Functional traits drive the contribution of solar radiation to leaf litter decomposition among multiple arid-zone species.
In arid zones, strong solar radiation has important consequences for ecosystem processes. To better understand carbon and nutrient dynamics, it is important to know the contribution of solar radiation to leaf litter decomposition of different arid-zone species. Here we investigated: (1) whether such contribution varies among plant species at given irradiance regime, (2) whether interspecific variation in such contribution correlates with interspecific variation in the decomposition rate under shade; and (3) whether this correlation can be explained by leaf traits. We conducted a factorial experiment to determine the effects of solar radiation and environmental moisture for the mass loss and the decomposition constant k-values of 13 species litters collected in Northern China. The contribution of solar radiation to leaf litter decomposition varied significantly among species. Solar radiation accelerated decomposition in particular in the species that already decompose quickly under shade. Functional traits, notably specific leaf area, might predict the interspecific variation in that contribution. Our results provide the first empirical evidence for how the effect of solar radiation on decomposition varies among multiple species. Thus, the effect of solar radiation on the carbon flux between biosphere and atmosphere may depend on the species composition of the vegetation.
1] Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China [2] Institute of Wetland Research, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China [3] State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Xu
X
Pan
Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China.
Yao-Bin
YB
Song
State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Guo-Fang
GF
Liu
State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Yu-Kun
YK
Hu
State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Xue-Hua
XH
Ye
1] Department of Ecological Science, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands [2] Evolution &Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
William K
WK
Cornwell
Université de Rennes 1, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Rennes, France.
Andreas
A
Prinzing
1] Key Laboratory of Hangzhou City for Ecosystem Protection and Restoration, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou, China [2] State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Ming
M
Dong
Department of Ecological Science, VU University, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Johannes H C
JH
Cornelissen
D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental / Q000528:radiation effects*; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D055864:Droughts; D017753:Ecosystem; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000145:classification / Q000528:radiation effects*; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012993:Solar Energy; D013045:Species Specificity; D013472:Sunlight