation on a Threatened Giant Millipede

The importance of taking into account behavioural ecology when assessing the impacts of habitat deterioration on threatened species is evaluated. The Seychelles giant millipede (SGM), Sechelleptus seychellarum, is IUCN Red-Listed as “Vulnerable”. Here, we studied the effect of alien bamboo and coconut on the behavioural ecology of this species on Cousine Island, Seychelles. Coconut did not affect SGM density, but negatively affected its foraging behaviour, whereas bamboo negatively affected both its density and foraging behaviour. The SGM showed feeding preferences for Pisonia grandis and Ficus sp. leaf litter types. Alien bamboo and coconut pose a varied threat to the SGM, and their removal and replacement by indigenous forest species (e.g. P. grandis and Ficus sp.) should form part of an island’s restoration programme.     

Convergence and divergence of nutrient stoichiometry during forest litter decomposition

Background and aims

General theory of forest floor dynamics indicates convergence of properties during detrital decomposition. This study examined the hypothesis that nutrient stoichiometry, i.e. the relative amounts of nutrients, converges during litter decomposition.

Methods

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco) and red alder (Alnus rubra Bong.) foliar litters that decomposed in their respective forests were analyzed for N, P, Ca, Mg, K, S, Mn, Fe, Zn, and Cu. A novel approach quantified the stoichiometric difference as the angle between nutrient vectors. The approach was also used to synthesize data from 11 previously published studies representing a broad array of litter types and locations.

Results

The stoichiometries of the Douglas-fir and red alder litters converged during the first 2 years of decomposition, but diverged in the subsequent 4 years. This temporal trajectory was explained by two competing sets of processes: stoichiometric convergence occurs when different litters decompose in the same environment, and divergence occurs when the same litter decomposes in different environments. Manganese, Fe, and Ca were important contributors to stoichiometric differences.

Conclusions

Stoichiometric convergence processes often dominate over divergence processes. Consideration of multi-nutrient stoichiometries may enhance the understanding of the functions of litter, including rates of decomposition and relative rates at which nutrients are released.