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Differential responses of litter decomposition to nutrient addition and soil water availability with long-term vegetation recovery

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Abstract

The litter decomposition, nutrient patterns, as well as nutrient release and soil nutrient contents were determined in response to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition and drought treatments following long-term vegetation recovery. The litter decomposition rate decreased with vegetation recovery, due to changes in litter quality, soil nutrient availability, and soil enzyme activity. Nitrogen addition promoted litter decomposition in the early recovery stages but inhibited decomposition in the later stages, indicating a shift in the nutrient limitations to litter decomposition with succession. Neither N nor P addition had any effect on the release of litter carbon (C), whereas N addition inhibited litter N release. In addition, drought decreased litter decomposition and nutrient release during the vegetation recovery process. Our findings suggest that litter quality, soil nutrient availability, and moisture at different vegetation recovery stages should be considered when modeling the C cycle and nutrient dynamics in these ecosystems.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the editors and the anonymous reviewers for their insightful and constructive comments, which greatly contributed to improving the manuscript. This study was funded by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0501605), the National Science Foundation of China (41771549 and 41701336), the NSFC-Yunnan United fund (U1302267), the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (31325005), the Postdoctoral Innovation Talent Support Program (BX201700198), the Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China (2017JQ3004), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (3102016QD076).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Ecological and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory for Space Bioscience & Biotechnology, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, 710072, People’s Republic of China

    Yangquanwei Zhong & Ruiwu Wang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Yangquanwei Zhong, Weiming Yan & Zhouping Shangguan

  3. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Ministry of Water Resources, Yangling, 712100, Shaanxi, People’s Republic of China

    Weiming Yan & Zhouping Shangguan

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  1. Yangquanwei Zhong
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  2. Weiming Yan
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Correspondence to Weiming Yan or Zhouping Shangguan.

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Zhong, Y., Yan, W., Wang, R. et al. Differential responses of litter decomposition to nutrient addition and soil water availability with long-term vegetation recovery. Biol Fertil Soils 53, 939–949 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00374-017-1242-9

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