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- Title
Effects of soil fauna on leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release during a two-year field experiment in a poplar plantation.
- Authors
Xu, Xuan; Slade, Eleanor M.; Cao, Penghe; Wang, Yuchao; Zou, Xiaoming; Wang, Weifeng; Ruan, Honghua
- Abstract
Aims: Soil fauna play a key role in the litter decomposition process in two ways; directly via fragmentation and consumption of the litter, and indirectly through changes in soil structure and the activity of microorganisms. The study aimed at better understanding how soil fauna affects the release of nutrients from litter. Methods: We conducted a litter decomposition experiment using litterbags of three mesh sizes (0.01 mm, 1 mm, and 4 mm), and chemical treatments (no naphthalene; naphthalene application) to assess soil fauna effect on nutrient release in a poplar plantation in eastern China over a two-year period from Jan 2019 to Dec 2020. Results: We found that the contribution of soil fauna to the mass loss of poplar leaf litter was 29% over the two-year period, and the contribution was more pronounced within the first four months. Soil macrofauna and meso-/micro- fauna contributed similarly to leaf litter mass loss, while microbial decomposition contributed the most to the decomposition process. The presence of soil fauna significantly promoted the degradation of cellulose and lignin, and accelerated the release of nitrogen at later stages of decomposition. A structural equation model revealed that higher soil fauna abundance not only promoted the litter decay rate directly, but also indirectly through modifying nitrogen and lignin contents. Conclusions: Our results highlight the importance of soil fauna on cellulose and lignin degradation, and the importance of including this when simulating decomposition models for obtaining a better mechanistic understanding of forest litter decomposition.
- Subjects
FOREST litter decomposition; SOIL animals; FOREST litter; STRUCTURAL equation modeling; NUTRIENT cycles
- Publication
Plant & Soil, 2024, Vol 501, Issue 1/2, p211
- ISSN
0032-079X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11104-023-06300-3