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Foliar decomposition in a broadleaf-mixed Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Sieb. Et Zucc) plantation forest: the impact of initial litter quality and the decomposition of three kinds of organic matter fraction on mass loss and nutrient release rates

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Abstract

Foliar litter decomposition of nine species in broadleaf-mixed Korean pine plantation forests, northeast China was assessed over a 34-month field experiment using litterbag method. Litter mass loss generally followed a sequential decomposition of water-soluble fraction (WSF), acid-soluble fraction (ASF), and acid-insoluble fraction (AIF). WSF decomposition contributed most of litter mass loss in the first 6 months, while ASF accounted for most of litter mass loss thereafter. There existed significant autocorrelations among the initial litter quality indices. Initial N, K, Ca, AIF, AIF/N, ASF/N, and WSF/N were significantly related to the percent remaining of litter mass, N, P, Ca, and Mg in both month 12 and month 34. No litter quality can significantly predict the percent remaining of AIF and K. N and P were immobilized by all litters, but Ca, Mg, and K exhibited minor or no immobilization phase. N was the most limiting element in this forest based on the results of correlation analysis and nutrient elements release dynamics. The relationships between WSF, ASF, and AIF loss and N or P release rate fitted the polynomial regression. The decomposition of WSF and ASF were faster than N and P were mineralized during the study. AIF loss rate relative to N and P loss varied greatly among species, with high-N litter showing slower AIF decomposition rates than N and P. The loss rates of WSF and ASF were in proportion to that of K, Ca, and Mg, while AIF decomposed slower than K, Ca, and Mg. This suggested that the decomposition of WSF and ASF caused the net release of K, Ca, and Mg.

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Acknowledgments

This study was jointly founded by the State Key Basic Research Project (Grant No. 2002CB412502), the State Key Basic Research Project (No.90411021), and the Innovation Study Key Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KZCX1-SW-01- 01) grant to Han Shi-Jie. We thank Zhongling Guo, Xingbo Zheng, Cunnan Fan, Liping Zheng, Yuandan Ma, Lisha Li and Mrs. Li for help in collecting, processing, and analyzing samples. The authors also thank two anonymous reviewers for improving the quality of this paper. The staff of Lushuihe forestry bureau provided the climate data and relevant forest inventory information.

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  1. Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Science, 72 Wenhua road, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, 110016, China

    Xuefeng Li, Shijie Han & Yan Zhang

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  1. Xuefeng Li
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  2. Shijie Han
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  3. Yan Zhang
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Correspondence to Shijie Han.

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Responsible Editor: David E. Crowley.

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Li, X., Han, S. & Zhang, Y. Foliar decomposition in a broadleaf-mixed Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Sieb. Et Zucc) plantation forest: the impact of initial litter quality and the decomposition of three kinds of organic matter fraction on mass loss and nutrient release rates. Plant Soil 295, 151–167 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9272-y

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