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Forests
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Impacts of Global Change on Forest Litter Decomposition
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Impacts of Global Change on Forest Litter Decomposition

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (23 December 2023) | Viewed by 6380

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Congde Huang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Interests: litter decomposition; carbon sequestration; carbon and nutrient cycling; soil biogeochemistry; phosphorus addition
Dr. Shixing Zhou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Ya’an 625014, China
Interests: litter decomposition; nitrogen deposition; precipitation changes; biodiversity; soil fauna

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The decomposition of plant litter in forest ecosystems is a central process in the global carbon and nutrient cycle and is controlled by both biotic and abiotic factors, such as climate, litter quality, and the diversity and composition of soil decomposer communities. The recent responses of forest litter decomposition to global changes drivers, e.g., elevated carbon dioxide, warming, nitrogen deposition, precipitation changes, and phosphorus fertilization, have garnered worldwide concern, although research results addressing this issue remain uncertain. This Special Issue aims to document state-of-the-art thinking on global warming’s effects on litter decomposition through studies detailing the effects of these global change drivers on the litter quality as well as the diversity and composition of soil decomposer communities. This Special Issue welcomes manuscripts focusing on litter decomposition patterns, nutrient cycling, litter quality, and the contribution of decomposers (microorganism, micro-, meso- and marcofauna) to these processes based on laboratory experiments, field observation, and modeling in the context of global change.

Prof. Dr. Congde Huang
Dr. Shixing Zhou
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • litter decomposition
  • global change
  • nitrogen deposition
  • global warming
  • CO2 enrichment
  • precipitation change
  • phosphorus fertilization
  • carbon and nutrient cycling
  • soil decomposers
  • soil biota mediation
  • forest ecosystems

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 1419 KiB  
Article
Effects of Soil Arthropods on Non-Leaf Litter Decomposition: A Meta-Analysis
by Wei Cheng, Liehua Tie, Shixing Zhou, Junxi Hu, Shengnan Ouyang and Congde Huang
Forests 2023, 14(8), 1557; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14081557 - 30 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1325
Abstract
According to the widely accepted triangle model, global litter decomposition is collectively controlled by climate, litter initial quality, and decomposers. However, the specific contribution of soil arthropods to litter, especially the non-leaf litter, the decomposition of terrestrial ecosystems and its drivers are still [...] Read more.
According to the widely accepted triangle model, global litter decomposition is collectively controlled by climate, litter initial quality, and decomposers. However, the specific contribution of soil arthropods to litter, especially the non-leaf litter, the decomposition of terrestrial ecosystems and its drivers are still unclear. We conducted a global meta-analysis based on 268 pairs of data to determine the contribution and pattern of soil arthropods to branch, stem, and root litter decomposition in farmlands, forests, and grasslands and analyzed the relationship of soil arthropods’ decomposition effect and potential drivers. Our results showed that: (1) soil arthropods increased global non-leaf litter mass loss by 32.3%; (2) the contribution varied with climate zone and ecosystem type, with a value of subtropical (53.3%) > temperate (18.7%) > tropical (14.7%) and of farmlands (40.6%) > grasslands (34.3%) > forests (0.6%), respectively; (3) the soil arthropods’ decomposition effect gradually decreased with decomposition time, and it was higher in litterbags with a mesh size of 1–2 mm (65.4%) and >2 mm (49.8%) than that of 0.5–1 mm (13.6%); (4) the soil arthropods’ decomposition effects were negatively correlated with the litter initial C/N ratio, mean annual precipitation (MAP; p < 0.001), and elevation and was positively correlated with litter weight. In conclusion, soil arthropod promoted global non-leaf litter decomposition, and the contribution varied with climate zone, ecosystem type, and decomposition time as well as litterbag mesh size. Overall, this study improves the understanding of soil arthropods driving global non-leaf litter decomposition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Global Change on Forest Litter Decomposition)
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15 pages, 3010 KiB  
Article
The Response of Mesofauna to Nitrogen Deposition and Reduced Precipitation during Litter Decomposition
by Shixing Zhou, Junxi Hu, Xiong Liu, Xingcheng Zou, Lin Xiao, Dongyu Cao, Lihua Tu, Xinglei Cui and Congde Huang
Forests 2023, 14(6), 1112; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061112 - 27 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1416
Abstract
Soil mesofauna plays an important role in decomposing organic matter, recycling nutrients, and increasing nutrient availability. The effects of nitrogen (N) deposition and reduced precipitation on the litter-dwelling mesofaunal community and how this process affects litter decomposition remain poorly understood. Herein, a two-year [...] Read more.
Soil mesofauna plays an important role in decomposing organic matter, recycling nutrients, and increasing nutrient availability. The effects of nitrogen (N) deposition and reduced precipitation on the litter-dwelling mesofaunal community and how this process affects litter decomposition remain poorly understood. Herein, a two-year simulated N deposition and throughfall reduction experiment was carried out in a natural evergreen broad-leaved subtropical forest to examine the effects of N deposition and reduced precipitation on soil mesofauna during litter decomposition. Four treatments were established: control (CK), N deposition (N), reduced precipitation (RP), and combined N deposition and reduced precipitation (N + RP). We collected and identified 19,782 individuals of mesofauna in litterbags during the whole experiment. Mites (Prostigmata, Mesostigmata, and Oribatida) and Collembola comprised almost 90% of the total number of individuals collected and dominated the soil mesofauna in our study. Our results revealed the negative effects of N deposition on the density of Oribatida mites and Collembola and the total density of soil mesofauna. Reduced precipitation significantly increased the density of Collembola and Oribatida mites and the total density of mesofauna and marginally significantly increased the density of Mesostigmata mites but decreased the diversity of mesofauna. The interaction effects of N deposition and reduced precipitation significantly affected the density of Prostigmata mites, Oribatida mites, Collembola, and the diversity of mesofauna. N deposition combined with reduced precipitation significantly inhibited litter decomposition, whereas no significant interaction effects were observed. Furthermore, correlation analysis indicated that litter mass loss was significantly positively correlated with the density of Prostigmata, Mesostigmata, and Oribatida, as well as the diversity of mesofauna. Overall, during the two-year decomposition process, our results suggest that N deposition and reduced precipitation interactively affected mesofaunal diversity and that N deposition adversely affected the mesofaunal community, while reduced precipitation increased the density of some groups but decreased mesofaunal diversity, consequently cascading on the decomposition of leaf litter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Global Change on Forest Litter Decomposition)
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15 pages, 3611 KiB  
Article
Mechanisms Underlying Aboveground and Belowground Litter Decomposition Converge over Time under Nutrient Deposition
by Lei Jiang, Shenggong Li, Huimin Wang, Xiaoqin Dai, Shengwang Meng, Xiaoli Fu, Jiajia Zheng, Han Yan, Ning Ma, Yafang Xue and Liang Kou
Forests 2023, 14(1), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/f14010130 - 11 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1540
Abstract
Decomposition is vital for nutrient cycling and is sensitive to atmospheric nutrient depositions. However, the influences and underlying mechanisms of nutrient deposition on the long-term decomposition of leaves and absorptive roots remain unclear. Here, we explored the responses of leaves and absorptive roots [...] Read more.
Decomposition is vital for nutrient cycling and is sensitive to atmospheric nutrient depositions. However, the influences and underlying mechanisms of nutrient deposition on the long-term decomposition of leaves and absorptive roots remain unclear. Here, we explored the responses of leaves and absorptive roots to nutrient deposition (control, +N, +P, and +NP) in Pinus massoniana and Schima superba forests in subtropical China based on two stages (early-stage (1-year) and late-stage (3-year)) of a decomposition experiment. The chemical factions (acid-unhydrolysable residue (AUR), cellulose, and hemicellulose concentrations) and microbial enzymatic activities (hydrolase and oxidase) were also determined. The +N treatment had persistent negative effects on absorptive root decomposition, except for P. massoniana during the late stage. The +P treatment had a positive effect on leaf decomposition in all stages. The +NP treatment had a positive effect on leaf decomposition during the late stage. The increasing decomposition rates of foliar under +P treatment were more correlated with the increasing acid phosphatase activity than chemical factions, indicating a microbial mechanism. The decreasing decomposition rates of roots under +N treatment were weakly correlated with increasing AUR concentrations and strongly correlated with decreasing oxidase activity during the late stage, indicating both chemical and microbial mechanisms. Overall, our findings highlight that, despite contrasting responses to nutrient deposition, the mechanisms underlying aboveground and belowground decomposition tend to converge as decomposition progresses. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Global Change on Forest Litter Decomposition)
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17 pages, 3248 KiB  
Article
Abnormal Litter Induced by Typhoon Disturbances Had Higher Rates of Mass Loss and Carbon Release than Physiological Litter in Coastal Subtropical Urban Forest Ecosystems
by Huaibin Wang, Xiao Xu, Zhihui Wang, Rui Cao, Bingqian Zheng, Siyu Song, Yurui Jiang, Qianyu Zhu and Wanqin Yang
Forests 2022, 13(11), 1819; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111819 - 1 Nov 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1550
Abstract
The decomposition of abnormal litter caused by extreme weather events might play an increasingly important role in carbon and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems under climate change scenarios, which needs to be fully investigated. In August 2020, the abnormal foliar litter of the [...] Read more.
The decomposition of abnormal litter caused by extreme weather events might play an increasingly important role in carbon and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems under climate change scenarios, which needs to be fully investigated. In August 2020, the abnormal foliar litter of the goldenrain tree (Koelreuteria bipinnata var. Integrifoliola), the camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), and the weeping willow (Salix babylonica) after Typhoon Hagupit disturbance were collected and incubated on the soil surface at the Plant Ecology Research Base at Taizhou University, which is located on the eastern coast of China. Simultaneously, the physiological foliar litter of these three trees collected in the spring litter peak was incubated at the same site. The abnormal litter had higher concentrations of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and lower concentrations of lignin and cellulose than the physiological litter. The accumulative mass loss rates of abnormal litter in the goldenrain tree, the camphor tree, and the weeping willow during the incubation period increased by 7.72%, 29.78%, and 21.76% in comparison with physiological litter, and the corresponding carbon release increased by 9.10%, 24.15% and 19.55%, respectively. The autumn litter peak period and plum-rain season had higher rates of litter mass loss and carbon release, while the winter nongrowing season had lower rates. Accumulative mass loss, accumulative carbon release, daily mass loss and the daily carbon release of foliar litter were significantly and positively correlated with temperature and initial P concentrations, and significantly and negatively correlated with the initial C/P ratio, lignin/N ratio, and lignin/P ratio (p < 0.05). Compared with the physiological litter, abnormal litter had higher initial substrate quality, which may be the most important factor contributing to their high rates of mass loss and carbon release. The results imply that increasing tropical cyclones under climate change scenarios will facilitate carbon cycling in coastal urban forest ecosystems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Impacts of Global Change on Forest Litter Decomposition)
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