title: Gap locations influence the release of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in two shrub foliar litter in an alpine fir forest.
abstract: Gap formation favors the growth of understory plants and affects the decomposition process of plant debris inside and outside of gaps. Little information is available regarding how bioelement release from shrub litter is affected by gap formation during critical periods. The release of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in the foliar litter of Fargesia nitida and Salix paraplesia in response to gap locations was determined in an alpine forest of the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau via a 2-year litter decomposition experiment. The daily release rates of C, N, and P increased from the closed canopy to the gap centers during the two winters, the two later growing seasons and the entire 2 years, whereas this trend was reversed during the two early growing seasons. The pairwise ratios among C, N, and P converged as the litter decomposition proceeded. Compared with the closed canopy, the gap centers displayed higher C:P and N:P ratio but a lower C:N ratio as the decomposition proceeded. Alpine forest gaps accelerate the release of C, N, and P in decomposing shrub litter, implying that reduced snow cover resulting from vanishing gaps may inhibit the release of these elements in alpine forests.
authors.affiliation: Long-term Research Station of Alpine Forest Ecosystems, Institute of Ecology &Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Long-term Research Station of Alpine Forest Ecosystems, Institute of Ecology &Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Ecological Security in the Upper Reaches of Yangtze River, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Fuzhong
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Long-term Research Station of Alpine Forest Ecosystems, Institute of Ecology &Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Ecological Security in the Upper Reaches of Yangtze River, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Wanqin
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Long-term Research Station of Alpine Forest Ecosystems, Institute of Ecology &Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Ecological Security in the Upper Reaches of Yangtze River, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Danju
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Long-term Research Station of Alpine Forest Ecosystems, Institute of Ecology &Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Ecological Security in the Upper Reaches of Yangtze River, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Zhenfeng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Long-term Research Station of Alpine Forest Ecosystems, Institute of Ecology &Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.|Collaborative Innovation Center of Ecological Security in the Upper Reaches of Yangtze River, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Long-term Research Station of Alpine Forest Ecosystems, Institute of Ecology &Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Yeyi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Long-term Research Station of Alpine Forest Ecosystems, Institute of Ecology &Forestry, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China.
authors.forename: Meta Francis
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Justine
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D002244:Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D057486:Carbon Cycle; D017753:Ecosystem; D065928:Forests; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D058458:Nitrogen Cycle; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000502:physiology; D032108:Salix / Q000502:physiology*; D012621:Seasons; D012914:Snow; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D018609:Tibet; D014197:Trees / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D012987:Soil; D010758:Phosphorus; D002244:Carbon; D009584:Nitrogen