Abstract
Aims
Increasing global nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition may affect the response mechanism of litter decomposition. We aimed to explore the responses of nutrient release and enzyme activities to exogenous N and P inputs.
Methods
We conducted a two‑year field litterbag experiment in larch (Larix principis-rupprechtii) plantation at the Saihanba Forest Farm in Hebei Province, China. Four treatments, i.e., N addition (+ N), P addition (+ P), N and P addition (N + P), and control (CK) were designed and examined the overall effect of the fertilization treatments on the remaining mass, nutrients, and enzymatic activity.
Results
In contrast to CK, the + N, + P, and N + P treatments significantly reduced the remaining leaf litter mass by 36.33%, 35.21%, and 38.50% at the end of the experiment, respectively. During the decomposition of leaf litter, + N had a significant effect on carbon (C) release and no significant effect on N and P release. + P promoted C release and significantly reduced the N remaining but increased the P remaining. Invertase activity decreased sharply in the early stage of decomposition. However, the activities of catalase, urease, and acid phosphatase declined in the middle stage in each treatment. The effect of + N on enzyme activities was not significant, while + P significantly increased urease activity.
Conclusion
The results reveal that continuous N and P deposition could promote the litter decomposition rate, while altered the nutrient release pattern in larch plantation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Abbreviations
- C:
-
Carbon
- N:
-
Nitrogen
- P:
-
Phosphorus
References
Aerts R (1997) Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems: A triangular relationship. Oikos 79:439–449. https://doi.org/10.2307/3546886
Aerts R, van Logtestijn R, Karlsson PS (2006) Nitrogen supply differentially affects litter decomposition rates and nitrogen dynamics of sub-arctic bog species. Oecologia 146:652–658. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-005-0247-5
Allison SD, Czimczik CI, Treseder KK (2008) Microbial activity and soil respiration under nitrogen addition in Alaskan boreal forest. Glob Change Biol 14:1156–1168. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01549.x
Bao S (2000) Soil agrochemical analysis, 3rd edn. China agriculture press, Beijing
Bates D, Mchler M, Bolker B, Walker S (2015) Fitting linear mixed-effects models using lme4. Found Open Access Stat 67:1–48. https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v067.i01
Chen Y, Wang F, Mo Q, Li Q, Zou B, Li Y, Li X, Wu J, Li Z (2015) Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus additions on woody debris decomposition in a secondary tropical forest of South China. Chin J Appl Environ Biol 21:747–753. https://doi.org/10.3724/sp.J.1145.2015.01056
Chen S, Cai J, Lin C, Song H, Yang Y (2020) Response of leaf litter decomposition of different tree species to nitrogen addition in a subtropical forest. Chin J Plant Ecol 44:214–227. https://doi.org/10.17521/cjpe.2019.0299
Crowther TW, Riggs C, Lind EM, Borer ET, Seabloom EW, Hobbie SE, Wubs J, Adler PB et al (2019) Sensitivity of global soil carbon stocks to combined nutrient enrichment. Ecol Lett 22:936–945. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13258
Dijkstra FA, Cheng W (2007) Interactions between soil and tree roots accelerate long-term soil carbon decomposition. Ecol Lett 10:1046–1053. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01095.x
Dong L, Sun T, Berg B, Zhang L, Zhang Q, Wang Z (2019) Effects of different forms of N deposition on leaf litter decomposition and extracellular enzyme activities in a temperate grassland. Soil Biol Biochem 134:78–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.03.016
Dong X, Zhang J, Zhang Z, Huang X (2021) Effects of tree species interaction, stand density, and tree size on the productivity of Larix principis-rupprechtii. Chin J Appl Ecol 32:2722–2728. https://doi.org/10.13287/j.1001-9332.202108.006
Du E, Zhou Z, Li P, Hu X, Ma Y, Wang W, Zheng C, Zhu J, He J-S, Fang J (2013) NEECF: a project of nutrient enrichment experiments in Chinas forests. J Plant Ecol 6:428–435. https://doi.org/10.1093/jpe/rtt008
Elser JJ, Bracken MES, Cleland EE, Gruner DS, Harpole WS, Hillebrand H, Ngai JT, Seabloom EW et al (2007) Global analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus limitation of primary producers in freshwater, marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Ecol Lett 10:1135–1142. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01113.x
Fang H, Mo J (2006) Effects of nitrogen deposition on forest litter decomposition. Acta Ecol Sin 26:3127–3136. https://doi.org/10.5846/stxb201910162163
Feng J, Zhu B (2019) A global meta-analysis of soil respiration and its components in response to phosphorus addition. Soil Biol Biochem 135:38–47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2019.04.008
Fu Q, Xing Y, Yan G, Dong X, Zhang J, Wang Q (2019) Response of litter dynamics of boreal forest to long-term nitrogen deposition. Ecol Environ Sci 28:1341–1350. https://doi.org/10.16258/j.cnki.1674-5906.2019.07.007
Galloway JN, Townsend AR, Erisman JW, Bekunda M, Cai Z, Freney JR, Martinelli LA, Seitzinger SP, Sutton MA (2008) Transformation of the nitrogen cycle: Recent trends, questions, and potential solutions. Science 320:889–892. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1136674
German DP, Weintraub MN, Grandy AS, Lauber CL, Rinkes ZL, Allison SD (2012) Optimization of hydrolytic and oxidative enzyme methods for ecosystem studies. Soil Biol Biochem 44:151–151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2011.11.002
Gong J, Zhu C, Yang L, Yang B, Wang B, Baoyin T-t, Liu M, Zhang Z, Shi J (2020) Effects of nitrogen addition on above-and belowground litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in the litter-soil continuum in the temperate steppe of Inner Mongolia, China. J Arid Environ 172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2019.104036
Guan S (1986) Soil enzymes and their study methods. China agriculture press, Beijing
Hobbie SE (2005) Contrasting effects of substrate and fertilizer nitrogen on the early stages of litter decomposition. Ecosystems 8:644–656. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-003-0110-7
Hobbie SE, Eddy WC, Buyarski CR, Adair EC, Ogdahl ML, Weisenhorn P (2012) Response of decomposing litter and its microbial community to multiple forms of nitrogen enrichment. Ecol Monogr 82:389–405. https://doi.org/10.1890/11-1600.1
Hou S, Freschet GT, Yang J, Zhang Y, Yin J, Hu Y, Wei H, Han X, Lu X (2018) Quantifying the indirect effects of nitrogen deposition on grassland litter chemical traits. Biogeochemistry 139:261–273. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-018-0466-6
Jing H, Wang G (2020) Temporal dynamics of Pinus tabulaeformis litter decomposition under nitrogen addition on the Loess Plateau of China. For Ecol Manage 476. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118465
Knops JMH, Naeemw S, Reich PB (2007) The impact of elevated CO2, increased nitrogen availability and biodiversity on plant tissue quality and decomposition. Glob Change Biol 13:1960–1971. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01405.x
Kohl L, Myers-Pigg A, Edwards KA, Billings SA, Warren J, Podrebarac FA, Ziegler SE (2021) Microbial inputs at the litter layer translate climate into altered organic matter properties. Glob Change Biol 27:435–453. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15420
Li Z, Zou B, Ding Y, Cao Y (2004) Key factors of forest litter decomposition and research progress. Chin J Ecol 23:77–83
Li S-G, Tsujimura M, Sugimoto A, Davaa G, Oyunbaatar D, Sugita M (2007) Temporal variation of delta C-13 of larch leaves from a montane boreal forest in Mongolia. Trees Struct Funct 21:479–490. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-007-0142-2
Lin G, Gao M, Zeng D-H, Fang Y (2020) Aboveground conservation acts in synergy with belowground uptake to alleviate phosphorus deficiency caused by nitrogen addition in a larch plantation. For Ecol Manage 473. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118309
Liu X, Zhang Y, Han W, Tang A, Shen J, Cui Z, Vitousek P, Erisman JW, Goulding K, Christie P (2013) Enhanced nitrogen deposition over China. Nature 494:459–462. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature11917
Liu G, Sun J, Tian K, Xiao D, Yuan X (2017) Long-term responses of leaf litter decomposition to temperature, litter quality and litter mixing in plateau wetlands. Freshw Biol 62:178–190. https://doi.org/10.1111/fwb.12860
Lu M, Zhou X, Luo Y, Yang Y, Fang C, Chen J, Li B (2011) Minor stimulation of soil carbon storage by nitrogen addition: A meta-analysis. Agr Ecosyst Environ 140:234–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2010.12.010
Manning P, Saunders M, Bardgett RD, Bonkowski M, Bradford MA, Ellis RJ, Kandeler E, Marhan S, Tscherko D (2008) Direct and indirect effects of nitrogen deposition on litter decomposition. Soil Biol Biochem 40:688–698. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2007.08.023
Mao H, Chen J, Jin G (2016) Effects of nitrogen addition on litter decomposition and nutrient release in typical broadleaf-Korean pine mixed forest. J Beijing For Univ 38:21–31. https://doi.org/10.13332/j.1000-1522.20150139
McGroddy ME, Silver WL, de Oliveira RC (2004) The effect of phosphorus availability on decomposition dynamics in a seasonal lowland Amazonian forest. Ecosystems 7:172–179. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-003-0208-y
Muhammad B, Ilahi T, Ullah S, Wu X, Siddique MA, Khan MA, Badshah MT, Jia Z (2020) Litter decomposition and soil nutrients prince rupprecht’s (Larix principis-rupprechtii) plantations area in Saihanba, Northern China. Appl Ecol Environ Res 18:4417–4434. https://doi.org/10.15666/aeer/1803_44174434
Olson JS (1963) Energy storage and the balance of producers and decomposers in ecological systems. Ecology 44:322–331. https://doi.org/10.2307/1932179
Pan Y, Birdsey RA, Fang J, Houghton R, Kauppi PE, Kurz WA, Phillips OL, Shvidenko A et al (2011) A large and persistent carbon sink in the world’s forests. Science 333:988–993. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1201609
Pandey RR, Sharma G, Tripathi SK, Singh AK (2007) Litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in a subtropical natural oak forest and managed plantation in northeastern India. For Ecol Manage 240:96–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2006.12.013
Penuelas J, Sardans J, Rivas-Ubach A, Janssens IA (2012) The human-induced imbalance between C, N and P in Earth’s life system. Glob Change Biol 18:3–6. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2011.02568.x
Penuelas J, Poulter B, Sardans J, Ciais P, van der Velde M, Bopp L, Boucher O, Godderis Y et al (2013) Human-induced nitrogen-phosphorus imbalances alter natural and managed ecosystems across the globe. Nat Commun 4:2934. https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms3934
R Core Team (2020) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria
Ren Y, Cao M, Tang J, Tang Y, Zhang J (1999) A comparative study on litterfall dynamics in a seasonal rain forest and a rubber plantation in Xishuangbanna, SW China. Acta Phytoecologica Sinica 23:418–425. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0266078400010713
Shen F, Liu W, Wu J, Yuan Y, Fan H, Zhao N (2019) Litter decomposition in a Chinese fir plantation in response to nitrogen deposition. Acta Ecol Sin 39:8078–8090. https://doi.org/10.5846/stxb201807271608
Shen Y, Tian D, Jiang L, Wang J, Chen X, Li Y, Wang B, Li Z et al (2019) Different responses and links of N: P ratio among ecosystem components under nutrient addition in a temperate forest. J Geophys Res Biogeosci 124:3158–3167. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019JG005080
Silver WL, Miya RK (2001) Global patterns in root decomposition: comparisons of climate and litter quality effects. Oecologia 129:407–419. https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420100740
Song Y, Song C, Ren J, Tan W, Jin S, Jiang L (2018) Influence of nitrogen additions on litter decomposition, nutrient dynamics, and enzymatic activity of two plant species in a peatland in Northeast China. Sci Total Environ 625:640–646. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.12.311
Sun P, Xu F, Wang W, Wang L, Niu R, Gao X, Bai X (2016) Seasonal dynamics of soil nutrients and soil enzyme activities in Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation. J Zhejiang A & F Univ 3:944–952. https://doi.org/10.11833/j.issn.2095-0756.2016.06.004
Treseder KK, Vitousek PM (2001) Effects of soil nutrient availability on investment in acquisition of N and P in Hawaiian rain forests. Ecology 82:946–954. https://doi.org/10.2307/2679894
van Huysen TL, Perakis SS, Harmon ME (2016) Decomposition drives convergence of forest litter nutrient stoichiometry following phosphorus addition. Plant Soil 406:1–14. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-2857-6
Wang H, Mo J, Xue J, Fang Y, Li J (2006) Effects of elevated nitrogen deposition on the activities of enzymes in forest litter decomposition: a review. J Trop Subtropical Bot 14:539–546. https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1005-3395.2006.06.016
Wang C, Dong X, Du R, Zhang Z, Huang X (2021) Changes of nutrient release and enzyme activity during the decomposition of mixed leaf litter of Larix principis-rupprechtii and broadleaved tree species. Chin J Appl Ecol 32:1709–1716. https://doi.org/10.13287/j.1001-9332.202105.008
Wang W, Luan J, Wang Y, Yang H, Zhao Y, Li S, Liang C, Kong X, Liu S (2022) Effects of simulated drought and phosphorus addition on leaf litter decomposition in a lowland tropical rainforest. Acta Ecol Sin 42:6160–6174. https://doi.org/10.5846/stxb202107021759
Waring BG (2013) Exploring relationships between enzyme activities and leaf litter decomposition in a wet tropical forest. Soil Biol Biochem 64:89–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.04.010
Xia Z, Yang J, Sang C, Wang X, Sun L, Jiang P, Wang C, Bai E (2020) Phosphorus reduces negative effects of nitrogen addition on soil microbial communities and functions. Microorganisms 8. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms8111828
Yue K, Fornara DA, Yang W, Peng Y, Peng C, Liu Z, Wu F (2017) Influence of multiple global change drivers on terrestrial carbon storage: additive effects are common. Ecol Lett 20:663–672. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12767
Zhang J, Li J, Fan Y, Mo Q, Li Y, Li Y, Li Z, Wang F (2020) Effect of nitrogen and phosphorus addition on litter decomposition and nutrients release in a tropical forest. Plant Soil 454:139–153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04643-9
Zhang J, Li H, Zhang H, Zhang H, Tang Z (2021) Responses of litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics to nitrogen addition in temperate shrublands of North China. Front Plant Sci 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.618675
Zhou S-x, Huang C-d, Han B-h, Xiao Y-x, Tang J-d, Xiang Y-b, Luo C (2017) Simulated nitrogen deposition significantly suppresses the decomposition of forest litter in a natural evergreen broad-leaved forest in the Rainy Area of Western China. Plant Soil 420:135–145. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-017-3383-x
Acknowledgements
We would like to appreciate our graduate students and many local staff, who have conducted the tough field investigation and sampling work in the study area. We thank Yi Ding for his constructive comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.
Funding
This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32071759), the Natural Science Foundation of Hebei Province, China (C2020204026), and the Hebei Province Key R & D Program of China (22326803D).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Jing Wang and Zhidong Zhang conceptualized and designed the experiment. DongZhi Wang, Qiang Liu, Jing Wang, Jing Zhang and Ruiming Cheng performed the experiment. DongZhi Wang, Qiang Liu, Zhaoxuan Ge, Jing Wang and Zhidong Zhang discussed and analyzed the data. Zhaoxuan Ge and Zhidong Zhang wrote the manuscript. All authors revised and approved the final manuscript.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interest
The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Alfonso Escudero.
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Ge, Z., Wang, D., Liu, Q. et al. Effects of two-year nitrogen and phosphorus additions on nutrient release and enzyme activity during leaf litter decomposition in Larix principis-rupprechtii plantation. Plant Soil 487, 521–532 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-05950-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-05950-7