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Response of nutrient dynamics of decomposing pine (Pinus massoniana) needles to simulated N deposition in a disturbed and a rehabilitated forest in tropical China

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Ecological Research

Abstract

The effects of simulated N deposition on changes in mass, C, N and P of decomposing pine (Pinus massoniana) needles in a disturbed and a rehabilitated forest in tropical China were studied during a 24-month period. The objective of the study was to test the hypothesis that litter decomposition in a disturbed forest is more sensitive to N deposition rate than litter decomposition in a rehabilitated forest due to the relatively low nutrient status in the former as a result of constant human disturbance (harvesting understory and litter). The litterbag method and N treatments (control, no N addition; low-N, 5 g N m−2 year−1; medium-N, 10 g N m−2 year−1) were employed to evaluate decomposition. The results revealed that N addition increased (positive effect) mass loss rate and C release rate but suppressed (negative effect) the release rate of N and P from decomposing needles in both disturbed and rehabilitated forests. The enhanced needle decomposition rate by N addition was significantly related to the reduction in the C/N ratio in decomposing needles. However, N availability is not the sole factor limiting needle decomposition in both disturbed and rehabilitated forests. The positive effect was more sensitive to the N addition rate in the rehabilitated forest than in the disturbed forest, however the reverse was true for the negative effect. These results suggest that nutrient status could be one of the important factors in controlling the response of litter decomposition and its nutrient release to elevated N deposition in reforested ecosystems in the study region.

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Acknowledgements

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30670392) and Key Project of Chinese Academy of Sciences Knowledge Innovation Program (KSCX2-SW-133). We thank the two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South China Botanical Garden, The Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dinghu, Zhaoqing, Guangdong, 526070, China

    Jiangming Mo, Jinghua Xue, Yunting Fang, Zhian Li, Dejun Li & Shaofeng Dong

  2. Winrock International, 1621 N. Kent St., Suite 1200, Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

    Sandra Brown

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  1. Jiangming Mo
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  2. Sandra Brown
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  3. Jinghua Xue
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  4. Yunting Fang
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  5. Zhian Li
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  6. Dejun Li
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  7. Shaofeng Dong
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Correspondence to Jiangming Mo.

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Mo, J., Brown, S., Xue, J. et al. Response of nutrient dynamics of decomposing pine (Pinus massoniana) needles to simulated N deposition in a disturbed and a rehabilitated forest in tropical China. Ecol Res 22, 649–658 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-006-0317-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-006-0317-0

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