Abstract
Decomposition studies were carried out at sites throughout Sweden, including the four Integrated Monitoring sites. Scots pine needle litterbag weight loss measurements over 3 or 5 years were determined at 26 sites and repeated up to 27 times, depending on the site. Humus layer respiration rates were determined for 20 sites in 1987–1989 and repeated in 2007–2008. Partial Least Squares (PLS) regression was used to elucidate the relative importance of climatic and soil factors. Annual needle weight losses decreased only slowly (20–10%) over 3–5 years for all northern (>60°N) sites but decreased sharply from 30 to 10% in the third year in southern (<60°N) sites. Respiration rates of southern sites were less (40% on average) than those of northern sites. Humus layer N was positively correlated to needle weight loss during the first and the second years, but negatively correlated in the third year and to respiration rates. The results indicated that litter formed in southern Sweden became more recalcitrant in later stages of decomposition compared to litter produced in northern Sweden.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aber, J.D., and J.M. Melillo. 1980. Litter decomposition: Measuring relative contributions of organic matter and nitrogen to forest soils. Canadian Journal of Botany 58: 416–421.
Åkerblom, S., L. Bringmark, and M.B. Nilsson. 2010. Organic matter control of mercury and lead toxicity in mor layers. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 75: 924–931.
Anderson, J.P.E. 1982. Soil respiration. In Methods of Soil Analysis Part 2. Chemical and Microbial Properties. Agronomy Monograph, vol. 9. Madison, 831–870.
Berg, B., M.P. Berg, P. Bottner, E. Box, A. Breymeyer, R.C. Deanta, M. Couteaux, A. Escudero, A. Gallardo, et al. 1993. Litter mass-loss rates in pine forests of Europe and Eastern United-States—some relationships with climate and litter quality. Biogeochemistry 20: 127–159.
Berg, B., M.P. Davey, A. De Marco, B. Emmett, M. Faituri, S.E. Hobbie, M.-B. Johansson, C. Liu, C. McClaugherty, L. Norell, F.A. Rutigliano, L. Vesterdal, and A. Virzo De Santo. 2010. Factors influencing limit values for pine needle litter decomposition: a synthesis for boreal and temperate pine forest systems. Biogeochemistry 100: 57–73.
Berg, B., and E. Matzner. 1997. Effect of N deposition on decomposition of plant litter and soil organic matter in forest systems. Environmental Reviews 5: 1–25.
Berg, B., and C. McClaugherty. 2008. Plant litter. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration, 2nd ed. Berlin: Springer.
Berg, B., C. McClaugherty, A.V. Desanto, M.B. Johansson, and G. Ekbohm. 1995. Decomposition of litter and soil organic-matter—can we distinguish mechanism for soil organic-matter build-up. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 10: 108–119.
Berg, B., and V. Meentemeyer. 2002. Litter quality in a north European transect versus carbon storage potential. Plant and Soil 242: 83–92.
Berg, B., and H. Staaf. 1980. Decomposition rate and chemical changes in needle litter from nitrogen-fertilized Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 2: 399–415.
Bringmark, E., and L. Bringmark. 1991. Large-scale pattern of mor layer degradability in Sweden measured as standardized respiration. In Humic substances in aquatic and terrestrial environment, eds. B. Allard, H. Boren, and A. Grimvall, 255–259. Berlin: Springer.
Bringmark, E., and L. Bringmark. 1993. Standard respiration, a method to test the influence of pollution and environmental factors on a large number of samples. In Soil biological variables in environmental hazard assessment, guidelines, ed. L. Torstensson, 34–39. Swedish Environmental Protection Agency Report 4262.
Bringmark, L., and E. Bringmark. 1998. Soil respiration in relation to small-scale patterns of lead and mercury in mor layers of southern Swedish forest sites. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution: Focus 1: 395–408.
Carrascal, L.M., I. Galván, and O. Gordo. 2009. Partial least square regression as an alternative to current regression methods used in ecology. Oikos 118: 681–690.
Dalias, P., J.M. Anderson, P. Bottner, and M.-M. Couteaux. 2001. Long-term effect of temperature on mineralisation processes. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 33: 1049–1057.
Dörr, N., K. Kaiser, R. Mikutta, and G. Guggenberger. 2010. Slow response of soil organic matter to the reduction of atmospheric nitrogen deposition in a Norway spruce forest. Global Change Biology 16: 2290–3003.
Edmonds, R.L. 1979. Decomposition and nutrient release in Douglas-fir needle litter in relation to stand development. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 9: 132–140.
Fröberg, M., E. Tipping, J. Stendahl, N. Clarke, and C. Bryant. 2011. Mean residence time of O horizon along a climatic gradient in Scandinavia estimated by 14C measurements of archived soils. Biogeochemistry 104: 227–236.
Hyvönen, R., G.I. Ågren, S. Linder, T. Persson, M. Cotrufo, A. Ekblad, M. Freeman, A. Grelle, et al. 2007. The likely impact of elevated [CO2], nitrogen deposition, increased temperature and management on carbon sequestration in temperate and boreal forest ecosystems: a literature review. New Phytologist 173(3): 463–480.
Johansson, M.B. 1986. Chemical composition and decomposition pattern of leaf litters from forest trees in Sweden with special reference to methodological aspects and site properties. In Reports in forest ecology and forest soils, 56. Uppsala: Department of Forest Soils, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
Johansson, M.B. 1994. Decomposition rates of Scots pine needle litter related to site properties, litter quality, and climate. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 24: 1771–1781.
Johansson, M.B., B. Berg, and V. Meentemeyer. 1995. Litter mass-loss rates in late stages of decomposition in a climatic transect of pine forests—long-term decomposition in a Scots pine forest. Canadian Journal of Botany 73: 1509–1521.
Kang, H.Z., B. Berg, C.J. Liu, and C.J. Westman. 2009. Variation in mass-loss rate of foliar litter in relation to climate and litter quality in Eurasian forests: Differences among functional groups of litter. Silva Fennica 43: 549–575.
Lundmark, J.-E. 1986. Ecology of forest land, part 1—basics, 158. Jönköping: Skogsstyrelsen (in Swedish).
Melillo, J.M., J. Aber, and J. Muratore. 1982. Nitrogen and lignin control of hardwood leaf litter decomposition dynamics. Ecology 6: 621–626.
National Atlas of Sweden. 1992. Agriculture. Sweden: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
National Atlas of Sweden. 1996. The forests. Sweden: National Board of Forestry.
Parton, W.J., D.S. Schimel Ojima, and C.B. Cole. 1994. A general model for soil organic matter dynamics. In Sensitivity to litter chemistry, texture and management, eds. R.B. Bryant, and R.W. Arnold, 137–167. Soil Science Society of America. Spec. Publ. vol. 38.
Prescott, C.E. 2005. Do rates of litter decomposition tell us anything we really want to know? Forest Ecology and Management 220: 66–74.
Prescott, C.E. 2010. Litter decomposition: What controls it and how can we alter it to sequester more carbon in forest soils? Biogeochemistry 101: 133–149.
Staaf, H., and B. Berg. 1977. Mobilization of plant nutrients in a Scot pine forest moor in central Sweden. Silva Fennica 11: 210–216.
Staaf, H., and B. Berg. 1982. Accumulation and release of plant nutrients in decomposing Scots pine needle litter—a long-term decomposition in a Scots pine forest 2. Canadian Journal of Botany 60: 1561–1568.
Taylor, B.R., C.E. Prescott, W.F.J. Parsons, and D. Parkinson. 1991. Substrate control of litter decomposition in four Rocky Mountain coniferous forests. Canadian Journal of Botany 69: 2242–2250.
Torstensson, N.T.L., L.N. Lundgren, and J. Stenström. 1989. Influence of climatic and edaphic factors on persistence of glyphosphate and 2,4-D in forest soils. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 18: 230–2039.
Zar, J.H. 2009. Biostatistical analysis, 5th edn. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.
Acknowledgment
The monitoring program governing this study has been financed by the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bringmark, E., Bringmark, L., Sonesten, L. et al. Long-Term Monitoring of Scots Pine Litter Decomposition Rates Throughout Sweden Indicates Formation of a More Recalcitrant Litter in the South. AMBIO 40, 878–890 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0202-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0202-0