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Differential responses of litter decomposition to climate between wetland and upland ecosystems in China

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Abstract

Background and aims

In upland ecosystems, climate and initial litter quality are the two major factors influencing decomposition rates regionally and globally. Litters are exposed to a different decomposition environment in wetlands than in upland ecosystems, but the driving factors of litter decomposition in wetlands at a large scale are still unclear.

Methods

We established a comprehensive database of litter decomposition in China, including 249 datasets and 27 pairs of sites, to examine the controlling factors of decomposition in both wetland and upland ecosystems at the regional scale.

Results

Both ecosystems showed similar climatic conditions, but the average litter decomposition potential was higher in wetlands than in upland ecosystems, as indicated by a higher initial K content and lower initial carbon content. The average decomposition rate in wetlands was almost 3 times higher than that in upland ecosystems. In both ecosystems, the decomposition rate increased with the mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and initial N content. However, linear regressions of these variables with the decomposition rate indicated steeper slopes in wetlands than in upland ecosystems.

Conclusions

The litter decomposition rate responded to climate and initial N content in both ecosystem types, but these responses were more rapid in wetlands than upland ecosystems. Wetland ecosystems should be given more attention when studying the responses of litter dynamics to future climate changes.

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Acknowledgments

This study was financially supported by the National Key Technology R & D Program (2014BAC09B03), Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of East China University of Technology (DHBK2016108), and Scientific Research Foundation of East China University of Technology for Science and Technology Innovation Team (DHKT2015101).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Jiangxi Province Key Laboratory of the causes and control of Atmospheric pollution, School of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, East China University of Technology, No.418, Guanglan Avenue of Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province, 330013, People’s Republic of China

    Yajun Xie & Huayun Xiao

  2. Dongting Lake Station for Wetland Ecosystem Research, Key Laboratory of Agro-ecological Processes in Subtropical Regions, Institute of Subtropical Agriculture, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mapoling of Changsha City, 410125, Hunan Province, People’s Republic of China

    Yajun Xie & Yonghong Xie

Authors
  1. Yajun Xie
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  2. Yonghong Xie
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  3. Huayun Xiao
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Correspondence to Yonghong Xie or Huayun Xiao.

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Responsible Editor: Alfonso Escudero.

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Xie, Y., Xie, Y. & Xiao, H. Differential responses of litter decomposition to climate between wetland and upland ecosystems in China. Plant Soil 440, 1–9 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-019-04022-z

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