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Nitrogen Input Increases Deyeuxia angustifolia Litter Decomposition and Enzyme Activities in a Marshland Ecosystem in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China

  • Wetlands and Climate Change
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Abstract

Litter decomposition is an important process involved in carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling in ecosystems. However, the biochemical mechanism underlying the response of litter decomposition to N input in marshland remains unclear. Mass loss, C and N dynamics, and enzymatic activity of Deyeuxia angustifolia litter during decomposition in a marshland were evaluated under different levels of N input (N0, control; N1, 12 g N m−2 year−1; N2, 24 g N m−2 year−1). Results revealed that N input accelerated D. angustifolia litter decomposition. By the end of the experiment, mass loss increased by 5.0%, and 8.7% under N1 and N2 treatments, respectively. The half-lives of dry-matter decomposition under the N0, N1, and N2 treatment were 2.59, 2.27, and 1.77 years, respectively. N input increased litter N concentration and decreased C/N ratio. Moreover, under N input, invertase, β-glucosidase, and acid phosphatase activities were stimulated during the litter decomposition process, whereas urease and polyphenol oxidase activities were stimulated during the later stage of litter decomposition. Results suggested that N input promotes D. angustifolia litter decomposition by stimulating activities of enzymes related to C, N and phosphorus metabolism and N input profoundly changes C and N cycling in marshland ecosystems.

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Acknowledgements

Many thanks to the reviewers for their helpful and constructive reviews of this paper. This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41571089, 41620104005, 41871090, 41730643), the National Key R&D Program of China (2016YFA0602303), and the Key Research Program of Frontier Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (QYZDJ-SSW-DQC013).

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  1. Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4888 Shengbei Rd, Changchun, 130102, China

    Yan-Yu Song, Chang-Chun Song, Jiu-Sheng Ren, Xin-Hou Zhang & Lei Jiang

  2. University of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Yan-Yu Song, Chang-Chun Song, Jiu-Sheng Ren, Xin-Hou Zhang & Lei Jiang

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  1. Yan-Yu Song
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Song, YY., Song, CC., Ren, JS. et al. Nitrogen Input Increases Deyeuxia angustifolia Litter Decomposition and Enzyme Activities in a Marshland Ecosystem in Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China. Wetlands 39, 549–557 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-018-1102-x

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