Non-additive effect of species diversity and temperature sensitivity of mixed litter decomposition in the alpine meadow on Tibetan Plateau

• Published in: Soil biology & biochemistry Vol. 57; pp. 841 - 847
• Main Authors: Duan, Jichuang, Wang, Shiping, Zhang, Zhenhua, Xu, Guangping, Luo, Caiyun, Chang, Xiaofeng, Zhu, Xiaoxue, Cui, Shujuan, Zhao, Xinquan, Wang, Wenying, Du, Mingyuan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; alpine meadows; Alpine region; bags; Biochemistry and biology; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; China; climate; climate change; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Global warming; Litter composition; Litter species richness; Mixed litter mass loss; Non-additive effect; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; shrubs; Soil science; species diversity; temperature; Temperature sensitivity; Tibetan Plateau; China; Central Asia; Asia; China, People's Rep., Xizang, Tibetan Plateau; Tibetan Plateau; Temperature sensitivity; Mixed litter mass loss; Alpine region; Litter composition; Global warming; Litter species richness; Non-additive effect; Grassland; Warming; Litter; Decomposition; Alpine grasslands; Thermal sensitivity; Dynamical climatology; Soils; Climate change; Species diversity; Global change; Soil science; Species richness
• DOI: 10.1016/j.soilbio.2012.08.009
• ISSN: 0038-0717

Few studies of the effects of litter diversity on the temperature sensitivity of mixed litter mass loss (MLML) are available. We tested the hypothesis that high litter diversity would reduce the magnitude of effects of climate and environmental change on MLML with 0.5/1 mm litter bags and sampling once after 1 yr of decomposition, using 51 combinations of litter mixtures from 25 dominant species at 3200 and 3800 m elevations on the Tibetan Plateau. Generally, our study supported our hypothesis. High temperature (i.e. lower elevation) reduced the dependency of MLML and non-additive effects on species richness. Species composition significantly affected MLML and its Q10 (i.e. the ratio of litter mass loss rate at a temperature T1 that is 10 °C lower than a temperature T2) when species richness was less than 8. Shrubs significantly decreased the Q10 of MLML when the species richness of litter mixture was less than 4. These findings suggest that the influence of future warming on MLML may depend on the balance between the magnitude of the impacts of climate change on shrub invasion and loss of species diversity in alpine region. ► We studied the effect of litter diversity on temperature sensitivity of decomposition rate. ► High temperature reduced dependency of mixed litter mass loss on species richness. ► High temperature reduced dependency of non-additive effects on species richness. ► The effect of species composition on mixed litter mass loss varied with species richness.