Increased litterfall contributes to carbon and nitrogen accumulation following cessation of anthropogenic disturbances in degraded forests

Feng, Chun; Wang, Zhe; Ma, Yan; Fu, Songling; Chen, Han Y. H.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2018.10.025

Cited by 38 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…In each month, samples collected from each trap were transported to the laboratory and transferred from plastic bags to paper bags, where they were then dried at 70°C until a constant mass was achieved (72 hr), at which point dry biomass was weighed. The annual litterfall productivity of each plot was calculated by summing dry litterfall biomass collected for the period of one full calendar year (Mg ha −1 year −1 ) (Feng, Wang, Ma, Fu, & Chen, ). Although the litterfall collection was conducted from different years in our study (from September 2013 to September 2014 in Tiantong, Shuangfeng and Nanshan; from February 2015 to January 2016 in Putuo and Logar), we found that the interyear variation in annual litterfall productivity did not significantly differ in the plots (Putuo and Logar) that were repeatedly sampled over 3 years (Figure ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree species diversity promotes litterfall productivity through crown complementarity in subtropical forests

2019

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The role of niche complementarity for driving the positive biodiversity–ecosystem productivity relationship has been widely recognized, but there is scant evidence regarding the role of tree canopy structure on this relationship. Litterfall productivity is proportional to forest net primary productivity in natural forests, and we hypothesized that litterfall productivity would increase with tree species diversity via increased tree crown complementarity. We investigated annual litterfall productivity, species diversity, tree crown architecture, soil moisture content, soil carbon content and stand age across 28 subtropical forest plots in eastern Zhejiang province, China. Simple linear regression was used to examine bivariate relationships among rarified species richness, crown complementarity, total crown volume, soil moisture content, soil carbon content, stand age and litterfall productivity. Structural equation modelling was employed to quantify the direct and indirect effects of species richness on litterfall productivity through tree crown complementarity. Litterfall productivity increased with rarefied species richness via increasing crown complementarity rather than total crown volume. Species richness, crown complementarity and litterfall productivity increased with soil moisture content, while crown complementarity and litterfall productivity increased with soil carbon content. Neither species richness nor crown complementarity increased with stand age, even though litterfall productivity increased with stand age. Synthesis. Our study provides evidence for the strong role of tree crown assembly in shaping ecosystem functions in complex natural forests. Our findings suggest that crown spatial complementarity among trees operates mechanistically to drive the positive tree species diversity–litterfall productivity relationship in subtropical forests. We argue that community and/or ecosystem ecology would benefit from more attention to crown variability among coexisting tree species.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree species diversity promotes litterfall productivity through crown complementarity in subtropical forests

2019

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“…4b). Indeed, some studies have reported higher litterfall at later successional stages (Martius et al 2004;Lawrence 2005;Chave et al 2009;Feng et al 2019), whereas other studies have shown that litter mass is higher at early and intermediate stages because of the abundance of herbaceous, shrubby and small pioneer tree species that have high aerial biomass (Ewel 1976;Vendrami et al 2012). In our study, litterfall was negatively correlated with the abundance of pioneer tree species in the plots, but our inclusion criteria (diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm) underestimates the biomass of a vegetation layer (herbs and shrubs) that probably contributes substantially to litter deposition in early successional stages.…”

Section: Annual and Successional Variations In Litterfall Depositionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…At coarser spatial scales (i.e., regional or global), above-ground biomass and decomposition rates in TDFs increase with mean annual precipitation (Martínez-Yrízar 1995;Becknell et al 2012;Gei and Powers 2014). The amount of litterfall is directly related to above-ground biomass accumulation (Lawrence 2005;Chave et al 2009;Feng et al 2019) and therefore affected by soil traits involved in forest growth (Peña-Claros et al 2012;Yazaki et al 2016) and vegetative phenology (Holbrook et al 1995;Giraldo and Holbrook 2011). Usually, litter production is lower for vegetation types growing on nutrient-poor soils, especially those limited in phosphorus (P) (Alvarez-Clare et al 2013; Alvarez-Clare and Mack 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dominant life forms and functional groups change along forest succession (Ostertag et al 2008;Nunes et al 2014;Feng et al 2019) and related shifts in plant carbon allocation patterns can alter leaf chemistry (Endara and Coley 2011) and, consequently, decomposition rates (Aerts 1997). Litter decomposition on the forest floor can accelerate the potential return of N and P in the soil (Yang et al 2004;Feng et al 2019;Froufe et al 2019) and mediate plant competitive interactions, usually favoring the replacement of pioneer species by intermediate-and late-successional species (Chazdon 2008). Litterfall can also change plant recruitment rates, acting as an insulating layer and reducing soil evaporation and the density of weeds (Facelli and Pickett 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Litterfall dynamics along a successional gradient in a Brazilian tropical dry forest

et al. 2019

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Background: This study aimed to determine the influence of soil traits, vegetation structure and climate on litterfall dynamics along a successional gradient in a tropical dry forest (TDF) in southeastern Brazil. We used a chronosequence design consisting of three successional stages (early, intermediate, and old-growth) defined based on forest age and vertical and horizontal structures. Methods: Litterfall was recorded monthly for three years in 12 plots of 50 × 20 m (four plots per stage) where vegetation parameters (species richness, basal area, density and height for trees with diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm) and soil chemical and physical traits were previously obtained. We placed eight 0.5-m 2 litter traps in each plot, totalling 96 traps. Samples were sorted into leaves, twigs, reproductive parts, and debris. Results: Litterfall mass was composed mainly of leaves and varied slightly among years (4 to 4.5 Mg•ha − 1), within the range observed for other TDFs. Annual litterfall mass was higher at the old-growth forest than at the early and intermediate forest stages and this successional pattern was driven by vegetation characteristics (forest structural parameters and plant functional groups) and soil traits related to water-holding capacity. Litter amount in the intermediate stage was lower than expected for its forest structure (and similar to the early stage), possibly because its higher soil clay content increased the water holding capacity and leaf retention during the dry season. Seasonal variations in monthly litterfall were strongly driven by forest deciduousness and affected by climatic factors related to water availability. This pattern was consistent across the successional gradient, although differences for each litterfall component were observed. Conclusions: Our results suggest that litter production in the studied TDF is influenced by multiple factors along succession, such as above-ground biomass and the degree of leaf retention mediated by soil water-holding capacity. Further studies on community phenological patterns can allow a better understanding of successional changes on litterfall and how fast this fundamental function recovers in secondary forests.

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“…For example, one review study reported that the litterfall mass of a boreal forest was on the low end, whereas that of a tropical forest was on the high end (Bray and Gorham 1964). Many studies have demonstrated that on a local scale litterfall in forest ecosystems is dependent on forest type, species composition, forest age, soil fertility, and disturbances (Bray and Gorham 1964;Liu et al 2004;Wang et al 2016;Lin et al 2017;Feng et al 2019). A disturbance, which refers to a temporary change in environmental conditions, may have the most profound effects on the amount and pattern of litterfall because of the changes caused to the ecological and physiological processes of the forest (Lodge et al 1991;Lin et al 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of typhoon disturbances on seasonal and interannual patterns of litterfall on coniferous and broadleaf plantations in Xitou, central Taiwan

Cheng

Lee

et al. 2020

Journal of Forest Research

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Many environmental and climatic disturbances can significantly change the magnitude and pattern of litterfall. This study investigated the effects of typhoon disturbances on the seasonal and interannual patterns of litterfall on coniferous and broadleaf plantation stands in Xitou, central Taiwan. Throughout the study period from 2012 to 2018, typhoon disturbances were recorded in 4 of these 7 years, whereas only minor or even no typhoon disturbances occurred in the other 3 years. Our results demonstrated that the pattern of monthly litterfall varied substantially between the coniferous and broadleaf stands. The coniferous stands exhibited a substantial litterfall pulse due to typhoon disturbances. By contrast, typhoon disturbances exerted a minor impact on the broadleaf stands. The litterfall seasonality of the coniferous stands was higher than that of the broadleaf stands, especially in the years with typhoon disturbances. Furthermore, the yearly variation caused by typhoon disturbances was distinct at the coniferous stands; the annual litterfall mass at the coniferous stands in the years with typhoon disturbances was more than twice as high as that in the years without typhoon disturbances, namely 6,000 kg ha −1 yr −1 versus 2,500 kg ha −1 yr −1 . By contrast, the annual litterfall mass at the broadleaf stands did not differ significantly among the study years. Because of high interannual variation, long-term sampling is essential for accurate estimation of annual litterfall at coniferous stands. For broadleaf plantations, interannual litterfall variation seems less critical, and spatial variability should be considered because of higher variability in terms of site conditions.

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Increased litterfall contributes to carbon and nitrogen accumulation following cessation of anthropogenic disturbances in degraded forests

Cited by 38 publications

References 44 publications

Tree species diversity promotes litterfall productivity through crown complementarity in subtropical forests

Tree species diversity promotes litterfall productivity through crown complementarity in subtropical forests

Litterfall dynamics along a successional gradient in a Brazilian tropical dry forest

Effects of typhoon disturbances on seasonal and interannual patterns of litterfall on coniferous and broadleaf plantations in Xitou, central Taiwan

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