Please wait a minute...
Journal of Arid Land
Journal of Arid Land  2018, Vol. 10 Issue (3): 416-428    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-018-0054-6
Orginal Article     
Effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and litter layer thickness on litter decomposition of two tree species in a semi-arid site of Northeast China
Bing MAO1, Lei ZHAO1,2, Qiong ZHAO1,3, Dehui ZENG1,3,*()
1 CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
2 College of Horticulture, Jilin Agricultural University, Changchun 130118, China
3 Daqinggou Ecological Station, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China
Download: HTML     PDF(316KB)
Export: BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      

Abstract  

Forests and grasslands in arid and semi-arid regions receive high-intensity ultraviolet (UV) radiation year-round. However, how the UV radiation affects the litter decomposition on the forest floor remains unclear. Here, we conducted a field-based experiment in 2011 in the southeastern Horqin Sandy Land, Northeast China, to investigate the effects of UV radiation, litter layer thickness, and their interaction on the mass loss and chemical properties of decomposing litter from Xiaozhuan poplar (Populus × xiaozhuanica) and Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantation trees. We found that UV radiation accelerated the decomposition rates of both the Xiaozhuan poplar litter and Mongolian pine litter. For both species, the thick-layered litter had a lower mass loss than the thin-layered litter. The interaction between UV radiation and litter layer thickness significantly affected the litter mass loss of both tree species. However, the effects of UV radiation on the chemical properties of decomposing litter differed between the two species, which may be attributed to the contrasting initial leaf litter chemical properties and morphology. UV radiation mostly had positive effects on the lignin concentration and lignin/N ratio of Xiaozhuan poplar litter, while it had negative effects on the N concentration of Mongolian pine litter. Moreover, litter layer thickness and its interaction with UV radiation showed mostly positive effects on the N concentration and lignin/N ratio of Xiaozhuan poplar litter and the ratios of C/N and lignin/N of Mongolian pine litter, and mostly negative effects on the C/N ratio of Xiaozhuan poplar litter and the N concentration of Mongolian pine litter. Together, these results reveal the important roles played by UV radiation and litter layer thickness in the process of litter decomposition in this semi-arid region, and highlight how changes in the litter layer thickness can exert strong influences on the photodegradation of litter in tree plantations.

Key words： lignin      litter decomposition      litter layer thickness      nitrogen      forest plantation      photodegradation      UV radiation     
Received: 12 May 2017      Published: 10 June 2018
Corresponding Authors:
Service
E-mail this article
Add to my bookshelf
Add to citation manager
E-mail Alert
RSS
Articles by authors
Bing MAO
Lei ZHAO
Qiong ZHAO
Dehui ZENG
Cite this article:

Bing MAO, Lei ZHAO, Qiong ZHAO, Dehui ZENG. Effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation and litter layer thickness on litter decomposition of two tree species in a semi-arid site of Northeast China. Journal of Arid Land, 2018, 10(3): 416-428.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-018-0054-6     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2018/V10/I3/416

[1] Aber J D, Melillo J M.1982. Nitrogen immobilization in decaying hardwood leaf litter as a function of initial nitrogen and lignin content. Canadian Journal of Botany, 60(11): 2263-2269.
[2] Adu-Bredu S, Yokota T, Ogawa K, et al.1997. Tree size dependence of litter production, and above-ground net production in a young hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) stand. Journal of Forest Research, 2(1): 31-37.
[3] Aerts R.1997. Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems: a triangular relationship. Oikos, 79(3): 439-449.
[4] Austin A T, Vivanco L.2006. Plant litter decomposition in a semi-arid ecosystem controlled by photodegradation. Nature, 442(7102): 555-558.
[5] Austin A T, Ballaré C L.2010. Dual role of lignin in plant litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(10): 4618-4622.
[6] Berg B, Berg M P, Bottner P, et al.1993. Litter mass loss rates in pine forests of Europe and Eastern United States: some relationships with climate and litter quality. Biogeochemistry, 20(3): 127-159.
[7] Berg B, Johansson M B, Meentemeyer V.2000. Litter decomposition in a transect of Norway spruce forests: substrate quality and climate control. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 30(7): 1136-1147.
[8] Brandt L A, King J Y, Milchunas D G.2007. Effects of ultraviolet radiation on litter decomposition depend on precipitation and litter chemistry in a shortgrass steppe ecosystem. Global Change Biology, 13(10): 2193-2205.
[9] Brandt L A, King J Y, Hobbie S E, et al.2010. The role of photodegradation in surface litter decomposition across a grassland ecosystem precipitation gradient. Ecosystems, 13(5): 765-781.
[10] Bremner J M.1996. Nitrogen-total. In: Sparks D L, Page A L, Helmke P A, et al. Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 3. Chemical methods. Madison, Wisconsin: Soil Science Society of America, 1085-1122.
[11] Caldwell M M, Bornman J F, Ballaré C L, et al.2007. Terrestrial ecosystems, increased solar ultraviolet radiation, and interactions with other climate change factors. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 6(3): 252-266.
[12] Chen F S, Zeng D H, Zhou B, et al.2006. Seasonal variation in soil nitrogen availability under Mongolian pine plantations at the Keerqin Sand Lands, China. Journal of Arid Environments, 67(2): 226-239.
[13] Cornwell W K, Cornelissen J H, Amatangelo K, et al.2008. Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rates within biomes worldwide. Ecology Letters, 11(10): 1065-1071.
[14] Co?teaux M M, Bottner P, Berg B.1995. Litter decomposition, climate and liter quality. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 10(2): 63-66.
[15] Cox P M, Betts R A, Jones C D, et al.2000. Acceleration of global warming due to carbon-cycle feedbacks in a coupled climate model. Nature, 408(6809): 184-187.
[16] Cybulski III W J, Peterjohn W T, Sullivan J H.2000. The influence of elevated ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B) on tissue quality and decomposition of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) needles. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 44(3): 231-241.
[17] Day T A, Zhang E T, Ruhland C T.2007. Exposure to solar UV-B radiation accelerates mass and lignin loss of Larrea tridentata litter in the Sonoran Desert. Plant Ecology, 193(2): 185-194.
[18] Day T A, Guénon R, Ruhland C T.2015. Photodegradation of plant litter in the Sonoran Desert varies by litter type and age. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 89: 109-122.
[19] Foereid B, Bellarby J, Meier-Augenstein W, et al.2010. Does light exposure make plant litter more degradable? Plant and Soil, 333(1-2): 275-285.
[20] Gallo M E, Porras-Alfaro A, Odenbach K J, et al.2009. Photoacceleration of plant litter decomposition in an arid environment. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41(7): 1433-1441.
[21] Gaxiola A, Armesto J J.2015. Understanding litter decomposition in semiarid ecosystems: linking leaf traits, UV exposure and rainfall variability. Frontiers in Plant Science, 6: 140.
[22] Gehrke C, Johanson U, Callaghan T V, et al.1995. The impact of enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation on litter quality and decomposition processes in Vaccinium leaves from the Subarctic. Oikos, 72(2): 213-222.
[23] H?ttenschwiler S, Tiunov A V, Scheu S.2005. Biodiversity and litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, 36: 191-218.
[24] Hennessey T C, Dougherty P M, Cregg B M, et al.1992. Annual variation in needle fall of a loblolly pine stand in relation to climate and stand density. Forest Ecology and Management, 51(4): 329-338.
[25] Henry H A L, Brizgys K, Field C B.2008. Litter decomposition in a California annual grassland: Interactions between photodegradation and litter layer thickness. Ecosystems, 11(4): 545-554.
[26] Hoorens B, Aerts R, Stroetenga M.2004. Elevated UV-B radiation has no effect on litter quality and decomposition of two dune grassland species: evidence from a long-term field experiment. Global Change Biology, 10(2): 200-208.
[27] Iiyama K, Wallis A F A.1990. Determination of lignin in herbaceous plants by an improved acetyl bromide procedure. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 51(2): 145-161.
[28] Killham K.1994. Soil Ecology. New York: Cambridge University Press, 242.
[29] King J Y, Brandt L A, Adair E C.2012. Shedding light on plant litter decomposition: advances, implications and new directions in understanding the role of photodegradation. Biogeochemistry, 111(1-3): 57-81.
[30] Lanzalunga O, Bietti M.2000. Photo- and radiation chemical induced degradation of lignin model compounds. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, 56(2-3): 85-108.
[31] Melillo J M, Aber J D, Muratore J F.1982. Nitrogen and lignin control of hardwood leaf litter decomposition dynamics. Ecology, 63(3): 621-626.
[32] Nelson D W, Sommers L E.1996. Total carbon, organic carbon, and organic matter. In: Sparks D L, Page A L, Helmke P A, et al. Methods of Soil Analysis, Part 3: Chemical Methods. Madison, Wisconsin: Soil Science Society of America, 961-1010.
[33] Newsham K K, Splatt P, Coward P A, et al.2001. Negligible influence of elevated UV-B radiation on leaf litter quality of Quercus robur. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 33(4-5): 659-665.
[34] Pancotto V A, Sala O E, Cabello M, et al.2003. Solar UV-B decreases decomposition in herbaceous plant litter in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina: potential role of an altered decomposer community. Global Change Biology, 9(10): 1465-1474.
[35] Pancotto V A, Sala O E, Robson T M, et al.2005. Direct and indirect effects of solar ultraviolet-B radiation on long-term decomposition. Global Change Biology, 11(11): 1982-1989.
[36] Peng Q, Qi Y C, Dong Y S, et al.2014. Decomposing litter and the C and N dynamics as affected by N additions in a semi-arid temperate steppe, Inner Mongolia of China. Journal of Arid Land, 6(4): 432-444.
[37] Peterson E B, Peterson N M, Simard S W, et al.1997. Paper birch managers' handbook for British Columbia. In: BC Ministry of Forests. FRDA Report 271. Victoria, Canada.
[38] Rozema J, Tosserams M, Nelissen H J M, et al.1997. Stratospheric ozone reduction and ecosystem processes: enhanced UV-B radiation affects chemical quality and decomposition of leaves of the dune grassland species calamagrostis epigeios. Plant Ecology, 128(1-2): 284-294.
[39] Sayer E J.2006. Using experimental manipulation to assess the roles of leaf litter in the functioning of forest ecosystems. Biological Reviews, 81(1): 1-31.
[40] Schimel J P, Bennett J.2004. Nitrogen mineralization: challenges of a changing paradigm. Ecology, 85(3): 591-602.
[41] Smith W K, Gao W, Steltzer H, et al.2010. Moisture availability influences the effect of ultraviolet-B radiation on leaf litter decomposition. Global Change Biology, 16(1): 484-495.
[42] Song X Z, Zhang H L, Chang S X, et al.2012. Elevated UV-B radiation increased the decomposition of Cinnamomum camphora and Cyclobalanopsis glauca leaf litter in subtropical China. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 12(3): 307-311.
[43] Song X Z, Peng C H, Jiang H, et al.2013a. Direct and indirect effects of UV-B exposure on litter decomposition: a meta-analysis. PLoS ONE, 8(6): e68858.
[44] Song X Z, Zhang H L, Jiang H, et al.2013b. Influence of elevated UV-B radiation on leaf litter chemistry and subsequent decomposition in humid subtropical China. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 13(5): 846-853.
[45] Song X Z, Jiang H, Zhang Z T, et al.2014. Interactive effects of elevated UV-B radiation and N deposition on decomposition of Moso bamboo litter. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 69: 11-16.
[46] Throop H L, Archer S R.2009. Resolving the dryland decomposition conundrum: some new perspectives on potential drivers. In: Lüttge U, Beyschlag W, Büdel B, et al. Progress in Botany. Berlin, Heidelberg:Springer, 171-194.
[47] Uselman S M, Snyder K A, Blank R R, et al.2011. UVB exposure does not accelerate rates of litter decomposition in a semi-arid riparian ecosystem. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 43(6): 1254-1265.
[48] Vitousek P M.2004.Nutrient Cycling and Limitation:Hawaii as a Model System. Princeton, New Jersey, USA: Princeton University Press, 223.
[49] Zeng D H, Hu Y L, Chang S X, et al.2009. Land cover change effects on soil chemical and biological properties after planting Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) in sandy lands in Keerqin, northeastern China. Plant and Soil, 317(1-2): 121-133.
[50] Zepp R G, Erickson III D J, Paul N D, et al.2007. Interactive effects of solar UV radiation and climate change on biogeochemical cycling. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences, 6(3): 286-300.
[51] Zhao L, Hu Y L, Lin G G, et al.2013. Mixing effects of understory plant litter on decomposition and nutrient release of tree litter in two plantations in Northeast China. PLoS ONE, 8(10): e76334.
[1] GAO Yalin, QI Guangping, MA Yanlin, YIN Minhua, WANG Jinghai, WANG Chen, TIAN Rongrong, XIAO Feng, LU Qiang, WANG Jianjun. Regulation effects of water and nitrogen on yield, water, and nitrogen use efficiency of wolfberry[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2024, 16(1): 29-45.
[2] MA Jinpeng, PANG Danbo, HE Wenqiang, ZHANG Yaqi, WU Mengyao, LI Xuebin, CHEN Lin. Response of soil respiration to short-term changes in precipitation and nitrogen addition in a desert steppe[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(9): 1084-1106.
[3] MA Xinxin, ZHAO Yunge, YANG Kai, MING Jiao, QIAO Yu, XU Mingxiang, PAN Xinghui. Long-term light grazing does not change soil organic carbon stability and stock in biocrust layer in the hilly regions of drylands[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(8): 940-959.
[4] KOU Zhaoyang, LI Chunyue, CHANG Shun, MIAO Yu, ZHANG Wenting, LI Qianxue, DANG Tinghui, WANG Yi. Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus additions on soil microbial community structure and ecological processes in the farmland of Chinese Loess Plateau[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(8): 960-974.
[5] SUN Mengjie, GUO Shiwen, XIONG Chunlian, LI Pinfang. Exogenous addition of nitrate nitrogen regulates the uptake and translocation of lead (Pb) by Iris lacteal Pall. var. chinensis (Fisch.) Koidz.[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(2): 218-230.
[6] TAN Jin, WU Xiuqin, LI Yaning, SHI Jieyu, LI Xu. Nutrient coordination mechanism of tiger nut induced by rhizosphere soil nutrient variation in an arid area, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(10): 1216-1230.
[7] JING Bo, SHI Wenjuan, DIAO Ming. Nitrogen application levels based on critical nitrogen absorption regulate processing tomatoes productivity, nitrogen uptake, nitrate distributions, and root growth in Xinjiang, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(10): 1231-1244.
[8] WANG Ziyi, LIU Xiaohong, WANG Keyi, ZENG Xiaomin, ZHANG Yu, GE Wensen, KANG Huhu, LU Qiangqiang. Tree-ring δ15N of Qinghai spruce in the central Qilian Mountains of China: Is pre-treatment of wood samples necessary?[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(6): 673-690.
[9] SU Yuan, GONG Yanming, HAN Wenxuan, LI Kaihui, LIU Xuejun. Dependency of litter decomposition on litter quality, climate change, and grassland type in the alpine grassland of Tianshan Mountains, Northwest China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(6): 691-703.
[10] LIN En, LIU Hongguang, LI Xinxin, LI Ling, Sumera ANWAR. Promoting the production of salinized cotton field by optimizing water and nitrogen use efficiency under drip irrigation[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(7): 699-716.
[11] SU Yuan, MA Xiaofei, GONG Yanming, LI Kaihui, HAN Wenxuan, LIU Xuejun. Contrasting effects of nitrogen addition on litter decomposition in forests and grasslands in China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(7): 717-729.
[12] DING Wenli, XU Weizhou, GAO Zhijuan, XU Bingcheng. Effects of water and nitrogen on growth and relative competitive ability of introduced versus native C4 grass species in the semi-arid Loess Plateau of China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(7): 730-743.
[13] ZHANG Hong, CAO Yingfei, LYU Jialong. Decomposition of different crop straws and variation in straw-associated microbial communities in a peach orchard, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(2): 152-164.
[14] JIN Xiaoming, YANG Xiaogang, ZHOU Zhen, ZHANG Yingqi, YU Liangbin, ZHANG Jinghua, LIANG Runfang. Ecological stoichiometry and biomass response of Agropyron michnoi Roshev. under simulated N deposition in a sandy grassland, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2020, 12(5): 741-751.
[15] YAN Ru, FENG Wei. Effect of vegetation on soil bacteria and their potential functions for ecological restoration in the Hulun Buir Sandy Land, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2020, 12(3): 473-494.