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Size-dependent morphological and chemical property of fine root litter decomposition

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Abstract

Aims

To estimate cause-and-effect relationships of decomposition rates of fine root litter up to 2 mm in diameter, we explored the relationships between mass loss rates and substrate litter properties with respect to chemical and morphological dynamics.

Methods

Mass loss, nitrogen (N) concentration, specific root area (SRA), root tissue density (RTD), and their remaining proportions were measured for initial and residual fine roots of two diameter classes (<0.5 and 0.5–2 mm) of Quercus serrata and Ilex pedunculosa in a temperate forest. Litterbags were sequentially collected after 1 month of decomposition and then every 3 months for 27 months.

Results

N concentration dynamics during decomposition showed a significant interaction between species and diameter, and there was a greater convergence between diameter classes for Q. serrata than for I. pedunculosa. The remaining area and volume of the two diameters changed during decomposition in both species, but the degree of change was somewhat different between the species. The remaining surface area and volume in I. pedunculosa roots showed greater differences between diameter classes compared with Q. serrata roots. Remaining mass was positively correlated with the remaining C concentration and surface area and was negatively correlated with the remaining tissue volume and N concentration, according to principal component analysis analysis.

Conclusions

Differences in morphological and chemical properties between diameter sizes of two species could indicate differences in decomposition processes. Estimates of fine root decomposition rates are best obtained by a combination of biological and physicochemical species-specific processes.

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Abbreviations

RTD:

Root tissue density

SRA:

Specific root area

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge K. Hattori, R. Shintani, M. Katsuyama, S. Fujii, and T. Tanikawa for helpful supports in field and laboratory experiments and Y. Kosugi, M. Tani, M. Dannoura, Y. Kominami, and T. Miyaura for constructive suggestions on this study. Support by the Satoyama-Gaku Research Center of Ryukoku University is acknowledged. The authors also gratefully acknowledge the suggestions by the editor and three anonymous reviewers. This work was funded by Grant-in Aid for Japan Society for the Promotion of Science fellows (PD13J09602) to N.M. and the Sasakawa Scientific Research Grant from the Japan Science Society to A.K.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, 612-0855, Kyoto, Japan

    Naoki Makita

  2. Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, 606-8502, Kyoto, Japan

    Naoki Makita, Ayumi Kawamura & Akira Osawa

  3. Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, 606-8502, Kyoto, Japan

    Akira Osawa

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  1. Naoki Makita
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  2. Ayumi Kawamura
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Correspondence to Naoki Makita.

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Responsible Editor: Angela Hodge .

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Makita, N., Kawamura, A. & Osawa, A. Size-dependent morphological and chemical property of fine root litter decomposition. Plant Soil 393, 283–295 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-015-2491-8

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