Changes in foliar litter decomposition of woody plants with elevation across an alpine forest–tundra ecotone in eastern Tibet Plateau

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• 作者：Yang Liu ; Yamei Chen ; Jian Zhang ; Wanqin Yang ; Zhu Peng ; Xinhua He…
• 刊名：Plant Ecology
• 出版年：2016
• 出版时间：May 2016
• 年：2016
• 卷：217
• 期：5
• 页码：495-504
• 全文大小：532 KB
• 刊物类别：Biomedical and Life Sciences
• 刊物主题：Life Sciences
  Plant Sciences
  
• 出版者：Springer Netherlands
• ISSN：1573-5052
• 卷排序：217

文摘

To determine litter decomposition rates at different elevations in the alpine forest–tundra ecotone under climate change scenarios in which woody plants shift their ranges upward, litterbags containing foliar litter were incubated on the surface of forest, tree line, and alpine meadow soils (3900, 4000, and 4200 m above sea level, respectively) in the eastern Tibet Plateau of China in October 2012. The selected woody plant species were Abies faxoniana, Betula albosinensis, Sorbus rufopilosa, Rhododendron taliense, Lonicera lanceolata, and L. myrtillus. Mass loss, carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) release, and cellulose and lignin degradation in litter were examined from retrieved litterbags over a 6 month period at the end of one snow-covered season. The results showed that the mass loss of A. faxoniana, L. lanceolata, and S. rufopilosa litter, but not that of the other species, was accelerated at higher elevations. Abies faxoniana, B. albosinensis, and S. rufopilosa C release, A. faxoniana and S. rufopilosa N release, L. myrtillus, L. lanceolata, and S. rufopilosa P release, B. albosinensis, S. rufopilosa, and R. taliense cellulose degradation, and L. myrtillus lignin degradation significantly increased with increasing elevation. These results imply that changes in foliar litter decomposition with elevation, although species-specific, could indicate a possible shift in woody plant composition in the alpine forest–tundra ecotone under climate change scenarios. Thus, further studies regarding how elevation shifts could alter litter decomposition and ecosystem sustainability are warranted.KeywordsAlpine forest–tundra ecotoneClimate changeElevationLitter decompositionWoody plants