Abstract
A general effect of climate on litter decomposition has been well established for the early stage of several litters. Thus, higher annual actual evapotranspiration (AET) and mean annual temperature (MAT) have been related positively to litter mass-loss rate. Still, the effect of climate on mass-loss rate appears limited to the early stage of several litter species, among them Scots pine. However, this effect starts decreasing as the litter enters the late phase and may even be overruled by that of substrate quality. After some decomposition has taken place there appears to be a shift from sensitivity to climatic variables to a greater or even dominant sensitivity to substrate quality. For some litter species (e.g. Norway spruce and some oak species) the initial chemistry may decrease the influence of climate so much that it is not measurable. Thus, the initial chemical composition is important and for spruce litter, manganese (Mn) concentration has been positively related to first-year mass loss. We also note that the decomposition of main part of all studied litters’ mass is ruled by substrate quality regardless of the litter’s initial climate sensitivity.
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Berg, B., McClaugherty, C. (2020). Climate Gradients. Substrate Quality versus Climate and their Interactions. In: Plant Litter. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59631-6_7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-59631-6_7
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