Please wait a minute...
Journal of Arid Land
Journal of Arid Land  2021, Vol. 13 Issue (7): 717-729    DOI: 10.1007/s40333-021-0076-3     CSTR: 32276.14.s40333-021-0076-3
Research article     
Contrasting effects of nitrogen addition on litter decomposition in forests and grasslands in China
SU Yuan1,2,3, MA Xiaofei1,3, GONG Yanming1,2, LI Kaihui1,2,4,*(), HAN Wenxuan1,5, LIU Xuejun1,5,*()
1State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
2Bayanbulak Grassland Ecosystem Research Station, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bayanbulak 841314, China
3University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
4Chinese Academy of Sciences Research Center for Ecology and Environment of Central Asia, Urumqi 830011, China
5Beijing Key Laboratory of Farmland Soil Pollution Prevention and Remediation, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
Download: HTML     PDF(603KB)
Export: BibTeX | EndNote (RIS)      

Abstract  

Nitrogen (N) addition has profound impacts on litter-mediated nutrient cycling. Numerous studies have reported different effects of N addition on litter decomposition, exhibiting positive, negative, or neutral effects. Previous meta-analysis of litter decomposition under N addition was mainly based on a small number of samples to allow comparisons among ecosystem types. This study presents the results of a meta-analysis incorporating data from 53 published studies (including 617 observations) across forests, grasslands, wetlands, and croplands in China, to investigate how environmental and experimental factors impact the effects of N addition on litter decomposition. Averaged across all of the studies, N addition significantly slows litter decomposition by 7.02%. Considering ecosystem types, N addition significantly accelerates litter decomposition by 3.70% and 11.22% in grasslands and wetlands, respectively, clearly inhibits litter decomposition by 14.53% in forests, and has no significant effects on litter decomposition in croplands. Regarding the accelerated litter decomposition rate in grasslands due to N addition, litter decomposition rate increases slightly with increasing rates of N addition. However, N addition slows litter decomposition in forests, but litter decomposition is at a significantly increasing rate with increasing amounts of N addition. The responses of litter decomposition to N addition are also influenced by the forms of N addition, experiential duration of N addition, humidity index, litter quality, and soil pH. In summary, N addition alters litter decomposition rate, but the direction and magnitude of the response are affected by the forms of N addition, the rate of N addition, ambient N deposition, experimental duration, and climate factors. Our study highlights the contrasting effects of N addition on litter decomposition in forests and grasslands. This finding could be used in biogeochemical models to better evaluate ecosystem carbon cycling under increasing N deposition due to the differential responses of litter decomposition to N addition rates and ecosystem types.

Key words： litter decomposition rate      N addition      ambient N deposition      litter quality      meta-analysis      forests      grasslands     
Received: 01 March 2021      Published: 10 July 2021
Corresponding Authors:
About author: LIU Xuejun (E-mail: liu310@cau.edu.cn)
*LI Kaihui (E-mail: grassland1998@126.com);
First author contact:

The first and second authors contributed equally to this work.
Service
E-mail this article
Add to my bookshelf
Add to citation manager
E-mail Alert
RSS
Articles by authors
Yuan SU
Xiaofei MA
Yanming GONG
Kaihui LI
Wenxuan HAN
Xuejun LIU
Cite this article:

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. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(7): 717-729.

URL:

http://jal.xjegi.com/10.1007/s40333-021-0076-3     OR     http://jal.xjegi.com/Y2021/V13/I7/717

Fig. 1 Relationship between litter decomposition rate in the control group and litter decomposition rate in the treatment group. The 1:1 line represents a similar litter decomposition rate in the control group and treatment group, whereas the circle above or below this line indicates an increase or decrease in litter decomposition rate as a result of N addition, respectively.
Fig. 2 Mean percentage variation of litter decomposition rates with N addition in different ecosystem types (a) and the effect of the rate of N addition on litter decomposition rate in forests and grasslands (b). The effects of N addition on litter decomposition rate were considered as significant when 95% confidence intervals did not overlap with zero, and were significantly different from each other when 95% confidence intervals of each categorical group did not overlap. Values in the brackets represent the number of observations.
Fig. 3 Mean percentage variation of litter decomposition rate to different forms of N addition, the ratio of the rate of N addition to ambient N deposition, and ambient N deposition (a), as well as mean percentage variation of litter decomposition rate to experimental duration, soil pH, and humidity index (b). Values in the brackets represent the number of observations.
Fig. 4 Linear regression relationships of the logarithmic response ratio (lnRR) of litter decomposition rate with the rate of N addition (a), ambient N deposition (b), and the ratio of the rate of N addition to ambient N deposition (c)
Fig. 5 Linear regression relationships of the lnRR of litter decomposition rate with mean annual precipitation (MAP) (a), annual mean temperature (AMT) (b), and humidity index (c)
Fig. 6 Linear regression relationships of the lnRR of litter decomposition rate with litter C (a), litter N (b), litter phosphorus (P) (c), C:N ratio (d), lignin (e), cellulose (f), the ratio of lignin to litter N (g), and experimental duration (h)
Fig. S1 Linear regression relationship between annual mean temperature (AMT) and mean annual precipitation (MAP) used in the meta-analysis study
[1]   Aerts R. 2006. The freezer defrosting: global warming and litter decomposition rates in cold biomes. Journal of Ecology, 94(4):713-724.
doi: 10.1111/jec.2006.94.issue-4
[2]   Allison S D, LeBauer D S, Ofrecio M R, et al. 2009. Low levels of nitrogen addition stimulate decomposition by boreal forest fungi. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41(2):293-302.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2008.10.032
[3]   Alster C J, German D P, Lu Y, et al. 2013. Microbial enzymatic responses to drought and to nitrogen addition in a southern California grassland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 64:68-79.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.03.034
[4]   Bai Y F, Wu J, Clark C M, et al. 2010. Tradeoffs and thresholds in the effects of nitrogen addition on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: evidence from inner Mongolia Grassland. Global Change Biology, 16(1):358-372.
doi: 10.1111/(ISSN)1365-2486
[5]   Bradford M A, Warren R J, Baldrian P, et al. 2014. Climate fails to predict wood decomposition at regional scales. Nature Climate Change, 4:625-630.
doi: 10.1038/nclimate2251
[6]   Chen H, Li D J, Gurmesa G A, et al. 2015. Effects of nitrogen deposition on carbon cycle in terrestrial ecosystems of China: A meta-analysis. Environmental Pollution, 206:352-360.
doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2015.07.033 pmid: 26232918
[7]   Deng L, Huang C, Kim D G, et al. 2019. Soil GHG fluxes are altered by N deposition: New data indicate lower N stimulation of the N2O flux and greater stimulation of the calculated C pools. Global Change Biology, 26(4):2613-2629.
doi: 10.1111/gcb.v26.4
[8]   Dong L L, Berg B, Sun T, et al. 2019. Effects of different forms of N deposition on leaf litter decomposition and extracellular enzyme activities in a temperate grassland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 134:78-80.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.03.016
[9]   Dong L L, Berg B, Sun T, et al. 2020. Response of fine root decomposition to different forms of N deposition in a temperate grassland. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 147:107845, doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107845
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107845
[10]   Fang H, Mo J M, Peng S, et al. 2007. Cumulative effects of nitrogen additions on litter decomposition in three tropical forests in southern China. Plant and Soil, 297:233-242.
doi: 10.1007/s11104-007-9339-9
[11]   Freedman Z B, Upchurch R A, Zak D R, et al. 2016. Anthropogenic N deposition slows decomposition by favoring bacterial metabolism: Insights from metagenomic analyses. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7(149):259, doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.00259
[12]   Gill A L, Schilling J, Hobbie S E. 2021. Experimental nitrogen fertilisation globally accelerates, then slows decomposition of leaf litter. Ecology Letters, 24(4):802-811.
doi: 10.1111/ele.v24.4
[13]   He M, Zhao R, Tian Q, et al. 2019. Predominant effects of litter chemistry on lignin degradation in the early stage of leaf litter decomposition. Plant and Soil, 442:453-469.
doi: 10.1007/s11104-019-04207-6
[14]   Hobbie S E. 2000. Interactions between litter lignin and nitrogenitter lignin and soil nitrogen availability during leaf litter decomposition in a Hawaiian Montane Forest. Ecosystems, 3:484-494.
doi: 10.1007/s100210000042
[15]   Hobbie S E. 2005. Contrasting effects of substrate and fertilizer nitrogen on the early stages of litter decomposition. Ecosystems, 8:644-656.
doi: 10.1007/s10021-003-0110-7
[16]   Hobbie S E. 2008. Nitrogen effects on decomposition: a five-year experiment in eight temperate sites. Ecology, 89(9):2633-2644.
pmid: 18831184
[17]   Hobbie S E, Eddy W C, Buyarski C R, et al. 2012. Response of decomposing litter and its microbial community to multiple forms of nitrogen enrichment. Ecological Monographs, 82(3):389-405.
doi: 10.1890/11-1600.1
[18]   Hou S L, Hättenschwiler S, Yang J J, et al. 2020. Increasing rates of long-term nitrogen deposition consistently increased litter decomposition in a semi-arid grassland. New Phytologist, 229(1):296-307.
doi: 10.1111/nph.v229.1
[19]   Johansson O, Palmqvist K, Olofsson J. 2012. Nitrogen deposition drives lichen community changes through differential species responses. Global Change Biology, 18(8):2626-2635.
doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02723.x
[20]   Kaspari M, Garcia M N, Harms K E, et al. 2008. Multiple nutrients limit litterfall and decomposition in a tropical forest. Ecology Letters, 11(1):35-43.
[21]   Knorr M, Frey S D, Curtis P S. 2005. Nitrogen additions and litter decomposition: A meta-analysis. Ecology, 86(12):3252-3257.
doi: 10.1890/05-0150
[22]   Lamarque J F, Kiehl J T, Brasseur G P, et al. 2005. Assessing future nitrogen deposition and carbon cycle feedback using a multimodel approach: Analysis of nitrogen deposition. Journal of Geophysical Research, 110(D19):D19303, doi: 10.1029/2005JD005825.
doi: 10.1029/2005JD005825
[23]   Liu P, Huang J H, Sun O J, et al. 2010. Litter decomposition and nutrient release as affected by soil nitrogen availability and litter quality in a semiarid grassland ecosystem. Oecologia, 162(3):771-780.
doi: 10.1007/s00442-009-1506-7
[24]   Liu W X, Jiang L, Hu S J, et al. 2014. Decoupling of soil microbes and plants with increasing anthropogenic nitrogen inputs in a temperate steppe. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 72:116-122.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.01.022
[25]   Liu X J, Zhang Y, Han W X, et al. 2013. Enhanced nitrogen deposition over China. Nature, 494:459-462.
doi: 10.1038/nature11917
[26]   Manzoni S, Trofymow J A, Jackson R B, et al. 2010. Stoichiometric controls on carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus dynamics in decomposing litter. Ecological Monographs, 80(1):89-106.
doi: 10.1890/09-0179.1
[27]   Mao J H, Mao Q G, Zheng M H, et al. 2020. Responses of foliar nutrient status and stoichiometry to nitrogen addition in different ecosystems: A meta-analysis. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 125(3), doi: 10.1029/2019JG005347
[28]   Mo J M, Brown S, Xue J H, et al. 2006. Response of litter decomposition to simulated N deposition in disturbed, rehabilitated and mature forest in subtropical China. Plant and Soil, 282:135-151.
doi: 10.1007/s11104-005-5446-7
[29]   Parton W, Silver W L, Burke I C, et al. 2007. Global-scale similarities in nitrogen release patterns during long-term decomposition. Science, 315(5810):361-364.
doi: 10.1126/science.1134853
[30]   Peng Y F, Guo D L, Yang Y H, et al. 2016. Global patterns of root dynamics under nitrogen enrichment. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 26(1):102-114.
doi: 10.1111/geb.2017.26.issue-1
[31]   Sardans J, Peñuelas J. 2015. Potassium: a neglected nutrient in global change. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 24(3):261-275.
doi: 10.1111/geb.2015.24.issue-3
[32]   Schuster M J. 2015. Increased rainfall variability and N addition accelerate litter decomposition in a restored prairie. Oecologia, 180:645-655.
doi: 10.1007/s00442-015-3396-1
[33]   See C R, Luke McCormack M, Hobbie S E, et al. 2019. Global patterns in fine root decomposition: climate, chemistry, mycorrhizal association and woodiness. Ecology Letters, 22(‏6):946-953.
doi: 10.1111/ele.2019.22.issue-6
[34]   Sha Z P, Ma X, Wang J X, et al. 2020. Effect of N stabilizers on fertilizer-N fate in the soil-crop system: A meta-analysis. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment, 290:106763, doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2019.106763.
doi: 10.1016/j.agee.2019.106763
[35]   Song C C, Li D Y, Yang G S, et al. 2011. Effect of nitrogen addition on decomposition of Calamagrostis angustifolia litters from freshwater marshes of Northeast China. Ecological Engineering, 37(10):1578-1582.
doi: 10.1016/j.ecoleng.2011.03.036
[36]   Song M H, Chen J, Xu X L, et al. 2019. Decreased community litter decomposition associated with nitrogen-induced convergence in leaf traits in an alpine meadow. Soil and Tillage Research, 194:104332, doi: 10.1016/j.still.2019.104332.
doi: 10.1016/j.still.2019.104332
[37]   Song Y Y, Song C C, Ren J, et al. 2018. Influence of nitrogen additions on litter decomposition, nutrient dynamics, and enzymatic activity of two plant species in a peatland in Northeast China. Science of The Total Environment, 625:640-646.
doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.311
[38]   Tian D S, Wang H, Sun J, et al. 2016. Global evidence on nitrogen saturation of terrestrial ecosystem net primary productivity. Environmental Research Letters, 11(2):024012, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/2/024012
doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/11/2/024012
[39]   Treseder K K. 2008. Nitrogen additions and microbial biomass: a meta-analysis of ecosystem studies. Ecology Letters, 11(10):1111-1120.
doi: 10.1111/ele.2008.11.issue-10
[40]   van Diepen L T A, Frey S D, Sthultz C M, et al. 2015. Changes in litter quality caused by simulated nitrogen deposition reinforce the N-induced suppression of litter decay. Ecosphere, 6(10):1-16.
[41]   Vivanco L, Austin A T. 2019. The importance of macro- and micro-nutrients over climate for leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release in Patagonian temperate forest. Forest Ecology and Management, 441:144-154.
doi: 10.1016/j.foreco.2019.03.019
[42]   Yang Y H, Li P, He H L, et al. 2015. Long-term changes in soil pH across major forest ecosystems in China. Geophysical Research Letters, 42(3):933-940.
doi: 10.1002/2014GL062575
[43]   Zak D R, Holmes W E, Burton A J, et al. 2008. Simulated atmospheric NO3- deposition increases soil organic matter by slowing decomposition. Ecological applications, 18(8):2016-2027.
doi: 10.1890/07-1743.1
[44]   Zhang T A, Luo Y Q, Chen H Y H, et al. 2018. Responses of litter decomposition and nutrient release to N addition: A meta-analysis of terrestrial ecosystems. Applied Soil Ecology, 128:35-42.
doi: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2018.04.004
[45]   Zhang W D, Wang S L. 2012. Effects of NH4+ and NO3- on litter and soil organic carbon decomposition in a Chinese fir plantation forest in South China. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 47:116-122.
doi: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.12.004
[46]   Zhang W D, Wang X F, Wang S L. 2014. Fate of Chinese-fir litter during decomposition as a result of inorganic N additions. Applied Soil Ecology, 74:30-36.
doi: 10.1016/j.apsoil.2013.10.001
[47]   Zhang W D, Chao L, Yang Q P, et al. 2016. Litter quality mediated nitrogen effect on plant litter decomposition regardless of soil fauna presence. Ecology, 97(10):2834-2843.
doi: 10.1002/ecy.1515
[48]   Zhou G X, Wei F, Qiu X W, et al. 2018. Influence of enhanced ultraviolet-B radiation during rice plant growth on rice straw decomposition with nitrogen deposition. Scientific Reports, 8:14512, doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-32863-8
doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-32863-8
[49]   Zhou S X, Butenschoen O, Barantal S, et al. 2020. Decomposition of leaf litter mixtures across biomes: The role of litter identity, diversity and soil fauna. Journal of Ecology, 108(6):1-15.
doi: 10.1111/jec.v108.1
[1] Vahid Farashi KAHNOUJ, Marzieh REZAI, Rasool MAHDAVI, Maryam MOSLEHI, Saiedeh ESKANDARI. Effects of dieback on the vegetative, chemical, and physiological status of mangrove forests, Iran[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2023, 15(11): 1391-1404.
[2] 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.
[3] LIU Yulin, LI Jiwei, HAI Xuying, WU Jianzhao, DONG Lingbo, PAN Yingjie, SHANGGUAN Zhouping, WANG Kaibo, DENG Lei. Carbon inputs regulate the temperature sensitivity of soil respiration in temperate forests[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(9): 1055-1068.
[4] WANG Yaobin, SHANGGUAN Zhouping. Formation mechanisms and remediation techniques for low-efficiency artificial shelter forests on the Chinese Loess Plateau[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2022, 14(8): 837-848.
[5] 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.
[6] LIU Yalan, LI Lei, LI Xiangyi, YUE Zewei, LIU Bo. Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus addition on leaf nutrient concentrations and nutrient resorption efficiency of two dominant alpine grass species[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2021, 13(10): 1041-1053.
[7] YANG Yuling, LI Minfei, MA Jingjing, CHENG Junhui, LIU Yunhua, JIA Hongtao, LI Ning, WU Hongqi, SUN Zongjiu, FAN Yanmin, SHENG Jiandong, JIANG Ping'an. Changes in the relationship between species richness and belowground biomass among grassland types and along environmental gradients in Xinjiang, Northwest China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2019, 11(6): 855-865.
[8] MEHDI Heydari, FATEMEH Aazami, MARZBAN Faramarzi, REZA Omidipour, MASOUD Bazgir, DAVID Pothier, BERNARD Prévosto. Interaction between climate and management on beta diversity components of vegetation in relation to soil properties in arid and semi-arid oak forests, Iran[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2019, 11(1): 43-57.
[9] Dongyan JIN, J MURRAY Phil, Xiaoping XIN, Yifei QIN, Baorui CHEN, Gele QING, Zhao ZHANG, Ruirui YAN. Attribution of explanatory factors for change in soil organic carbon density in the native grasslands of Inner Mongolia, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2018, 10(3): 375-387.
[10] Di KANG, Jian DENG, Xiaowei QIN, Fei HAO, Shujuan GUO, Xinhui HAN, Gaihe YANG. Effect of competition on spatial patterns of oak forests on the Chinese Loess Plateau[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2017, 9(1): 122-131.
[11] Meng ZHANG, Xiaobing LI, Hong WANG, Fei DENG, Xu LI, Xue MI. Effects of converting natural grasslands into planted grasslands on ecosystem respiration: a case study in Inner Mongolia, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2017, 9(1): 38-50.
[12] Rong YANG, YongZhong SU, Min WANG, Tao WANG, Xiao YANG, GuiPing FAN, TianChang WU. Spatial pattern of soil organic carbon in desert grasslands of the diluvial-alluvial plains of northern Qilian Mountains[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2014, 6(2): 136-144.
[13] LianLian FAN, Yan LI, LiSong TANG, Jian MA. Combined effects of snow depth and nitrogen addition on ephemeral growth at the southern edge of the Gurbantunggut Desert, China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2013, 5(4): 500-510.
[14] Ling SONG, XueMei BAO, XueJun LIU, FuSuo ZHANG. Impact of nitrogen addition on plant community in a semi-arid temperate steppe in China[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2012, 4(1): 3-10.
[15] Adrian R WILLIAMS. On sustaining the ecology and livestock industry of the Bayanbuluk Grasslands[J]. Journal of Arid Land, 2010, 2(1): 57-63.