Nutrient and Isotopic Dynamics of Litter Decomposition from Different Land Uses in Naturally Restoring Taihang Mountain, North China

Meena Bohara, Ram Kailash P. Yadav, Wenxu Dong, Jiansheng Cao and Chunsheng Hu
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Meena Bohara: Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
Ram Kailash P. Yadav: Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Kathmandu 44613, Nepal
Wenxu Dong: Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
Jiansheng Cao: Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050021, China
Chunsheng Hu: Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Key Laboratory of Soil Ecology, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shijiazhuang 050021, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-19

Abstract: Litter decomposition is a prominent pathway for nutrient availability and management in terrestrial ecosystems. An in-situ litter decomposition experiment was carried out for different land use types along an elevation gradient in the Taihang Mountain area restored after heavy forest degradation in the past. Four land use types, i.e., cropland, shrubland, grassland, and forest, selected randomly from a 300–700 m elevation were investigated for the experiment using the litter bag technique. Litter mass loss ranged from 26.9% (forest) to 44.3% (cropland) varying significantly among land use types. The initial litter quality, mainly N and C/N, had a significant effect on the litter loss rate. The interaction of elevation × land use types × time was significant ( p < 0.001). Litter nutrient mobility (K > P ≈ N > C) of the decomposing litter was sporadic with substantial stoichiometric effects of C/N, N/P, and C/P. The residual litters were enriched in 15 N and depleted in 13 C as compared to the initial litter. Increment of N, P, and δ 15 N values in residual litter indicates that, even in the highly weathered substrate, plant litter plays a crucial role in conserving nutrients. This study is a strong baseline for monitoring the functioning of the Taihang Mountain ecosystem restored after the complete destruction in the early 1990s.

Keywords: litter decomposition; nutrient dynamics; nitrogen and carbon isotopes; different land use types; restoration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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