Dominant species and evenness level co-regulate litter mixture decomposition in a boreal peatland

Zhang, Xinhou; Zhang, Yuanhang; Jiang, Shuangshuang; Song, Changchun; Zhang, Jinbo; Mao, Rong

doi:10.1007/s11104-022-05346-z

Cited by 11 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 55 publications

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“…Dickson and Wilsey ( 2009 ) found that dominant species identity has a significant effect on litter mass loss. In the semi‐arid grasslands of Inner Mongolia, studies have shown that the decomposition rate is highest in litter mixtures dominated by dwarf shrubs and lowest in litter mixtures dominated by moss plants (Zhang et al., 2022 ). It has been demonstrated that chemical characteristics of both initial litter and decomposed litter show significant effects on microbial community composition and structure which would regulate specific litter decomposition processes by feedback (Fanin et al., 2014 ; Veen et al., 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is common that initial litter C/N has particularly strong positive effects on the remaining litter mass or negative effects on mass loss rate (Zhang et al, 2020a(Zhang et al, , 2022. By a 2-year litter decomposition experiment using two tree species, Castanopsis sieboldii and Schima wallichii in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest in Okinawa, Japan, the researchers have shown a negative association between litter mass loss rate and initial litter C/N (Xu et al, 2004).…”

Section: Effect Of Dominant Species Identity On Litter Decomposition ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A growing number of studies have found that litter species evenness is very important in regulating litter decomposition processes, including litter decomposition constant (Lin et al., 2013 ), litter mass loss (Swan et al., 2009 ) and litter nitrogen (N) loss (Zhang et al., 2022 ). Meanwhile, several studies have shown that litter species with the highest abundance (dominant species) within uneven mixed litter treatments can significantly affect litter mass loss rates when the qualities of used litter are significantly different (McLaren & Turkington, 2011 ; Migliorini et al., 2018 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Both evenness and dominant species identity have effects on litter decomposition

Fan,

Gong,

Xin

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Exploring how interactions between species evenness and dominant species identity affect litter decomposition processes is vital to understanding the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the context of global changes. We carried out a 127‐day litter decomposition experiment under controlled conditions, with interactions of four species evenness types (high, medium, low and single species) and three dominant species identity (Leymus chinensis, Serratula centauroides, Artemisia capillaris). After collecting the remaining litter, we estimated how evenness and dominant species identity affected litter mass loss rate, carbon (C) loss rate, nitrogen (N) loss rate and remaining litter C/N directly or indirectly, and assessed relative mixture effects (RMEs) on litter mass loss. The main results are shown as follows. (1) By generalized linear models, litter mass loss rate was significantly affected by evenness after 69‐day decomposition; N loss rate was affected by dominant species identity after 69‐day decomposition, with treatment dominated by Serratula centauroides being at least 9.26% higher than that dominated by any of other species; and remaining litter C/N was affected by the interactions between evenness and dominant species identity after 30‐, 69‐ and 127‐day decomposition. (2) Twenty‐three out of 27 RMEs were additive, and dominant species identity showed a significant effect on RMEs after 127‐day decomposition. (3) By confirmatory path analyses, litter mass loss rate was affected by dominant species identity directly after 127‐day decomposition, and by both species evenness and dominant species identity indirectly which was mediated by initial litter functional dispersion (FDis) after 30‐ and 69‐day decomposition; remaining litter C/N was affected by evenness indirectly which was mediated by initial litter FDis after 127‐day decomposition. These findings highlight the importance of evenness and dominant species identity on litter decomposition. The study provides insights into communities during retrogressive successions in semi‐arid grasslands in the context of global changes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Effect Of Dominant Species Identity On Litter Decomposition ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Both evenness and dominant species identity have effects on litter decomposition

Fan,

Gong,

Xin

et al. 2024

Ecology and Evolution

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Biodegradation of mixed litter-derived dissolved organic matter with varying evenness in a temperate freshwater wetland

Ga,

Jiang,

Han

et al. 2024

Oecologia

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Moss removal facilitates decomposition and net nitrogen loss of monospecific and mixed-species litter in a boreal peatland

Zhang,

Chen,

Chen

et al. 2024

Biogeochemistry

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Litter decomposition plays an important role in biogeochemical cycling in boreal peatlands, where mosses, especially Sphagnum species, are a determinant. In recent decades, these peatlands have experienced a decline in moss cover due to abrupt climate warming and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. To reveal the effect of the reduction in moss cover on litter decomposition, we adopted a field living moss removal experiment (with the senesced tissues remaining) in a Sphagnum-dominated boreal peatland, and investigated litter mass loss and net N loss of three deciduous woody species decomposing in monocultures and mixtures over 3 years. Based on the observed and predicted mass loss and net N loss of litter mixtures, we divided litter mixing effects into additive (no significant difference), synergistic (observed value greater than predicted value), and antagonistic (observed value lower than predicted value) effects. Across 3 years of decomposition, moss removal increased litter mass loss and net N loss, irrespective of single- or mixed-species compositions. Moss removal generally changed litter mixing effects on mass loss from antagonistic to additive effects in the initial 2 years, but from synergistic to additive effects after 3 years of decomposition. Regarding net N loss of litter mixtures, moss removal often resulted in a shift from additive to synergistic effects or from antagonistic to additive effects after 2 and 3 years of decomposition. Our observations suggest that the declines in living moss cover can accelerate litter decomposition and nutrient release, and highlight that living moss loss makes litter mixture decomposition predictable by reducing non-additive effects in boreal peatlands. Given the widespread occurrence of reduced moss cover in boreal peatlands, the mechanisms explaining living moss controls on litter decomposition and N cycling should receive significant attention in further studies.

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Dominant species and evenness level co-regulate litter mixture decomposition in a boreal peatland

Cited by 11 publications

References 55 publications

Both evenness and dominant species identity have effects on litter decomposition

Both evenness and dominant species identity have effects on litter decomposition

Biodegradation of mixed litter-derived dissolved organic matter with varying evenness in a temperate freshwater wetland

Moss removal facilitates decomposition and net nitrogen loss of monospecific and mixed-species litter in a boreal peatland

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