Abstract
Background and aims
Litter decomposition is essential for the global carbon cycle, which is affected by environmental factors. In the context of global warming and increasing nitrogen deposition, the responses of litter decomposition are unclear in subtropical forests.
Methods
Here, we carried out an interaction experiment of warming (3.3 °C) and nitrogen addition (50 kg ha−1 yr−1) and a recovery experiment (remove warming and nitrogen addition treatments) in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest for four years in total.
Results
The results showed that during the treatment period, warming, nitrogen addition, and their combination significantly decreased litter decomposition according to the k values by 35.8%, 23.0%, and 42.2%, respectively. However, there was no significant interaction effect between warming and nitrogen addition. Litter decomposition rates quickly returned to the same level during the two-year recovery period. Variance partitioning analysis (VPA) and covariance analysis (ANCOVA) simultaneously confirmed that warming and nitrogen addition significantly affected litter decomposition. VPA and ANCOVA also showed that soil temperature and water content significantly contributed to the decomposition rate during the treatment period.
Conclusions
This study suggests that warming and nitrogen addition significantly inhibit litter decomposition, but this effect is not sustainable.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
Data generated or analyzed during this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Aerts R (2006) The freezer defrosting: global warming and litter decomposition rates in cold biomes. J Ecol 94:713–724. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01142.x
Barajas-Guzmán G, Alvarez-Sánchez J (2003) The relationships between litter fauna and rates of litter decomposition in a tropical rain forest. Appl Soil Ecol 24:91–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0929-1393(03)00069-6
Brigham LM, Esch EH, Kopp CW, Cleland EE (2018) Warming and shrub encroachment decrease decomposition in arid alpine and subalpine ecosystems. Arct Antarct Alp Res 50(1):e1494941. https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2018.1494941
Butenschoen O, Scheu S, Eisenhauer N (2011) Interactive effects of warming, soil humidity and plant diversity on litter decomposition and microbial activity. Soil Biol Biochem 43:1902–1907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.05.011
Canessa R, van den Brink L, Saldaña A, Rios RS, Hättenschwiler S, Mueller CW, Prater I, Tielbörger K, Bader MY (2020) Relative effects of climate and litter traits on decomposition change with time, climate and trait variability. J Ecol 109:447–458. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13516
Chan OC, Yang XD, Fu Y, Feng ZL, Sha LQ, Casper P, Zou XM (2006) 16S rRNAgeneanalyses of bacterial community structures in the soils of evergreen broad-leaved forests insouth-West China. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 58:247–259. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6941.2006.00156.x
Chuckran PF, Robin R, Throop HL, Reed SC (2020) Multiple mechanisms determine the effect of warming on plant litter decomposition in a dryland. Soil Biol Biochem 145:107799. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2020.107799
Collison EJ, Riutta T, Slade EM (2013) Macrofauna assemblage composition and soil moisture interact to affect soil ecosystem functions. Acta Oecol 47:30–36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2012.12.002
Daan B, Samuel F, Imre B, Riikka R, Elberling B (2018) Contrasting above and belowground organic matter decomposition and carbon and nitrogen dynamics in response to warming in high Arctic tundra. Glob Change Biol 24:2660–2672. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.14017
De Frenne P, Lenoir J, Luoto M, Scheffers BR, Zellweger F, Aalto J, Ashcroft MB, Christiansen DM, Decocq G, De Pauw K, Govaert S, Greiser C, Gril E, Hampe A, Jucker T, Klinges DH, Koelemeijer IA, Lembrechts JJ, Marrec R et al (2021) Forest microclimates and climate change: importance, drivers and future research agenda. Glob Change Biol 27(11):2279–2297
Ferreira V, Canhoto C (2014) Effect of experimental and seasonal warming on litter decomposition in a temperate stream. Aquat Sci 76:155–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-013-0322-7
Gao SQ, Song YY, Song CC, Wang XW, Ma XY, Gao JL, Cheng XF, Du Y (2022) Effects of temperature increase and nitrogen addition on the early litter decomposition in permafrost peatlands. Catena 209:105801. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2021.105801
Ge XG, Zeng LX, **ao WF, Huang ZL, Geng XS, Tan BW (2013) Effect of litter substrate quality and soil nutrients on forest litter decomposition: a review. Acta Ecol Sin 33:102–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chnaes.2013.01.006
Gong S, Guo R, Zhang T, Guo J (2015) Warming and nitrogen addition increase litter decomposition in a temperate meadow ecosystem. PLoS One 10(3):e0116013. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0116013
González G, Seastedt TR (2001) Soil fauna and plant litter decomposition in tropical and subalpine forests. Ecology 82(4):955–964. https://doi.org/10.1890/0012-9658.2001.082
Gorecki K, Rastogi A, Strozecki M, Gabka M, Lamentowicz M, Łuców D, Kayzer D, Juszczak R (2021) Water table depth, experimental warming, and reduced precipitation impact on litter decomposition in a temperate Sphagnum-peatland. Sci Total Environ 771:145452. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145452
Henriksson N, Lim H, Marshall J, Franklin O, McMurtrie RE, Lutter R, Magh R, Lundmark T, Nasholm T (2021) Tree water uptake enhances nitrogen acquisition in a fertilized boreal forest, but not under nitrogen poor conditions. New Phytol 232:113–122. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.17578
Henry AL, Moise RD (2015) Grass litter responses to warming and N addition: temporal variation in the contributions of litter quality and environmental effects to decomposition. Plant Soil 389:35–43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2346-8
Huang W, Zhou G, Liu J, Zhang D, Liu S, Chu G, Fang X (2015) Mineral elements of subtropical tree seedlings in response to elevated carbon dioxide and nitrogen addition. PLoS One 10(3):e0120190. https://doi.org/10.1371/j.pone.0120190
Jiang XY, Cao LX, Zhang RD, Yan LJ, Mao Y, Yang YW (2014) Effects of nitrogen addition and litter properties on litter decomposition and enzyme activities of individual fungi. Appl Soil Ecol 80:108–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2014.04.002
Knorr M, Frey SD, Curtis PS (2005) Nitrogen additions and litter decomposition: a meta-analysis. Ecology 86:3252–3257. https://doi.org/10.1890/05-0150
Lee H, Fitzgerald J, Hewins DB, McCulley RL, Archer SR, Rahn T, Throop HL (2014) Soil moisture and soil-litter mixing effects on surface litter decomposition: a controlled environment assessment. Soil Biol Biochem 72:123–132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2014.01.027
Li Y, Qing Y, Lyu M, Chen S, Yang Z, Lin C, Yang Y (2018) Effects of artificial warming on different soil organic carbon and nitrogen pools in a subtropical plantation. Soil Biol Biochem 124:161–167. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.06.007
Li AG, Fan YX, Chen SL, Song HW, Lin CF, Yang YS (2022) Soil warming did not enhance leaf litter decomposition in two subtropical forests. Soil Biol Biochem 170:108716. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108716
Liu WY, Fox JED, Xu Z (2002) Nutrient fluxes in bulk precipitation, throughfall and stemflow in montane subtropical moist forest on Ailao Mountains in Yunnan, south-West China. J Trop Ecol 18(4):527–548. https://doi.org/10.2307/3068781
Liu XJ, Duan L, Mo J, Du E, Shen JL, Lu XK, Zhang Y, Zhou XB, He C, Zhang F (2011) Nitrogen deposition and its ecological impact in China: an overview. Environ Pollut 159:2251–2264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2010.08.002
Liu Q, Zhao CZ, Xu ZF, Yin HJ (2015) Warming and forest management interactively affect the decomposition of subalpine forests on the eastern Tibetan Plateau: a four-year experiment. Geoderma 239-240:223–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2014.10.018
Liu JX, Liu SG, Li YY, Liu SZ, Yin GC, Huang J, Xu Y, Zhou GY (2017) Warming effects on the decomposition of two litter species in model subtropical forests. Plant Soil 420:277–287. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3392-9
Liu XF, Chen SD, Li XJ, Yang ZJ, **ong DC, Xu C, Wanek WG, Yang YS (2022a) Soil warming delays leaf litter decomposition but exerts no effect on litter nutrient release in a subtropical natural forest over 450 days. Geoderma 427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.116139
Liu YC, Tian HM, Li JR, Wang H, Liu SR, Liu XJ (2022b) Reduced precipitation neutralizes the positive impact of soil warming on soil microbial community in a temperate oak forest. Sci Total Environ 806:150957. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150957
Liu S, Bu ML, Li Y, Shi XM, Huang CJ, Wen HD, Liu YT, Wu CS (2023) Regulation of initial soil environmental factors on litter decomposition rate affects the estimation accuracy of litter mass loss in a subtropical forest. Plant Soil 485:395–410. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05838-y
Lu ZY, Song L, Wang X, Li YW, Zhang YP, Sha LQ (2017) Ecological stoichiometric characteristics of forest litter, humus and soil in Ailao Mountain. J Mountain 03:274–282. https://doi.org/10.16089/j.carolcarrollnki.1008-2786.000222
Lu Z, Yuan W, Luo K, Wang X (2021) Litterfall mercury reduction on a subtropical evergreen broad leaf forest floor revealed by multi-element isotopes. Environ Pollut 268:115867. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115867
Ma LN, Lü XT, Liu Y, Guo JX, Zhang NY, Yang JQ, Wang RZ (2011) The effects of warming and nitrogen addition on soil nitrogen cycling in a temperate grassland, northeastern China. PLoS ONE 6:27645. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0027645
Migliorini GH, Romero GQ (2020) Warming and leaf litter functional diversity, not litter quality, drive decomposition in a freshwater ecosystem. Scitifientic Rep 10:20333. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-77382-7
Moise ERD, Henry HAL (2014) Interactive responses of grass litter decomposition to warming, nitrogen addition and detritivore access in a temperate old field. Oecologia 176:1151–1160. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3068-6
Olson JS (1963) Energy storage and the balance of producers and decomposers in ecological systems. Ecology 44:322–331. https://doi.org/10.2307/1932179
Peng Y, Li YJ, Song SY, ChenYQ CGT, Tu LH (2022) Nitrogen addition slows litter decomposition accompanied by accelerated manganese release: a five-year experiment in a subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest. Soil Biol Biochem 165:108511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108511
Penner JF, Frank DA (2018) Litter decomposition in Yellowstone grasslands: the roles of large herbivores, litter quality, and climate. Ecosystems 22:929–937. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-018-0310-9
Růžek M, Tahovská K, Guggenberger G, Oulehle F (2021) Litter decomposition in European coniferous and broadleaf forests under experimentally elevated acidity and nitrogen addition. Plant Soil 463:471–485. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-04926-9
Schulte-Uebbing L, de Vries W (2018) Global-scale impacts of nitrogen deposition on tree carbon sequestration in tropical, temperate, and boreal forests: a meta-analysis. Glob Chang Biol 24:416–431. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13862
Shi XM, Song L, Liu WY, Lu HZ, Qi JH, Li S, Chen X, Wu JF, Liu S, Wu CS (2017) Epiphytic bryophytes as bio-indicators of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in a subtropical montane cloud forest: response patterns, mechanism, and critical load. Environ Pollut 229:932–941. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2017.07.077
Song YY, Ren JS, Tan WW (2018) Influence of nitrogen additions on litter decomposition, nutrient dynamics, and enzymatic activity of two plant species in a peatland in Northeast China. Sci Total Environ 625:640–646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.311
Tan ZH, Zhang YP, Schaefer D, Yu GR, Liang N, Song QH (2011) An old-growth subtropical Asian evergreen forest as a large carbon sink. Atmos Environ 45:1548–1554. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2010.12.041
Tao BX, Zhang BH, Dong J, Liu CY, Cui Q (2019) Antagonistic effect of nitrogen additions and warming on litter decomposition in the coastal wetland of the Yellow River Delta, China. Ecol Eng 131:1–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2019.02.024
Tian D, Du E, Jiang L, Ma S, Zeng WJ, Zou AL, Feng CY, Xu LC, **ng AJ, Wang W, Zheng CY, Ji CJ, Shen HH, Fang JY (2018) Responses of forest ecosystems to increasing N deposition in China: a critical review. Environ Pollut 243:75–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2018.08.010
Tie L, Wei S, Peñuelas J, Sardans J, Peguero G, Zhou S, Liu X, Hu J, Huang C (2021) Phosphorus addition reverses the negative effect of nitrogen addition on soil arthropods during litter decomposition in a subtropical forest. Sci Total Environ 781:146786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146786
Tu L, Hu H, Chen G, Peng Y, **ao Y, Hu T, Zhang J, Li X, Liu L, Tang Y (2014) Nitrogen addition significantly affects forest litter decomposition under high levels of ambient nitrogen deposition. PLoS One 9:e88752. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0088752
Wu CS, Zhang YP, Xu XL, Sha LQ, You GY, Liu YH, **e YN (2014) Influence of interactions between litter decomposition and rhizosphere activity on soil respiration and on the temperature sensitivity in a subtropical montane forest in SW China. Plant Soil 381:215–224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2106-9
Wu JP, Liu WF, Zhang WX, Shao YH, Duan HL, Chen BD, Wei LH, Fan HB (2019) Long-term nitrogen addition changes soil microbial community and litter decomposition rate in a subtropical forest. Appl Soil Ecol 142:43–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2019.05.014
Wu XQ, Huang CJ, Sha LQ, Wu CS (2022) Influence of rhizosphere activity on litter decomposition in subtropical forest: implications of estimating soil organic matter contributions to soil respiration. J Trop Ecol 38(3):151–157. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0266467422000013
**a JY, Wan SQ (2013) Independent effects of warming and nitrogen addition on plant phenology in the inner Mongolian steppe. Ann Bot 111(6):1207–1217. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mct079
Yan ZQ, Qi YC, Dong YS, Peng Q, Guo SF, He YL, Li ZL (2018) Precipitation and nitrogen deposition alter litter decomposition dynamics in semiarid temperate steppe in Inner Mongolia, China. Rangeland Ecol Manag 71(2):220–227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rama.2017.12.003
Zhang WD, Chao L, Yang QP, Wang QK, FangYT WSL (2016) Litter quality mediated nitrogen effect on plant litter decomposition regardless of soil fauna presence. Ecology 97:2834–2843. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1515
Zhang QF, **e JS, Liu MK, **ong DC, Wang J, Chen Y, Li YQ, Wang MK, Yang YS (2017) Short-term effects of soil warming and nitrogen addition on the N: P stoichiometry of Cunninghamia lanceolata in subtropical regions. Plant Soil 411:395–407. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-3037-4
Zhang T, Luo Y, Chen HYH, Ruan H (2018) Responses of litter decomposition and nutrient release to N addition: a meta-analysis of terrestrial ecosystems. Appl Soil Ecol 128:35–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2018.04.004
Zhang QF, Zhou JC, Li XJ, Liu CC, Lin WS, Zheng W, Chen YH, Yang YS (2019) Nitrogen addition accelerates the nitrogen cycle in a young subtropical Cunninghamia lanceolata lamb plantation. Ann For Sci 76(2). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-019-0817-z
Zhang YJ, ** YH, Xu JW, He HS, Tao Y, Yang ZP, Bai YY (2022) Effects of exogenous N and endogenous nutrients on alpine tundra litter decomposition in an area of high nitrogen deposition. Sci Total Environ 805:150388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150388
Zou JL, Wu JY, Osborne B, Luo YQ, Yang YH (2022) The response of ecosystem carbon and nitrogen pools to experimental warming in grasslands: a meta-analysis. J Plant Ecol 15(4):733–742. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtac020
Acknowledgements
We thank Qi Luo and Wen-Zheng Yang for their assistance with the field experiment. We thank the Management Authority of the Ailao Mountains National Nature Reserve and Ailaoshan Station for Subtropical Forest Ecosystem Studies for permitting us and facilitating this research. We are also grateful to the anonymous referees for their valuable comments, constructive suggestions, and editorial assistance, which have greatly improved the paper. This study was supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province (2108085QC101), Natural Science Foundation of Universities of Anhui Province for Distinguished Young Project (2022AH020081), Natural Science Foundation of Universities of Anhui Province (No. KJ2020A0079), and opening Project of Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Environmental Hormone and Reproduction, Fuyang Normal University (No. FSKFKT012).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Chuansheng Wu performed the material preparation and data collection. Shuai Liu and Chuansheng Wu presented the main idea and performed the data analysis. Yue Li, Simeng Wang, Ying Wang, and Menglong Bu finished the initial draft. Yue Li, Shuai Liu, and Chuansheng Wu modified the whole manuscript. All the authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Alfonso Escudero.
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Li, Y., Wang, S., Wang, Y. et al. Climate warming and nitrogen deposition had no significant interaction effect on litter decomposition of subtropical mountain forest in Southwest China. Plant Soil (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06666-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-024-06666-y