Inter- and intra-annual dynamics of vegetation litter at different habitats in Horqin Sandy Land, China.

doi:10.13287/j.1001-9332.201805.005

Abstract

Abstract: As one of the important pathways of material and energy flow between plant and soil system, litterfall plays a key role in the process of vegetation and soil restoration in ecologically fragile region. To explore the inter- and intra-annual dynamics of litter production and related regulatory factors at different habitats in sandy land ecosystem, we investigated the litter production during nine continuous growing seasons, while the air temperature and precipitation were measured over mobile dune, fixed dune, and grassland in Horqin Sandy Land. The results showed that annual litter production at different habitants were in the order of mobile dune (9.01 g·m^-2) < fixed dune (67.46 g·m^-2) < grassland (119.55 g·m^-2). The inter-annual dynamics of litterfall fluctuated significantly, with a double-peak curve in fixed dune and “W” curve in grassland. The intra-annual variation of litterfall exhibited a “U” curve at all the three habitats, with peaks appearing in April and September, respectively. Precipitation and temperature had significant effects on the intra-annul dynamics of litterfall production in fixed sand dune and grassland, but had no significant effect on the inter-annual dynamics of litter production at three habitats. Temperature was the major factor affecting the dynamics of the litter fall during the growing season in Horqin Sandy Land.

WANG Xu-yang, LI Yu-qiang, LUO Yong-qing, LIAN Jie, NIU Ya-yi, GONG Xiang-wen, YANG Huan. Inter- and intra-annual dynamics of vegetation litter at different habitats in Horqin Sandy Land, China.[J]. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 2018, 29(5): 1494-1502.

References

[1] Zhao J (赵吉), Shao Y-Q (邵玉琴), Kong X-H (孔祥辉). Decomposition of litters and its effects on soil biological environment in Huangfucuan Basin. Journal of Agro-Environment Science (农业环境科学学报), 2002, 21(6): 543-545 (in Chinese)
[2] Yang Z-J (杨智杰), Chen G-S (陈光水), Xie J-S (谢锦升), et al. Litter fall production and carbon return in Cunninghanmia lanceolata, Schima superb, and their mixed plantations. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 2010, 21(9): 2235-2240 (in Chinese)
[3] Zheng Z (郑征), Li Y-R (李佑荣), Liu H-M (刘宏茂), et al. Litterfall of tropical rain forests at different altitudes, Xishuangbanna, southwest China. Acta Phytoecologica Sininca (植物生态学报), 2005, 29(6): 884-893 (in Chinese)
[4] Pandey RR, Sharma G, Tripathi SK, et al. Litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in a subtropical natural oak forest and managed plantation in northeastern India. Forest Ecology and Management, 2007, 240: 96-104
[5] Hughes JW, Fahey TJ. Litterfall dynamics and ecosystem recovery during forest development. Forest Ecology and Management, 1994, 63: 181-198
[6] Lee IK, Son YW. Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on nutrient dynamics and litterfall production of Pinus rigida and Larix kaempferi. Journal of Ecology and Field Biology, 2006, 29: 205-212
[7] White BLA, Nascimento DLD, Dantas TVP, et al. Dynamics of the production and decomposition of litterfall in a Brazilian northeastern tropical forest (Serra de Itabaiana National Park, Sergipe State). Acta Scientiarum: Biological Sciences, 2012, 35: 195-201
[8] Sanches L, Valentini CMA, Biudes MS, et al. Seasonal dynamics of the litterfall production and decomposition in tropical transitional forest. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, 2009, 13: 183-189
[9] Jr JFG, Rezende RDS, Gregório RS, et al. Relationship between dynamics of litterfall and riparian plant species in a tropical stream. Limnologica, 2014, 44: 40-48
[10] Bou J, Caritat A, Vilar L. Litterfall and growth dyna-mics relationship with the meteorological variability in three forests in the Montseny natural park. Folia Forestalia Polonica, 2015, 57: 145-159
[11] Cui B-H (崔炳华), Jiang Y (蒋勇), Chen S-W (陈绍武), et al. Litter production and nutrient return of subalpine coniferous forest and coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest in western Sichuan. Journal of Sichuan Forestry Science and Technology (四川林业科技), 2012, 33(3): 16-20 (in Chinese)
[12] Yang H-X (杨会侠), Wang S-L (汪思龙), Fan B (范冰), et al. Dynamics of annual litter mass and nutrient return of different age Masson pine plantations. Chinese Journal of Ecology (生态学杂志), 2010, 29(12): 2334-2340 (in Chinese)
[13] Li J-W (李景文), Liu C-Z (刘传照), Ren S-W (任淑文), et al. Litter dynamics and its return of nutrients in natural Birch-Korean pine forests. Acta Phytoecologica et Geobotanica Sinica (植物生态学与地植物学学报), 1989, 13(1): 42-48 (in Chinese)
[14] Wu Q-Q (武启骞), Wang C-K (王传宽), Zhang Q-Z (张全智). Inter- and intra-annual dynamics in litter production for six temperate forests. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 2017, 37(3): 760-769 (in Chinese)
[15] Zhang C (张川), Yang W-Q (杨万勤), Yue K (岳楷), et al. Soluble nitrogen and soluble phosphorus dynamics during foliar litter decomposition in winter in alpine forest streams. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 2015, 26(6): 1601-1608 (in Chinese)
[16] Li Y-L (李媛良), Wang S-L (汪思龙), Yan S-K (颜绍馗). Short-term effects of understory vegetation removal on nutrient cycling in litter layer of Chinese fir plantation. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 2011, 22(10): 2560-2566 (in Chinese)
[17] Kan Y-C (阚雨晨), Wang F (王堃), Wang Y-T (王宇通), et al. Dynamics of plant litter of typical steppe under enclosure management in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. Grassland and Turf (草原与草坪), 2011, 31(4): 25-29 (in Chinese)
[18] Li Y-J (李玉洁), Song X-L (宋晓龙), Yu W-C (于雯超), et al. Advance in the influence of rest-grazing on the grassland ecosystem. Journal of Agricultural Resources and Environment (农业资源与环境学报), 2013, 30(4): 62-71 (in Chinese)
[19] Zhao HL, Yi XY, Zhou RL, et al. Wind erosion and sand accumulation effects on soil properties in Horqin Sandy Farmland, Inner Mongolia. Catena, 2006, 65: 71-79
[20] Zhou RL, Li YQ, Zhao HL, et al. Desertification effects on C and N content of sandy soils under grassland in Horqin, northern China. Geoderma, 2008, 145: 370-375
[21] Geng Y-B (耿元波), Shi J-J (史晶晶). Influencing factors of grassland litter decomposition and nutrient release and accumulation. Progress in Geography (地理科学进展), 2012, 31(5): 655-663 (in Chinese)
[22] Lin GG, Mao R, Zhao L, et al. Litter decomposition of a pine plantation is affected by species evenness and soil nitrogen availability. Plant and Soil, 2013, 373: 649-657
[23] Luo Y-Q (罗永清), Zhao X-Y (赵学勇), Ding J-P (丁杰萍), et al. Dynamics of aboveground biomass and litters in different types of dunes under vegetation restoration processes in the Horqin Sandy Land. Journal of Desert Research (中国沙漠), 2016, 36(1): 78-84 (in Chinese)
[24] Qu H (曲浩), Zhao X-Y (赵学勇), Zhao H-L (赵哈林), et al. Litter decomposition rates of three shrub species in Horqin Sandy Land and their relationship with key meteorological factors. Journal of Desert Research (中国沙漠), 2010, 30(4): 844-849 (in Chinese)
[25] Li YQ, Han JJ, Wang SK, et al. Soil organic carbon and total nitrogen storage under different land uses in the Naiman Banner, a semiarid degraded region of northern China. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 2013, 94: 9-20
[26] Zhao H-L (赵哈林), Zhou R-L (周瑞莲), Zhao X-Y(赵学勇), et al. Ground discriminance on positive and negative processes of land desertification in Horqin Sand Land. Journal of Desert Research (中国沙漠), 2008, 28(1): 8-15 (in Chinese)
[27] Zhang X-X (张学霞), Ge Q-S (葛全胜), Zheng J-Y (郑景云). Impacts and lags of global warming on vegetation in Beijing for the last 50 years based on remotely sensed data and phonological information. Chinese Journal of Ecology (生态学杂志), 2005, 24(2): 123-130 (in Chinese)
[28] Xu W-D (徐文铎), Chen W (陈玮), He X-Y (何兴元), et al. Litterfall amount and its dynamics in urban forest of Shenyang, Northeast China. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 2012, 23(11): 2931-2939 (in Chinese)
[29] Zuo X-A (左小安), Zhao H-L (赵哈林), Zhao X-Y (赵学勇), et al. Species diversity of degraded vegetation in different age restorations in Horqin Sandy Land, Northern China. Acta Prataculturae Sinica (草业学报), 2009, 18(4): 9-16 (in Chinese)
[30] Zhao H-L (赵哈林). Desertification Process and Recovery Mechanism in Horqin Sandy Land. Beijing: Ocean Press, 2003 (in Chinese)
[31] Yuan Z-Q (原作强), Li B-H (李步杭), Bai X-J (白雪娇), et al. Composition and seasonal dynamics of litter falls in a broad-leaved Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forest in Changbai Mountains, Northeast China. Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology (应用生态学报), 2010, 21(9): 2171-2178 (in Chinese)
[32] Wang J-J (王健健), Wang Y-J (王永吉), Lai L-M (来利明), et al. Litter production and decomposition of different forest ecosystems and their relations to environmental factors in different climatic zones of mid and eastern China. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 2013, 33(15): 4818-4825 (in Chinese)
[33] Maguire DA. Branch mortality and potential litterfall from Douglas-fir trees in stands of varying density. Forest Ecology and Management, 1994, 70: 41-53
[34] Witkamp M. Microbial populations of leaf litter in relation to environmental conditions and decomposition. Ecology, 1963, 44: 370-377
[35] Wen D (温丁), He N-P (何念鹏). Spatial patterns of litter density and their controlling factors in forests and grasslands of China. Acta Ecologica Sinica (生态学报), 2016, 36(10): 2876-2884 (in Chinese)
[36] Zhou X-Q (周晓庆). Effect of Seasonal Freezing-Thawing on Microbial Activity during Forest Litter Decomposition in Subalpine-Alpine Forest of Western Sichuan. Master Thesis. Chengdu: Sichuan Agricultural University, 2011 (in Chinese)
[37] Yang H-Q (杨洪强), Jie Y-L (接玉玲). Biosynthesis of abscisic acid and its regulation in higher plants. Plant Physiology Journal (植物生理学报), 2001, 37(5): 457-462 (in Chinese)
[38] Wei H-X (魏海霞). Physiological and Ecological Changes of Sand Plant along A Precipitation Gradient in Semiarid Region. PhD Thesis. Beijing: University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 2009 (in Chinese)
[39] Wang X-E (王相娥), Xue L (薛立), Xie T-F (谢腾芳). A review on litter decomposition. Chinese Journal of Soil Science (土壤通报), 2009, 40(6): 1473-1478 (in Chinese)