Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico
Background Litter decomposition is a key process in the functioning of forest ecosystems, because it strongly controls nutrient recycling and soil fertility maintenance. The interaction between the litter chemical composition and the metabolism of the soil microbial community has been described as t...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
PeerJ Inc.
2018-06-01
|
| Series: | PeerJ |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/5095.pdf |
| _version_ | 1827607092955971584 |
|---|---|
| author | Bruno Chávez-Vergara Agustín Merino Antonio González-Rodríguez Ken Oyama Felipe García-Oliva |
| author_facet | Bruno Chávez-Vergara Agustín Merino Antonio González-Rodríguez Ken Oyama Felipe García-Oliva |
| author_sort | Bruno Chávez-Vergara |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background Litter decomposition is a key process in the functioning of forest ecosystems, because it strongly controls nutrient recycling and soil fertility maintenance. The interaction between the litter chemical composition and the metabolism of the soil microbial community has been described as the main factor of the decomposition process based on three hypotheses: substrate-matrix interaction (SMI), functional breadth (FB) and home-field advantage (HFA). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of leaf litter quality (as a direct plant effect, SMI hypothesis), the metabolic capacity of the microbial community (as a legacy effect, FB hypothesis), and the coupling between the litter quality and microbial activity (HFA hypothesis) on the litter decomposition of two contiguous deciduous oak species at a local scale. Methods To accomplish this objective, we performed a litterbag experiment in the field for 270 days to evaluate mass loss, leaf litter quality and microbial activity in a complete factorial design for litter quality and species site. Results The litter of Quercus deserticola had higher rate of decomposition independently of the site, while the site of Quercus castanea promoted a higher rate of decomposition independently of the litter quality, explained by the specialization of the soil microbial community in the use of recalcitrant organic compounds. The Home-Field Advantage Index was reduced with the decomposition date (22% and 4% for 30 and 270 days, respectively). Discussion We observed that the importance of the coupling of litter quality and microbial activity depends on decomposition stage. At the early decomposition stage, the home-advantage hypothesis explained the mass loss of litter; however, in the advanced decomposition stage, the litter quality and the metabolic capacity of the microbial community can be the key drivers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:49:37Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c3c09f35667f4eafb1bd53247f910ad0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:49:37Z |
| publishDate | 2018-06-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-c3c09f35667f4eafb1bd53247f910ad02023-12-03T10:31:06ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592018-06-016e509510.7717/peerj.5095Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in MexicoBruno Chávez-Vergara0Agustín Merino1Antonio González-Rodríguez2Ken Oyama3Felipe García-Oliva4Instituto de Geología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de Mexico, MexicoEscuela Politécnica Superior, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Galicia, Spain Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, MexicoEscuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Unidad Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, MexicoInstituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Michoacán, MexicoBackground Litter decomposition is a key process in the functioning of forest ecosystems, because it strongly controls nutrient recycling and soil fertility maintenance. The interaction between the litter chemical composition and the metabolism of the soil microbial community has been described as the main factor of the decomposition process based on three hypotheses: substrate-matrix interaction (SMI), functional breadth (FB) and home-field advantage (HFA). The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of leaf litter quality (as a direct plant effect, SMI hypothesis), the metabolic capacity of the microbial community (as a legacy effect, FB hypothesis), and the coupling between the litter quality and microbial activity (HFA hypothesis) on the litter decomposition of two contiguous deciduous oak species at a local scale. Methods To accomplish this objective, we performed a litterbag experiment in the field for 270 days to evaluate mass loss, leaf litter quality and microbial activity in a complete factorial design for litter quality and species site. Results The litter of Quercus deserticola had higher rate of decomposition independently of the site, while the site of Quercus castanea promoted a higher rate of decomposition independently of the litter quality, explained by the specialization of the soil microbial community in the use of recalcitrant organic compounds. The Home-Field Advantage Index was reduced with the decomposition date (22% and 4% for 30 and 270 days, respectively). Discussion We observed that the importance of the coupling of litter quality and microbial activity depends on decomposition stage. At the early decomposition stage, the home-advantage hypothesis explained the mass loss of litter; however, in the advanced decomposition stage, the litter quality and the metabolic capacity of the microbial community can be the key drivers.https://peerj.com/articles/5095.pdfLitter decompositionQuercusDifferential Scaning Calorimetry13C NMREnzymatic activity |
| spellingShingle | Bruno Chávez-Vergara Agustín Merino Antonio González-Rodríguez Ken Oyama Felipe García-Oliva Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico PeerJ Litter decomposition Quercus Differential Scaning Calorimetry 13C NMR Enzymatic activity |
| title | Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico |
| title_full | Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico |
| title_fullStr | Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico |
| title_full_unstemmed | Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico |
| title_short | Direct and legacy effects of plant-traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in Mexico |
| title_sort | direct and legacy effects of plant traits control litter decomposition in a deciduous oak forest in mexico |
| topic | Litter decomposition Quercus Differential Scaning Calorimetry 13C NMR Enzymatic activity |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/5095.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT brunochavezvergara directandlegacyeffectsofplanttraitscontrollitterdecompositioninadeciduousoakforestinmexico AT agustinmerino directandlegacyeffectsofplanttraitscontrollitterdecompositioninadeciduousoakforestinmexico AT antoniogonzalezrodriguez directandlegacyeffectsofplanttraitscontrollitterdecompositioninadeciduousoakforestinmexico AT kenoyama directandlegacyeffectsofplanttraitscontrollitterdecompositioninadeciduousoakforestinmexico AT felipegarciaoliva directandlegacyeffectsofplanttraitscontrollitterdecompositioninadeciduousoakforestinmexico |