Minor contribution of leaf litter to N nutrition of beech (Fagus sylvatica) seedlings in a mountainous beech forest of Southern Germany

Aims

Our aims were to characterize the fate of leaf-litter-derived nitrogen in the plant-soil-microbe system of a temperate beech forest of Southern Germany and to identify its importance for N nutrition of beech seedlings.

Methods

¹⁵N-labelled leaf litter was traced in situ into abiotic and biotic N pools in mineral soil as well as into beech seedlings and mycorrhizal root tips over three growing seasons.

Results

There was a rapid transfer of ¹⁵N into the mineral soil already 21 days after tracer application with soil microbial biomass initially representing the dominant litter-N sink. However, ¹⁵N recovery in non-extractable soil N pools strongly increased over time and subsequently became the dominant ¹⁵N sink. Recovery in plant biomass accounted for only 0.025 % of ¹⁵N excess after 876 days. After three growing seasons, ¹⁵N excess recovery was characterized by the following sequence: non-extractable soil N?>>?extractable soil N including microbial biomass?>>?plant biomass?>?ectomycorrhizal root tips.

Conclusions

After quick vertical dislocation and cycling through microbial N pools, there was a rapid stabilization of leaf-litter-derived N in non-extractable N pools of the mineral soil. Very low ¹⁵N recovery in beech seedlings suggests a high importance of other N sources such as root litter for N nutrition of beech understorey.     

The colonisation of perfused beech stakes by soil microorganisms

Colonisation patterns in variously treated beech stakes buried in soil kept indoors and outside have been described. Certain microfungi were found to persistently colonise the stakes in a six month period and nitrogen fixing bacteria were usually detected. The significance of these patterns was discussed.     

分蘖洋葱根系分泌物对黄瓜幼苗生长及根际土壤微生物的影响

以不同化感潜力分蘖洋葱为供体,黄瓜为受体,研究了分蘖洋葱根系分泌物对黄瓜幼苗生长、根际土壤微生物数量及细菌群落结构的影响.结果表明:不同化感潜力分蘖洋葱根系分泌物对黄瓜幼苗生长均具有促进作用,且随着浓度的升高,促进作用增强,相同浓度下,化感潜力强、弱供体之间差异不显著;不同化感潜力分蘖洋葱根系分泌物均增加了黄瓜根际土壤细菌和放线菌数量,降低了真菌和尖镰孢菌数量,化感潜力强的品种(L-06)效果更显著;不同化感潜力分蘖洋葱根系分泌物均能提高黄瓜根际土壤细菌群落丰富度,差异条带的序列片段经比对推测为3大细菌类群:Actinobacteria(放线菌纲)、Proteobacteria(变形菌纲)和Anaerolineaceae(厌氧绳菌纲),其中厌氧绳菌只出现在化感潜力强(L-06)的处理中.化感潜力强(L-06)、浓度高(10 mL·株-1)的分蘖洋葱根系分泌物更有利于黄瓜根际土壤细菌群落丰富度的提高.     

Preferential feeding by an aquatic consumer mediates non-additive decomposition of speciose leaf litter

Forest soils and streams receive substantial inputs of detritus from deciduous vegetation. Decay of this material is a critical ecosystem process, recycling nutrients and supporting detrital-based food webs, and has been attributed, in part, to leaf litter species composition. However, research on why speciose leaf litter should degrade differently has relied on a bottom-up approach, embracing interspecific variation in litter chemistry. We hypothesized that preferential feeding by an aquatic detritivore interacts with species-specific leaf palatability and slows decay of speciose leaf litter. We addressed this by offering four single- and mixed-species leaf resources to field densities of a leaf-shredding consumer. Mixing leaf species resulted in slower total leaf decomposition. Decreases in mixed-species decomposition was partly explained by preferential feeding by the consumers in one case, but the lack of preferential feeding in other mixtures suggested an interactive effect of feeding and microbial degradation. Loss of riparian tree biodiversity may have implications for in-stream consumer-resource interactions.     

根系在凋落物层生长对凋落叶分解及酶活性的影响

根系向凋落物层生长是森林生态系统存在的普遍现象,研究根系存在对凋落物分解的影响对理解森林生态系统的养分物质循环具有重要意义.在福建三明市楠木和格氏栲林进行1年的凋落叶分解试验,设置有根处理和无根处理(对照),研究根系生长对凋落叶分解速率、养分释放和酶活性的影响.结果表明:在分解360 d后,有根处理楠木和格氏栲凋落叶干...     

Contribution of litter layer to soil greenhouse gas emissions in a temperate beech forest

Background and aims

The litter layer is a major source of CO₂, and it also influences soil-atmosphere exchange of N₂O and CH₄. So far, it is not clear how much of soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emission derives from the litter layer itself or is litter-induced. The present study investigates how the litter layer controls soil GHG fluxes and microbial decomposer communities in a temperate beech forest.

Methods

We removed the litter layer in an Austrian beech forest and studied responses of soil CO₂, CH₄ and N₂O fluxes and the microbial community via phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA). Soil GHG fluxes were determined with static chambers on 22 occasions from July 2012 to February 2013, and soil samples collected at 8 sampling events.

Results

Litter removal reduced CO₂ emissions by 30 % and increased temperature sensitivity (Q₁₀) of CO₂ fluxes. Diffusion of CH₄ into soil was facilitated by litter removal and CH₄ uptake increased by 16 %. This effect was strongest in autumn and winter when soil moisture was high. Soils without litter turned from net N₂O sources to slight N₂O sinks because N₂O emissions peaked after rain events in summer and autumn, which was not the case in litter-removal plots. Microbial composition was only transiently affected by litter removal but strongly influenced by seasonality.

Conclusions

Litter layers must be considered in calculating forest GHG budgets, and their influence on temperature sensitivity of soil GHG fluxes taken into account for future climate scenarios.

     

Influence of ethylene produced by soil microorganisms on etiolated pea seedlings

There is indirect evidence that soil microorganisms producing ethylene (C(2)H(4)) can influence plant growth and development, but unequivocal proof is lacking in the literature. A laboratory study was conducted to demonstrate the validity of this speculation. Four experiments were carried out to observe the characteristic "triple" response of etiolated pea seedlings to C(2)H(4) microbially derived from l-methionine as a substrate in the presence or absence of Ag(I), a potent inhibitor of C(2)H(4) action. In two experiments, the combination of l-methionine and Acremonium falciforme (as an inoculum) was used, while in another study the indigenous soil microflora was responsible for C(2)H(4) production. A standardized experiment was conducted with C(2)H(4) gas to compare the contribution of the microflora to plant growth. In all cases, etiolated pea seedlings exhibited the classical triple response, which includes reduction in elongation, swelling of the hypocotyl, and a change in the direction of growth (horizontal). The presence of Ag(I) afforded protection to the pea seedlings against the microbially derived C(2)H(4). This study demonstrates that microbially produced C(2)H(4) in soil can influence plant growth.     

干旱胁迫对小麦幼苗根系生长和叶片光合作用的影响

采用水培试验方法,以2个耐旱性不同的小麦品种(敏感型望水白和耐旱型洛旱7号)为材料,研究了干旱胁迫对小麦幼苗根系形态、生理特性以及叶片光合作用的影响,以期揭示小麦幼苗对干旱胁迫的适应机制.结果表明： 干旱胁迫下,2个小麦品种幼苗的根系活力显著增大,而根数和根系表面积受到抑制;干旱胁迫降低了望水白的叶片相对含水量,提高了束缚水/自由水,而对洛旱7号无显著影响;干旱胁迫降低了2个小麦品种叶片的叶绿素含量、净光合速率、蒸腾速率、气孔导度和胞间CO2浓度,但随胁迫时间的延长,洛旱7号的叶绿素含量和净光合速率与对照差异不显著;干旱胁迫降低了2个小麦品种幼苗的单株叶面积,以及望水白的根系、地上部和植株生物量,而对洛旱7号无显著影响.水分胁迫下,耐旱型品种可以通过提高根系活力、保持较高的根系生长量来补偿根系吸收面积的下降,保持较高的根系吸水能力,进而维持较高的光合面积和光合速率,缓解干旱对生长的抑制.     

Decomposition and element concentrations of silver birch leaf litter as affected by boron status of litter and soil

Inadequate boron (B) nutrition can affect the structural integrity and chemical composition of plant tissues. The changes in mass and element concentrations were studied using silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) leaf litter from seedlings grown with or without added B (B_litter+ or B_litter?). The litter was produced in a growth room, and it was incubated in either B fertilised or control forest plots (B_soil+ or B_soil?) between the moss and humus layers in two Norway spruce stands for 13 months. Additionally, the field decomposition experiment included long-term N and P application treatments (N_soil and P_soil). B_litter+ somewhat reduced the remaining litter mass. In contrast, B_soil+ increased it, possibly because of lower soil pH. The +N_soil treatment reduced the remaining mass. B_litter+ increased the remaining P, S, Cu, Cd, Ni and Zn but reduced Pb. Remaining B was high in the B_litter– which also accumulated B from soil. B_soil increased remaining Ca, Cd, Mg, Na, Pb, and slightly reduced N (in N fertilised plots). These changes in decomposition and element release have a potential to affect nutrient, carbon, and heavy-metal cycles in areas where B deficiencies are common, and where B fertilisation is practised.     

Impact of fine litter chemistry on lignocellulolytic enzyme efficiency during decomposition of maize leaf and root in soil

Residue recalcitrance controls decomposition and soil organic matter turnover. We hypothesized that the complexity of the cell wall network regulates enzyme production, activity and access to polysaccharides. Enzyme efficiency, defined as the relationship between cumulative litter decomposition and enzyme activities over time, was used to relate these concepts. The impact of two contrasting types of cell walls on xylanase, cellulase and laccase efficiencies was assessed in relation to the corresponding changes in residue chemical composition (xylan, glucan, lignin) during a 43-day incubation period. The selected residues were maize roots, which are rich in secondary cell walls that contain lignin and covalent bridges between heteroxylans and lignin, and maize leaves having mostly non-lignified primary cell walls thus making the cellulose and hemicelluloses less resistant to enzymes. Relationships between C mineralization and change in residue quality through decomposition indicated that the level of substitution of arabinoxylans (arabinan to xylan ratio) provides a good explanation of the decomposition process. In leaves enriched in primary cell walls, arabinose substitution of xylan controlled C mineralization rate but hampered polysaccharide decomposition, but to a lesser extent than in roots in which arabinoxylans were mostly cross-linked with lignin. Enzyme activity was higher in leaf than root amended soils while enzyme efficiency was systematically higher in the presence of roots. This apparent paradox suggests that residue quality could preselect the microbial community. Indeed, we found that microorganisms exhibited an initial rapid growth in the presence of a high quality litter and produced enzymes that are not efficient in degrading recalcitrant cell walls while, in the presence of the more recalcitrant maize roots, microbial biomass grew more slowly but produced enzymes of higher efficiency. This high enzyme efficiency could be explained by the synergistic action of hydrolytic and oxidative enzymes even in the early stage of decomposition.     

Effects of leaf litter on woody seedlings in xeric successional communities

We investigated the effect of leaf litter on the establishment of Eucalyptus incrassata, a mallee eucalypt. It has been suggested that litter accumulation may hinder seedling establishment, and that the removal of litter may be one of the mechanisms through which fire enhances recruitment. We conducted factorial experiments testing the effects of three kinds of leaf litter on E. incrassata seeds and seedlings at three contiguous sites with different land use histories. One site was an uncleared E. incrassata open mallee woodland (Mallee site), one a cleared area that had been ungrazed for about five years (Pasture site) and the third an area of mallee rolled some 40 years ago and permitted to regenerate (Regrowth site). Litter had no effect on emergence of planted E. incrassata seeds, but emergence differed between sites. Overall, the percentage of seeds that germinated and emerged was substantial (mean 35.2% ± 25.9%). Seedling shoot biomass did not differ between sites or litter treatments. Although seedlings grown in Pasture litter suffered higher mortality rates, overall mortality rates were low (mean 13.2% ± 15.5%), suggesting that leaf litter has little effect on recruitment rates during winter and spring. We conclude that leaf litter does not affect emergence or growth in young E. incrassata seedlings during winter and spring, when most establishment occurs. Our results emphasize the difficulty in predicting litter effects on recruitment.     

盐胁迫对黄瓜幼苗根系生长和水分利用的影响

采用营养液水培法,研究了NaCl胁迫对两个耐盐性不同的黄瓜品种幼苗根系生长、活力、质膜透性和叶片生长、蒸腾速率（T_r）、相对含水量（RWC）及水分利用率（WUE）的影响.结果表明,盐胁迫下黄瓜植株根系吸收面积下降,质膜透性升高,叶片数减少,叶片T_r和RWC在盐胁迫2 d后明显下降,根系活力和叶片WUE均先升后降,50、75和100 mmol·L^-1NaCl胁迫9 d时,耐盐性较弱的津春2号根系活力降低幅度分别比耐盐性较强的长春密刺高18.01%、12.17%和10.95%,胁迫8 d时WUE下降幅度分别比长春密刺高2.74%、5.27%和0.23%.短期盐胁迫下,黄瓜植株通过提高根系吸收能力来补偿根系吸收面积的下降,通过降低叶片T_r和提高WUE来减少水分散失,在一定程度上有利于缓解水分失衡,提高植株耐盐性;盐胁迫5 d后,根系活力和WUE的下降导致水分失衡加剧,表明根系吸收能力的下降是导致水分失衡的重要原因,叶片WUE的下降是水分失衡的反应,两者均与品种的耐盐性关系密切.     

Enhanced ozone exposure of European beech (Fagus sylvatica) stimulates nitrogen mobilization from leaf litter and nitrogen accumulation in the soil

Abstract

In a lysimeter study with young beech trees, the effects of elevated ozone concentration on the decomposition and fate of nitrogen in ¹⁵N‐labeled leaf litter were analyzed after one growing season. Nitrogen in the litter was dominated by a relatively inert, residual fraction, but easily decomposable nitrogen was present in substantial amounts. Nitrogen loss was significantly higher at twice‐ambient ozone which was largely attributed to an enhanced mobilization of residual nitrogen. Enhanced mobilization of nitrogen from litter at twice‐ambient ozone exposure resulted in additional ¹⁵N incorporation into the soil down to 30 cm depth. Only 0.41–0.62% of the nitrogen in the litter was incorporated into plant material at both ozone concentrations. Twice‐ambient ozone exposure changed the distribution of the nitrogen taken up from litter inside the beech trees in favor of the shoot, where it may have been used in biosynthetic processes required for defense reactions.     

Release of plant nutrients from decomposing leaf litter in a South Swedish beech forest

Weight loss and dynamics of plant nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Fe, Mn, Na, Zn and Cu) in leaf litter were studied in a mature beech forest in South Sweden, using the litter bag technique. An initial decomposition period of about 12 to 18 months was characterized by an absolute net increase of N, P, and S contents in litter, followed by a period of net release of these elements. This development, which was most obvious for N and P, was interpreted as a change from a phase where decomposer activity was limited by the availability of nutrient elements to an energy-limited phase. A net release of nitrogen did not occur until after two years of decomposition, and a transfer of nitrogen and phosphorus between different litter layers is here proposed to work as a retention mechanism.
Potassium and sodium were quickly leached from the litter, while release of magnesium, calcium, and initially also manganese, was more associated to organic matter weight loss. Iron, zinc and copper were all strongly accumulated in the litter material. This is explained by mineral soil admixture for the former element and by atmospheric fall-out in combination with the chemical complex formation character for the latter two elements.
Finally, the importance of the different release processes in the total nutrient recycling of the forest is discussed.     

Estimating the contribution of leaf litter decomposition to soil CO2 efflux in a beech forest using 13C-depleted litter

The contribution of leaf litter decomposition to total soil CO₂ efflux (F_L/F) was evaluated in a beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest in eastern France. The Keeling‐plot approach was applied to estimate the isotopic composition of respired soil CO₂ from soil covered with either control (?30.32‰) or ¹³C‐depleted leaf litter (?49.96‰). The δ¹³C of respired soil CO₂ ranged from ?25.50‰ to ?22.60‰ and from ?24.95‰ to ?20.77‰, respectively, with depleted or control litter above the soil. The F_L/F ratio was calculated by a single isotope linear mixing model based on mass conservation equations. It showed seasonal variations, increasing from 2.8% in early spring to about 11.4% in mid summer, and decreasing to 4.2% just after leaf fall. Between December 2001 and December 2002, cumulated F and F_L reached 0.98 and 0.08 kg_C m^?2, respectively. On an annual basis, decomposition of fresh leaf litter accounted for 8% of soil respiration and 80% of total C loss from fresh leaf litter. The other fraction of carbon loss during leaf litter decomposition that is assumed to have entered the soil organic matter pool (i.e. 20%) represents only 0.02 kg_C m^?2.     

Changes in root system structure,leaf water potential and gas exchange of maize and triticale seedlings affected by soil compaction

The physiological reasons associated with differential sensitivity of C₃ and C₄ plant species to soil compaction stress are not well explained and understood. The responses of growth characteristics, changes in leaf water potential and gas exchange in maize and triticale to a different soil compaction were investigated. In the present study seedlings of triticale and maize, representative of C₃ and C₄ plants were subjected to low (L – 1.10 g cm⁻³), moderate (M – 1.34 g cm⁻³) and severe (S – 1.58 g cm⁻³) soil compaction level. Distinct differences in distribution of roots in the soil profile were observed. Plants of treatments M or S in comparison to treatment L, showed a decrease in leaf number, dry mass of stem, leaves and roots, and an increase in the shoot to root ratio. A drastic decrease in root biomass in M and S treatments in the soil profile on depth from 15 to 40 cm was observed. Any level of soil compaction did not influence the number of seminal and seminal-adventitious roots but decreased their length. The number and total length of nodal roots decreased with compaction. Changes of growth traits in M and S treatments in comparison to the L were greater for maize than for triticale and were accompanied by daily changes in water potential (ψ) and gas exchange parameters (P_N, E, g_s). Differences between M and S treatments in daily changes in ψ for maize were in most cases statistically insignificant, whereas for triticale, they were statistically significant. Differences in the responses of maize and triticale to soil compaction were found in P_N, E and g_s in particular for the measurements taken at 12:00 and 16:00. The highest correlation coefficients were obtained for the relationship between leaf water potential and stomatal conductance, both for maize and triticale, which indicates the close association between stomata behavior and changes in leaf water status.     

Controls on long-term root and leaf litter decomposition in neotropical forests

Litter decomposition represents one of the largest annual fluxes of carbon (C) from terrestrial ecosystems, particularly for tropical forests, which are generally characterized by high net primary productivity and litter turnover. We used data from the Long-Term Intersite Decomposition Experiment (LIDET) to (1) determine the relative importance of climate and litter quality as predictors of decomposition rates, (2) compare patterns in root and leaf litter decomposition, (3) identify controls on net nitrogen (N) release during decay, and (4) compare LIDET rates with native species studies across five bioclimatically diverse neotropical forests. Leaf and root litter decomposed fastest in the lower montane rain and moist forests and slowest in the seasonally dry forest. The single best predictor of leaf litter decomposition was the climate decomposition index (CDI), explaining 51% of the variability across all sites. The strongest models for predicting leaf decomposition combined climate and litter chemistry, and included CDI and lignin ( R ²=0.69), or CDI, N and nonpolar extractives ( R ²=0.69). While we found no significant differences in decomposition rates between leaf and root litter, drivers of decomposition differed for the two tissue types. Initial stages of decomposition, determined as the time to 50% mass remaining, were driven primarily by precipitation for leaf litter ( R ²=0.93) and by temperature for root litter ( R ²=0.86). The rate of N release from leaf litter was positively correlated with initial N concentrations; net N immobilization increased with decreasing initial N concentrations. This study demonstrates that decomposition is sensitive to climate within and across tropical forests. Our results suggest that climate change and increasing N deposition in tropical forests are likely to result in significant changes to decomposition rates in this biome.