Decomposition of labile and recalcitrant litter ty

Authors: Saara Vauramo Heikki Setälä

Publish Date: 2010/08/13

Volume: 14, Issue: 1, Pages: 59-70

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Abstract

Although little is known about the relationship between aboveground and belowground biota and ecosystem services in urban soils the scarce data suggests that plant coverage has a key role in influencing the urban C and N cycles Plant litter quality and quantity have been addressed as one the major factors determining the rate of nutrient and organic carbon cycling in urban soils However the landuse history of urban soils frequency of disturbances and abioticbiotic conditions may largely contribute to the effects of aboveground biota on decomposition process Here we studied the decomposition process of different litter types labile and recalcitrant litter in two structurally and chemically divergent urban soils landfill sandy soil and richer park soil At both of these urban sites a reciprocal litter placement experiment was performed to distinguish the effects between plant coverage plant treatment and litter type on litter decomposition processes As hypothesized labile litter decomposed faster than recalcitrant litter at both urban soil types Urban soil type however had a clear impact on degradation rate of the litter all litter types decomposed at higher rates in park soil with higher organic matter and soil moisture content Unexpectedly the plant treatment did not affect the degradation rate of the litter although it did have a significant influence on the abundance of litterinhabiting Collembola in landfill soil Our study suggests potentially higher carbon retention in urban soils under recalcitrant litter producing plants in comparison to plantsoil systems with labilelitter producing plantsWe thank Aleksi Mäntylä for his contribution throughout the study Heidi Rasikari for proofreading the manuscript and an anonymous reviewer for the constructive comments We are grateful to University of Helsinki Onni and Hilja Tuovinen Foundation and Finnish Cultural Foundation for funding the study

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