Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A spectral weighting function for abiotic photodegradation based on photochemical emission of CO2 from leaf litter in sunlight

  • Published:
Biogeochemistry Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Photodegradation can be a significant driver of leaf litter decomposition although the spectral effectiveness of sunlight in driving this process is not well characterized. We developed spectral weighting functions (WFs) for the photochemical emission of CO2 from three leaf litter types using 10 cutoff filters that provided contrasting polychromatic sunlight under clear skies in Tempe, AZ, USA. An iterative nonlinear least-squares regression fitting procedure was used to estimate how effective sunlight at a given wavelength was in eliciting CO2 emission. Although absolute CO2 emission rates varied appreciably among litter types, their WFs were very similar. Using the average WF of all litter types, the effectiveness of sunlight declined from 300 nm by one and two orders of magnitude at 399 and 498 nm, respectively. The slope of the WF was most similar to WFs for CO emission from terrestrial leaf litter and photobleaching of dissolved organic matter in lakes, and was much more gradual than WFs addressing UV damage to biotic processes. Peak effectiveness of clear-sky noon sunlight with our WF occurred at 330 nm, with UV-B (280–320 nm), UV-A (320–400 nm) and visible (400–550 nm) wavebands responsible for 9, 61 and 30% of CO2 emission, respectively. Results from past field studies suggest that solar UV is typically less effective in driving litter mass loss than our WF predicts; we discuss possible reasons for this discrepancy. The gradual slope of our WF implies that differences in UV-B irradiance associated with stratospheric ozone thickness or latitude are unlikely to significantly influence photochemical litter emission.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aphalo PJ, Albert A, Björn LO, Ylianttila L, Figueroa FL, Huovinen P (2012) Introduction. In: Aphalo PJ, Albert A, Björn LO, McLeod A, Robson TM, Rosenqvist E (eds) Beyond the visible: a handbook of best practice in plant UV photobiology. COST action FA0906 UV4growth. University of Helsinki, Helsinki, pp 1–33

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin AT, Ballaré CL (2010) Dual role of lignin in plant litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107:4618–4622

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Austin AT, Vivanco L (2006) Plant litter decomposition in a semi-arid ecosystem controlled by photodegradation. Nature 442:555–558

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Austin AT, Méndez MS, Ballaré CL (2016) Photodegradation alleviates the lignin bottleneck for carbon turnover in terrestrial ecosystems. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 113:4392–4397

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baker NR, Allison SD (2015) Ultraviolet photodegradation facilitates microbial litter decomposition in a Mediterranean climate. Ecology 96:1994–2003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes PW, Throop HL, Hewins DB, Abbene ML, Archer SR (2012) Soil coverage reduces photodegradation and promotes the development of soil-microbial films on dryland leaf litter. Ecosystems 15:311–321

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barnes PW, Throop HL, Archer SR, Breshears DD, McCulley RL, Tobler MA (2015) Sunlight and soil–litter mixing: drivers of litter decomposition in drylands. Prog Bot 76:273–302

    Google Scholar 

  • Bertiller MB, Sain CL, Carrera AL, Vargas DN (2005) Patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus conservation in dominant perennial grasses and shrubs across an aridity gradient in Patagonia, Argentina. J Arid Environ 62:209–223

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brandt LA, Bohnet C, King JY (2009) Photochemically induced carbon dioxide production as a mechanism for carbon loss from plant litter in arid ecosystems. J Geophys Res 114:1–13

    Google Scholar 

  • Brown AM (2001) A step-by-step guide to non-linear regression analysis of experimental data using a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet. Comput Methods Programs Biomed 65:191–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruhn D, Mikkelsen TN, Øbro J, Willats WGT, Ambus P (2009) Effects of temperature, ultraviolet radiation and pectin methyl esterase on aerobic methane release from plant material. Plant Biol 11:43–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bruhn D, Albert KR, Mikkelsen TN, Ambus P (2013) UV-induced carbon monoxide emission from living vegetation. Biogeosciences 10:7877–7882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell MM (1971) Solar ultraviolet radiation and the growth and development of higher plants. In: Giese AC (ed) Photophysiology, vol 6. Academic, New York, pp 131–177

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell MM, Flint SD (1997) Uses of biological weighting functions and the need of scaling for the ozone reduction problem. Plant Ecol 128:67–76

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell MM, Robberecht R, Billings WD (1980) A steep latitudinal gradient of solar ultraviolet-B radiation in the arctic-alpine life zone. Ecology 61:600–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caldwell MM, Camp LB, Warner CW, Flint SD (1986) Action spectra and their key role in assessing biological consequences of solar UV-B radiation change. In: Worrest RC, Caldwell MM (eds) Stratospheric ozone reduction, solar ultraviolet radiation and plant life. Springer, Berlin, pp 87–111

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Cory RM, Ward CP, Crump BC, Kling GW (2014) Sunlight controls water column processing of carbon in arctic fresh waters. Science 345:925–928

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cullen JJ, Neale PJ (1997) Biological weighting functions for describing the effects of ultraviolet radiation on aquatic systems. In: Hader DP (ed) The effects of ozone depletion on aquatic ecosystems. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 97–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Day TA, Zhang ET, Ruhland CT (2007) Exposure to solar UV-B radiation accelerates mass and lignin loss of Larrea tridentata litter in the Sonoran Desert. Plant Ecol 193:185–194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day TA, Guénon R, Ruhland CT (2015) Photodegradation of plant litter in the Sonoran Desert varies by litter type and age. Soil Biol Biochem 89:109–122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day TA, Bliss MS, Tomes AR, Ruhland CT, Guénon R (2018) Desert leaf litter decay: coupling of microbial respiration, water soluble fractions and photodegradation. Glob Change Biol 24:5454–5470

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Day TA, Bliss MS, Placek SK, Tomes AR, Guénon R (2019) Thermal abiotic emission of CO2 and CH4 from leaf litter and its significance in a photodegradation assessment. Ecosphere 10:e02745

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Derendorp L, Quist JB, Holzinger R, Röckmann T (2011) Emissions of H2 and CO from leaf litter of Sequoiadendron giganteum and their dependence on UV radiation and temperature. Atmos Environ 45:7520–7524

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dirks I, Navon Y, Kanas D, Dumbur R, Grünzweig JM (2010) Atmospheric water vapor as driver of litter decomposition in Mediterranean shrubland and grassland during rainless seasons. Glob Change Biol 16:2799–2812

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erdenebileg E, Ye X, Wang C, Huang Z, Liu G, Cornelissen JHC (2018) Positive and negative effects of UV irradiance explain interaction of litter position and UV exposure on litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in a semi-arid dune ecosystem. Soil Biol Biochem 124:245–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flint SD, Caldwell MM (2003) A biological spectral weighting function for ozone depletion research with higher plants. Physiol Plant 117:137–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Foereid B, Bellarby J, Meier-Augenstein W, Kemp H (2010) Does light exposure make plant litter more degradable? Plant Soil 333:275–285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frouz J, Cajthaml T, Mudrák O (2011) The effect of lignin photodegradation on decomposability of Calamagrostis epigeios grass litter. Biodegradation 22:1247–1254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gliksman D, Rey A, Seligmann R, Dumbur R, Sperling O, Navon Y, Haenel S, DeAngelis P, Arnone JA, Grünzweig JM (2017) Biotic degradation at night, abiotic degradation at day: positive feedbacks on litter decomposition in drylands. Glob Change Biol 23:1564–1574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hocking PJ (1982) Effect of water stress on redistribution of nutrients from leaflets of narrow-leaved lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.). Ann Bot 49:541–543

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Horler DNH, Dockray M, Barber J (1983) The red edge of plant leaf reflectance. Int J Remote Sens 4:273–288

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kieber RJ, Zhou X, Mopper K (1990) Formation of carbonyl compounds from UV-induced photodegradation of humic substances in natural waters: fate of riverine carbon in the sea. Limnol Oceanogr 35:1503–1515

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King JY, Brandt LA, Adair EC (2012) Shedding light on plant litter decomposition: advances, implications and new directions in understanding the role of photodegradation. Biogeochemistry 111:57–81

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kirschbaum MUF, Lambie SM, Zhou H (2011) No UV enhancement of litter decomposition observed on dry samples under controlled laboratory conditions. Soil Biol Biochem 43:1300–1307

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambie SM, Kirschbaum MUF, Dando J (2014) No photodegradation of litter and humus exposed to UV-B radiation under laboratory conditions: No effect of leaf senescence or drying temperatures. Soil Biol Biochem 69:46–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee H, Rahn T, Throop H (2012) An accounting of C-based trace gas release during abiotic plant litter degradation. Glob Change Biol 18:1185–1195

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin Y, Karlen SD, Ralph J, King JY (2018) Short-term facilitation of microbial litter decomposition by ultraviolet radiation. Sci Total Environ 615:838–848

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McLeod AR, Fry SC, Loake GJ, Messenger DJ, Reay DS, Smith KA, Yun BW (2008) Ultraviolet radiation drives methane emissions from terrestrial plant pectins. New Phytol 180:124–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mikkelsen TN, Bruhn D, Ambus P (2016) Solar UV irradiation-induced production of greenhouse gases from plant surfaces: from leaf to earth. Prog Bot 78:407–437

    Google Scholar 

  • Osburn CL, Morris DP (2003) Photochemistry of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in natural waters. In: Helbling EW, Horacio Zagarese H (eds) UV effects in aquatic organisms and ecosystems. The Royal Society of Chemistry. Springer, Cambridge, pp 185–217

    Google Scholar 

  • Osburn CL, Zagarese HE, Morris DP, Hargreaves BR, Cravero WE (2001) Calculation of spectral weighting functions for the solar photobleaching of chromophoric dissolved organic matter in temperate lakes. Limnol Oceanogr 46:1455–1467

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rundel RD (1983) Action spectra and estimation of biologically effective UV radiation. Physiol Plant 58:360–366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutledge S, Campbell DI, Baldocchi D, Schipper LA (2010) Photodegradation leads to increased carbon dioxide losses from terrestrial organic matter. Glob Change Biol 16:3065–3074

    Google Scholar 

  • Schade GW, Hofmann R-M, Crutzen PJ (1999) CO emissions from degrading plant matter (I). Measurements. Tellus Ser B 51:889–908

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Setlow RB (1974) The wavelengths in sunlight effective in producing skin cancer: a theoretical analysis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 71:3363–3366

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uselman SM, Snyder KA, Blank RR, Jones TJ (2011) UVB exposure does not accelerate rates of litter decomposition in a semi-arid riparian ecosystem. Soil Biol Biochem 43:1254–1265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vähätalo AV, Salkinoja-Salonen M, Taalas P, Salonen K (2000) Spectrum of the quantum yield for photochemical mineralization of dissolved organic carbon in a humic lake. Limnol Oceanogr 45:664–676

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Valentine R, Zepp RG (1993) Formation of carbon monoxide from the photodegradation of terrestrial dissolved organic carbon in natural waters. Environ Sci Technol 27:409–412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vigano I, Röckmann T, Holzinger R, van Dijk A, Keppler F, Greule M, Brand WA, Geilmann H, van Weelden H (2009) The stable isotope signature of methane emitted from plant material under UV irradiation. Atmos Environ 43:5637–5646

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitehead RF, deMora S, Demers S, Gosselin M, Monfort P, Mostajir B (2000) Interactions of ultraviolet-B radiation, mixing, and biological activity on photobleaching of natural chromophoric dissolved organic matter: a mesocosm study. Limnol Oceanogr 45:278–291

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zepp RG, Cyterski M, Wong K, Georgacopoulos O, Acrey B, Whelan G, Parmar R, Molina M (2018) Biological weighting functions for evaluating the role of sunlight-induced inactivation of coliphages at selected beaches and nearby tributaries. Environ Sci Technol 52:13068–13076

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Gunnar W. Schade, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Texas A&M University, for providing data for his action spectra of CO emission from leaves. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant DEB-1256180 to TAD. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA

    Thomas A. Day & Michael S. Bliss

Authors
  1. Thomas A. Day
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael S. Bliss
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas A. Day.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: Edward Brzostek

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 13 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Day, T.A., Bliss, M.S. A spectral weighting function for abiotic photodegradation based on photochemical emission of CO2 from leaf litter in sunlight. Biogeochemistry 146, 173–190 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-019-00616-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-019-00616-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation