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Leaf litter decomposition in the pure and mixed plantations of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Michelia macclurei in subtropical China

Biology and Fertility of Soils volume 45, pages 371–377 (2009)Cite this article

Abstract

Leaf litter decomposition of Cunninghamia lanceolata, Michelia macclurei, and their mixture in the corresponding stands in subtropical China was studied using the litterbag method. The objective was to assess the influence of native evergreen broadleaved species on leaf litter decomposition. The hypotheses were: (1) M. macclurei leaf litter with lower C/N ratio and higher initial N concentration decomposed faster than C. lanceolata litter, (2) decomposition rates in litter mixtures could be predicted from single-species decay rates, and (3) litters decomposed more rapidly at the site that contained the same species as in the litterbag. The mass loss of leaf litter was positively correlated with initial N concentration and negatively correlated with C/N ratio. The decomposition rate of M. macclurei leaf litter was significantly higher than that of C. lanceolata needle litter in the pure C. lanceolata stand. Contrary to what would be predicted, the litter mixture decomposed more slowly than expected based on the results from component species decomposing alone. There was no significant difference in litter decomposition rate between different habitats.

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Acknowledgements

This study received financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30590381-07) and the Chinese Academy of Science Program (KZCX2-YW-405). We are grateful to the editor and anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions for improving this manuscript. We also thank Xiuyong Zhang for the help in collecting samples, and Hong Gao and Xiaojun Yu for the soil chemical analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Huitong Experimental Station of Forest Ecology, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110016, China

    Qingkui Wang, Silong Wang & Yu Huang

  2. Huitong National Station of Forest Ecology, Huitong, 418307, China

    Silong Wang

  3. Science and Technology Department of Hunan Province, Changsha, 410001, China

    Yu Huang

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  1. Qingkui Wang
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  2. Silong Wang
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  3. Yu Huang
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Correspondence to Silong Wang.

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Wang, Q., Wang, S. & Huang, Y. Leaf litter decomposition in the pure and mixed plantations of Cunninghamia lanceolata and Michelia macclurei in subtropical China. Biol Fertil Soils 45, 371–377 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-008-0338-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-008-0338-7

Keywords

  • Litter decomposition
  • Litter mixing
  • Home-field advantage
  • Subtropical region