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Do climate and soil influence phenotypic variability in leaf litter, microbial decomposition and shredder consumption?

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Abstract

We tested the hypothesis that water stress and soil nutrient availability drive leaf-litter quality for decomposers and detritivores by relating chemical and physical leaf-litter properties and decomposability of Alnus glutinosa and Quercus robur, sampled together with edaphic parameters, across wide European climatic gradients. By regressing principal components analysis of leaf traits [N, P, condensed tannins, lignin, specific leaf area (SLA)] against environmental and soil parameters, we found that: (1) In Q. robur the condensed tannin and lignin contents increased and SLA decreased with precipitation, annual range of temperature, and soil N content, whereas leaf P increased with soil P and temperature; (2) In A. glutinosa leaves N, P, and SLA decreased and condensed tannins increased with temperature, annual range of temperature, and decreasing soil P. On the other hand, leaf P and condensed tannins increased and SLA decreased with minimum annual precipitation and towards sites with low temperature. We selected contrasting leaves in terms of quality to test decomposition and invertebrate consumption. There were intraspecific differences in microbial decomposition rates (field, Q. robur) and consumption by shredders (laboratory, A. glutinosa). We conclude that decomposition rates across ecosystems could be partially governed by climate and soil properties, affecting litter quality and therefore decomposers and detritivores. Under scenarios of global warming and increased nutrients, these results suggest we can expect species-specific changes in leaf-litter properties most likely resulting in slow decomposition with increased variance in temperatures and accelerated decomposition with P increase.

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Acknowledgments

We thank our colleagues across Europe for kindly sending us litter and soil samples: Adolfo Cordero (Spain), Amílcar Teixeira (Portugal), Andreas Bruder (Switzerland), Anna Romaní (Spain), Antonella Pasquale (Italy), Aranzazu Marcotegui (Spain), Arturo Elosegi (Spain), Bjorn Schaller (Germany), Brendan McKie (Sweden), Carlos Alexandre (Portugal), Cláudia Pascoal (Portugal), Christophe Piscart (France), Claus-G. Schimming (Germany), Daniela Dieter (Germany), Dean Jacobsen (Denmark), Ágostonné Szabó Edit (Hungary), Fernando Cobo (Spain), Franca Sangiorgio (Italy), Ian Dodkins (Portugal), Isabel Muñoz (Spain), Jan Herrmann (Sweden), Jeanette Schlief (Germany), Jessica Hines (Germany), Jesús Casas (Spain), Joerg Schaller (Germany), José Díez (Spain), Juanita Mora (Spain), Julia Toja (Spain), Julien Cornut (France), Kamila Fricová (Czech Republic), Loreto Rossi (Italy), Loraine Maltby (UK), Luz Boyero (Spain), Marcos González (Spain), Maria Leichtfried (Austria), Dinka Mária (Hungary), Marija (Lithuania), Mark Gessner (Germany), Maruxa Alvarez (Spain), Melanie Fletcher (UK), Mike Dobson (UK), Nuno Formigo (Portugal), Nuria Bonada (Spain), Ondřej Simon (Czech Republic), Pedro Anastácio (Portugal), Pierre Marmonier (France), Rosa Fristad (Norway), Rui Cortes (Portugal), Salomé Almeida (Portugal), Samantha Huges (Portugal), Simone Varandas (Portugal), Sujitra Kosol (UK), Tadeuz Fleituch (Poland) and Verónica Ferreira (Portugal). We thank Maria Manuela Costa (Laboratório Química Agrícola e Ambiental) for chemical analysis of the soil samples, and Cristina Grela Docal (IMAR) for leaf N and P analysis and general laboratory assistance for other chemical analyses of leaves. The contribution of Robert Hall and two anonymous reviewers is gratefully acknowledged. This research was funded by the IMAR and the FCT through the project POCI/BIA-BDE/58297/2004.

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  1. IMAR-CMA and Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

    M. A. S. Graça & J. M. Poquet

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  1. M. A. S. Graça
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  2. J. M. Poquet
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Correspondence to M. A. S. Graça.

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Communicated by Robert O. Hall.

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Graça, M.A.S., Poquet, J.M. Do climate and soil influence phenotypic variability in leaf litter, microbial decomposition and shredder consumption?. Oecologia 174, 1021–1032 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-013-2825-2

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