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Differential Controls of Water Input on Litter Decomposition and Nitrogen Dynamics in the Patagonian Steppe

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Abstract

Studies of the effects of precipitation on litter decomposition and nitrogen mineralization in arid and semiarid environments have demonstrated contradictory results. We conducted a manipulative experiment with rainout shelters in the semiarid Patagonian steppe, aimed at assessing the direct effects of water availability on litter decomposition and net nitrogen mineralization while isolating the indirect effects. We created four levels of precipitation input: control and three levels (30, 55 and 80%) of precipitation interception and we examined litter decomposition and nutrient release of a dominant grass species, Stipa speciosa, inorganic soil nitrogen, and in situ net nitrogen mineralization over two consecutive years. Litter decomposition rates (k, year−1) varied significantly (P < 0.001) among precipitation interception treatments and were positively correlated with incoming annual precipitation (APPT, mm/year) (k = 0.0007 × APPT + 0.137). In contrast, net N mineralization was not correlated with incoming precipitation. Soil NO −3 significantly decreased with increasing precipitation input, whereas soil NH +4 concentration did not differ among precipitation interception treatments. Controls of water input on litter decomposition appear to be different from controls on N mineralization in the semiarid Patagonian steppe. We suggest that although water availability affects both the mineralization of C and N, it differentially affects the movement and fate of the inorganic products. A consequence of the accumulation of inorganic N during dry episodes is that periods of maximum water and soil nutrient availability may occur at different times. This asynchrony in the availability of N and water in the soil may explain the observed lags in the response of primary production to increases in water availability.

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Acknowledgements

This work was funded by the Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT 6850 and PICT 774), Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (CRN-012), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), and the Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA). Institutional support was provided by the IFEVA and at the field site by the Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) that granted permission to use facilities at Río Mayo Experimental Field Station, Chubut. We are grateful for the insightful comments and invaluable help in the field of Pedro Flombaum. We would like to thank J. Vrsalovic, L. Vivanco, S. Verón, A. Cesa, E. Ciccorossi, V. Aschero, J. L. Rotundo, M. Covalschi, I. Montoya, N. Sala, and I. Garzarón for field assistance and M. Tagliazucchi for laboratory assistance.

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  1. Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA)- Department of Ecology, Faculty of Agronomy, University of Buenos Aires, CONICET, Av. San Martín 4453, Buenos Aires, C1417DSE, Argentina

    Laura Yahdjian, Osvaldo E. Sala & Amy T. Austin

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  1. Laura Yahdjian
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Correspondence to Laura Yahdjian.

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Yahdjian, L., Sala, O.E. & Austin, A.T. Differential Controls of Water Input on Litter Decomposition and Nitrogen Dynamics in the Patagonian Steppe. Ecosystems 9, 128–141 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-004-0118-7

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