title: Plant Species Rather Than Climate Greatly Alters the Temporal Pattern of Litter Chemical Composition During Long-Term Decomposition.
abstract: A feedback between decomposition and litter chemical composition occurs with decomposition altering composition that in turn influences the decomposition rate. Elucidating the temporal pattern of chemical composition is vital to understand this feedback, but the effects of plant species and climate on chemical changes remain poorly understood, especially over multiple years. In a 10-year decomposition experiment with litter of four species (Acer saccharum, Drypetes glauca, Pinus resinosa, and Thuja plicata) from four sites that range from the arctic to tropics, we determined the abundance of 11 litter chemical constituents that were grouped into waxes, carbohydrates, lignin/tannins, and proteins/peptides using advanced (13)C solid-state NMR techniques. Decomposition generally led to an enrichment of waxes and a depletion of carbohydrates, whereas the changes of other chemical constituents were inconsistent. Inconsistent convergence in chemical compositions during decomposition was observed among different litter species across a range of site conditions, whereas one litter species converged under different climate conditions. Our data clearly demonstrate that plant species rather than climate greatly alters the temporal pattern of litter chemical composition, suggesting the decomposition-chemistry feedback varies among different plant species.
authors.affiliation: Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Carbon Cycling in Forest Ecosystems and Carbon Sequestration, Zhejiang A &F University, Lin'an 311300, China.|Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, 4541 Hampton Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.
authors.forename: Yongfu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, 4541 Hampton Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA.
authors.forename: Mark E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Harmon
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, 4541 Hampton Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, 4541 Hampton Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.
authors.forename: Xiaoyan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Environmental Laboratory, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 3909 Halls Ferry Rd., Vicksburg, MS 39180, USA.
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Chappell
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Old Dominion University, 4541 Hampton Blvd, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA.
authors.forename: Jingdong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mao
mesh_terms: D002241:Carbohydrates / Q000737:chemistry; D002247:Carbon Isotopes / Q000737:chemistry; D057231:Climate Change; D029779:Cupressaceae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D008031:Lignin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009682:Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D028223:Pinus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D014197:Trees / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D014885:Waxes / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D002241:Carbohydrates; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014885:Waxes; D008031:Lignin