Variation in litterfall-climate relationships between coniferous and broadleaf forests in Eurasia

• Published in: Global ecology and biogeography Vol. 13; no. 2; pp. 105 - 114
• Main Authors: Liu, Chunjiang, Westman, Carl J., Berg, Björn, Kutsch, Werner, Wang, Gary Z., Man, Rongzhou, Ilvesniemi, Hannu
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing, Ltd 01.03.2004; Blackwell Publishing; Blackwell
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Boreal forests; broadleaf forests; Broadleaved evergreen forests; Climate change; Climate models; Coniferous forests; Deciduous forests; Eurasia; Forest ecology; Forest ecosystems; Forest litter; Forest stands; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; litterfall; Meta-Analysis; phenology; precipitation; Synecology; temperature; Tropical forests; vegetation-climate relationships
• ISSN: 1466-822X; 1466-8238
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1466-882X.2004.00072.x

Aim: The objectives of this study were to determine the relationships between climatic factors and litterfall in coniferous and broadleaf forests in Eurasia and to explore the difference in litterfall between coniferous and broadleaf forests as related to climate at a continental scale. Location: We have used data from across Eurasia. Methods: The relationships between litterfall and climatic factors were examined using linear regression analysis of a compilation of published data from coniferous and broadleaf forests in Eurasia. Results: The relationships between litterfall and climatic factors show that in the temperate, subtropical, and tropical areas, broadleaf forests had higher litterfall than coniferous ones, whilst the opposite was found for boreal forests. Combining all climatic zones, a multiple regression analysis using annual mean temperature (T) and annual precipitation (P) as independent variables gave an adjusted$R^2 (R_{adj}^2)$of 0.272 for total litterfall in coniferous forests (n = 199, P < 0.001), 0.498 for broadleaf litterfall (n = 240, P < 0.001), and 0.535 for combined coniferous and broadleaf litterfall (n = 439, P < 0.001). The linear models for broadleaf stands have significantly higher coefficients for T and P than those for coniferous ones but the intercepts were similar. Thus, litterfall in broadleaf forests increased faster with T and P than that in coniferous forests. Further, a transformation of temperature and precipitation to relative units showed that a relative-unit change in T had a larger impact than P on total litterfall in broadleaf forests. The results indicate that at a continental scale, climatic controls over litterfall differ between coniferous and broadleaf forests. Conclusions: A relative unit change in annual mean temperature has a greater effect on litterfall compared to the same change in annual precipitation across the Eurasian forests. Further, the higher response to T for broadleaf forests indicates a difference in climate control between coniferous and broadleaf forests at a continental scale, and consequently different litterfall responses to climate change.