TY - JOUR
T1 - The influence of litter composition across the litter-soil interface on mass loss, nitrogen dynamics and the decomposer community
AU - Ball, Rebecca
AU - Carrillo, Yolima
AU - Molina, Marirosa
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was supported by National Science Foundation grants to the Coweeta LTER Program ( DEB-9632854 and DEB-0218001 ) and USDA-Southern Region SARE funding ( GS05-044 ). We thank Kathryn Mitchell, Sunny Shanks, Ashley Johnson, Jimmy Blackmon, Ryan Malloy and Seth Wenger for lab and field assistance. We also thank Carl Jordan, Mark Hunter and Mark Bradford for their input. This paper has been reviewed in accordance with the USEPA's peer and administrative review policies and approved for publication. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the USEPA.
PY - 2014/2
Y1 - 2014/2
N2 - Many studies have investigated the influence of plant litter species composition on decomposition, but results have been context-dependent. Litter and soil are considered to constitute a decomposition continuum, but whether litter and soil ecosystems respond to litter identity and mixing in the same manner is unsure. In a field experiment utilizing 5 litter species and their mixture, we investigated whether the effects of litter identity and mixing on mass loss, nutrient dynamics, and decomposer communities are consistent across the litter-soil interface. In monoculture, mass loss and nitrogen (N) dynamics in the litter layer corresponded to the underlying soil N availability, demonstrating the continuum of resources from litter to soil. Litter microbial biomass and mesofauna abundance tended to be greater on litter with a faster decay rate and greater N release. However, soil decomposer abundance and diversity were not greater with higher soil N, causing litter and soil communities to respond differently to litter identity. Non-additive mass loss and N dynamics were observed after 6 months, and were correlated with non-additive litter microbial community composition and litter mesofauna communities, but all other aspects of the litter community and all measures of the soil community were additive. Decomposer communities and N dynamics did not respond similarly to the litter mixture across the litter-soil interface. This study is one of the few to comprehensively examine how a litter mixture influences decomposition dynamics and communities across the soil-litter interface, including multiple taxa and trophic levels. Our results demonstrate that processes associated with decomposition are decoupled for litter and soil, particularly in that litter showed non-additivity in mass loss, N release and decomposer community, but soil responses were largely additive.
AB - Many studies have investigated the influence of plant litter species composition on decomposition, but results have been context-dependent. Litter and soil are considered to constitute a decomposition continuum, but whether litter and soil ecosystems respond to litter identity and mixing in the same manner is unsure. In a field experiment utilizing 5 litter species and their mixture, we investigated whether the effects of litter identity and mixing on mass loss, nutrient dynamics, and decomposer communities are consistent across the litter-soil interface. In monoculture, mass loss and nitrogen (N) dynamics in the litter layer corresponded to the underlying soil N availability, demonstrating the continuum of resources from litter to soil. Litter microbial biomass and mesofauna abundance tended to be greater on litter with a faster decay rate and greater N release. However, soil decomposer abundance and diversity were not greater with higher soil N, causing litter and soil communities to respond differently to litter identity. Non-additive mass loss and N dynamics were observed after 6 months, and were correlated with non-additive litter microbial community composition and litter mesofauna communities, but all other aspects of the litter community and all measures of the soil community were additive. Decomposer communities and N dynamics did not respond similarly to the litter mixture across the litter-soil interface. This study is one of the few to comprehensively examine how a litter mixture influences decomposition dynamics and communities across the soil-litter interface, including multiple taxa and trophic levels. Our results demonstrate that processes associated with decomposition are decoupled for litter and soil, particularly in that litter showed non-additivity in mass loss, N release and decomposer community, but soil responses were largely additive.
KW - Decomposer community
KW - Decomposition
KW - Litter mixtures
KW - Litter-soil continuum
KW - Nitrogen mobilization
KW - PLFA
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84888225450&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84888225450&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.10.048
DO - 10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.10.048
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84888225450
SN - 0038-0717
VL - 69
SP - 71
EP - 82
JO - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
JF - Soil Biology and Biochemistry
ER -