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Mass loss and nutrient dynamics during litter decomposition under three mixing treatments in a typical steppe in Inner Mongolia

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Abstract

Background and aims

Mixing effects during litter decomposition could occur between two or more different litter species because of the potential nutrient transfer. However, evidence of mixing effects is variable and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Using a three-year decomposition experiment, we aim to examine for the effects of litter mixing and position on decomposition rates and nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) dynamics.

Methods

We studied litter decomposition of Stipa krylovii (Sk) and Astragalus galactites (Ag), two dominant species with contrasting litter quality, in a typical steppe of northern China in both single decomposition and three mixing treatments. The three mixing treatments included thorough mixing (Sk-Ag), Ag over Sk (Ag/Sk), and Sk over Ag (Sk/Ag).

Results

Both the Sk-Ag and the Sk/Ag mixture had negative mixing effects on the mass loss of the litter mixture, while the Ag/Sk mixture had a neutral mixing effect. The percent mass loss was higher when the litter species was placed at the top (25.0 and 51.9 % of mass remaining for Ag and Sk, respectively) than at the bottom (38.3 and 61.8 % of mass remaining for Ag and Sk, respectively). The Sk/Ag mixture had negative effects on the release of N while all three mixing treatments had positive effects on the release of P.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that: (1) mixing treatments can induce different mixing effects; (2) environmental factors likely play an important role in controlling the mixing effect; and (3) litter-mixtures have different non-additive effects on N and P, which may further increase the heterogeneity of N and P availability as the two litter species may fall differentially in terms of space and time.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ang Li and Jianyang Xia for their constructive comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. We are also extremely grateful for two anonymous reviewers and the section editor Tim Moore for their constructive comments. This study was financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (2009CB421102) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41073056). We also thank the Duolun Restoration Ecology Research Station for permission to access the study site and for technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20 Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China

    Yulian Tan, Liming Yan, Jianhui Huang & Shiping Chen

  2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yulian Tan

  3. Ezhou Environmental Monitoring Station, Ezhou, 436000, China

    Jin Chen

  4. School of Life Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200433, China

    Liming Yan

  5. Department of Earth Sciences, Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN, 46202, USA

    Lixin Wang

  6. Water Research Center, School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Lixin Wang

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  1. Yulian Tan
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  2. Jin Chen
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  3. Liming Yan
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  4. Jianhui Huang
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  6. Shiping Chen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jianhui Huang.

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Responsible Editor: Tim Moore.

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Tan, Y., Chen, J., Yan, L. et al. Mass loss and nutrient dynamics during litter decomposition under three mixing treatments in a typical steppe in Inner Mongolia. Plant Soil 366, 107–118 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1401-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1401-6

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