Plant litter decomposition is regulated by its phosphorus content in the short term and soil enzymes in the long term
Plant litter decomposition plays a vital role in soil carbon (C) cycling and nutrient release, significantly influencing agricultural resource utilization and soil fertility management. Litter quality—defined by its C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents, as well as C:N:P stoichiometry—is a ke...
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Elsevier
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Geoderma |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125001211 |
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| author | Xiu Liu Congyue Tou Jingjie Zhou Ji Chen Wolfgang Wanek David R. Chadwick Davey L. Jones Lianghuan Wu Qingxu Ma |
| author_facet | Xiu Liu Congyue Tou Jingjie Zhou Ji Chen Wolfgang Wanek David R. Chadwick Davey L. Jones Lianghuan Wu Qingxu Ma |
| author_sort | Xiu Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plant litter decomposition plays a vital role in soil carbon (C) cycling and nutrient release, significantly influencing agricultural resource utilization and soil fertility management. Litter quality—defined by its C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents, as well as C:N:P stoichiometry—is a key factor regulating its decomposition. However, the influence of litter C:P ratios on plant litter decomposition, particularly in relation to changes in soil C:N:P stoichiometry, microbial biomass, and extracellular enzyme activities, remains unclear, especially in agroecosystems. In this study, the effects of litter C:P ratios on its decomposition were investigated using 13C-labeled plant litter with naturally occurring gradients of C:P ratios (ranging from 377 to 1,288) in an 84-day incubation experiment. After 84 days, cumulative 13CO2 emissions derived from litter accounted for approximately 50 % of total CO2 emissions. Litter with higher P content increased 13CO2 emissions, whereas higher litter C:P ratios suppressed emissions, indicating that litter with lower C:P ratios decomposed more rapidly in the short-term (14 days). In contrast, elevated soil exoenzymatic C:P and N:P ratios stimulated 13CO2 emissions during long-term decomposition (84 days). These findings suggest that litter P content primarily regulates short-term decomposition, while soil enzyme activity plays a key role in long-term decomposition. Overall, this study highlights the pivotal role of P limitation in litter decomposition, particularly in the early stages, and underscores the potential benefits of P fertilization in enhancing decomposition rates, thereby improving resource efficiency and soil fertility in agroecosystems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-da032de665464a49800f2313e5af8b7c |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1872-6259 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geoderma |
| spelling | doaj-art-da032de665464a49800f2313e5af8b7c2025-08-20T02:19:48ZengElsevierGeoderma1872-62592025-05-0145711728310.1016/j.geoderma.2025.117283Plant litter decomposition is regulated by its phosphorus content in the short term and soil enzymes in the long termXiu Liu0Congyue Tou1Jingjie Zhou2Ji Chen3Wolfgang Wanek4David R. Chadwick5Davey L. Jones6Lianghuan Wu7Qingxu Ma8Ministry of Education Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaMinistry of Education Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaInnovation Center for Saline-alkali Land Comprehensive Utilization, China National Rice Research Institute, Hangzhou 310006, ChinaState Key Laboratory of Loess and Quaternary Geology, Institute of Earth Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xi’an 710061, ChinaDivision of Terrestrial Ecosystem Research, Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Center of Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, A-1030 Vienna, AustriaSchool of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UKSchool of Environmental and Natural Sciences, Bangor University, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UKMinistry of Education Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, ChinaMinistry of Education Key Lab of Environmental Remediation and Ecosystem Health, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Agricultural Resources and Environment, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; Corresponding author.Plant litter decomposition plays a vital role in soil carbon (C) cycling and nutrient release, significantly influencing agricultural resource utilization and soil fertility management. Litter quality—defined by its C, nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) contents, as well as C:N:P stoichiometry—is a key factor regulating its decomposition. However, the influence of litter C:P ratios on plant litter decomposition, particularly in relation to changes in soil C:N:P stoichiometry, microbial biomass, and extracellular enzyme activities, remains unclear, especially in agroecosystems. In this study, the effects of litter C:P ratios on its decomposition were investigated using 13C-labeled plant litter with naturally occurring gradients of C:P ratios (ranging from 377 to 1,288) in an 84-day incubation experiment. After 84 days, cumulative 13CO2 emissions derived from litter accounted for approximately 50 % of total CO2 emissions. Litter with higher P content increased 13CO2 emissions, whereas higher litter C:P ratios suppressed emissions, indicating that litter with lower C:P ratios decomposed more rapidly in the short-term (14 days). In contrast, elevated soil exoenzymatic C:P and N:P ratios stimulated 13CO2 emissions during long-term decomposition (84 days). These findings suggest that litter P content primarily regulates short-term decomposition, while soil enzyme activity plays a key role in long-term decomposition. Overall, this study highlights the pivotal role of P limitation in litter decomposition, particularly in the early stages, and underscores the potential benefits of P fertilization in enhancing decomposition rates, thereby improving resource efficiency and soil fertility in agroecosystems.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125001211Initial litter C:N:P ratio13C-labeled plant litterC:N:P stoichiometryMicrobial P limitationPlant litter decomposition |
| spellingShingle | Xiu Liu Congyue Tou Jingjie Zhou Ji Chen Wolfgang Wanek David R. Chadwick Davey L. Jones Lianghuan Wu Qingxu Ma Plant litter decomposition is regulated by its phosphorus content in the short term and soil enzymes in the long term Geoderma Initial litter C:N:P ratio 13C-labeled plant litter C:N:P stoichiometry Microbial P limitation Plant litter decomposition |
| title | Plant litter decomposition is regulated by its phosphorus content in the short term and soil enzymes in the long term |
| title_full | Plant litter decomposition is regulated by its phosphorus content in the short term and soil enzymes in the long term |
| title_fullStr | Plant litter decomposition is regulated by its phosphorus content in the short term and soil enzymes in the long term |
| title_full_unstemmed | Plant litter decomposition is regulated by its phosphorus content in the short term and soil enzymes in the long term |
| title_short | Plant litter decomposition is regulated by its phosphorus content in the short term and soil enzymes in the long term |
| title_sort | plant litter decomposition is regulated by its phosphorus content in the short term and soil enzymes in the long term |
| topic | Initial litter C:N:P ratio 13C-labeled plant litter C:N:P stoichiometry Microbial P limitation Plant litter decomposition |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016706125001211 |
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