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- Title
Nitrogen partitioning between resorption and decomposition pathways: a trade-off between nitrogen use efficiency and litter decomposibility?
- Authors
Aerts, R.
- Abstract
The mineral nutrition of perennials depends to a large extent on internal recycling of nutrients. During leaf senescence, N is partitioned between the resorption and the decomposition pathway. High N resorption from leaves contributes to high leaf-level nitrogen use efficiency (NUE: productivity per unit N uptake), but leads to low litter N concentrations and vice versa. Litter nitrogen concentrations are often positively related to litter decomposibility. I tested the hypothesis that there is a trade-off between leaf-level NUE and leaf litter decomposibility. In an analysis of literature data (n = 189) I found indeed that first year decomposition constants (k-values) are negatively related to NUE. However, the percentage of variance explained by the regression model (24%) was relatively low. This was mainly due to the fact that in many low-productivity species both NUE and k were low. It is argued that this is caused by the presence of high concentrations of secondary compounds in low-productivity species. This correlates with a low NUE and a low decomposibility of the litter. The ultimate effect of this combination of low productivity (and thus low litter production), low NUE and low litter decomposibility may be a low rate of ecosystem N cycling. This may prevent the invasion of highly competitive species which are dependent on high N availability.
- Subjects
NITROGEN; ECOLOGY; BIODEGRADATION
- Publication
Oikos, 1997, Vol 80, Issue 3, p603
- ISSN
0030-1299
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/3546636