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- Title
The urban heat island accelerates litter decomposition through microclimatic warming in temperate urban forests.
- Authors
De Pauw, Karen; Depauw, Leen; Cousins, Sara A. O.; De Lombaerde, Emiel; Diekmann, Martin; Frey, David; Kwietniowska, Katarzyna; Lenoir, Jonathan; Meeussen, Camille; Orczewska, Anna; Plue, Jan; Spicher, Fabien; Vanneste, Thomas; Zellweger, Florian; Verheyen, Kris; Vangansbeke, Pieter; De Frenne, Pieter
- Abstract
Forests worldwide are experiencing fragmentation, with especially important consequences for ecosystems bordering urbanized areas. Urban forests are exposed to local warming due to the urban heat island which affects their biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. A key ecosystem function affecting carbon and nutrient cycling in forests is litter decomposition, a process driven by the local microclimate. Thus, our aim was to clarify the impact of the urban heat island on litter decomposition in urban forests. We studied soil microclimate and litter decomposition in six urban forests across Europe and along local gradients from the urban forest edge to the interior. To quantify decomposition independent from local forest composition and litter quality, we used standardized green tea and rooibos tea litterbags. We determined the role of the soil microclimate and other environmental drivers for litter decomposition. Secondly, we assessed effects of edge proximity and landscape context on the soil microclimate. Soil characteristics were only driving green tea and not rooibos tea decomposition. On the contrary, higher soil temperatures resulted in faster rates of litter decomposition for both green and rooibos tea and were related to the proximity to the forest edge and the proportion of built-up area in the landscape. Via structural equation modelling we detected cascading effects of the urban heat island on litter decomposition. Such changes in litter decomposition have the potential to alter the soil food web, nutrient cycling and carbon drawdown in urban forests, and could result in significant interactions between urbanisation and ongoing climate change.
- Subjects
EUROPE; URBAN heat islands; TEMPERATE forests; FOREST litter decomposition; EDGE effects (Ecology); ROOIBOS tea; NUTRIENT cycles; METROPOLITAN areas; FOREST litter
- Publication
Urban Ecosystems, 2024, Vol 27, Issue 3, p909
- ISSN
1083-8155
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s11252-023-01486-x