Temporal dynamics of climate sensitivity of litter decomposition in a semi-arid grassland

作者：Zhen Li, Fuwei Wang, Yue Wen, Chenglong Ye, Peng Wang, Tongshuo Bai, Xudong Gu, Liang Guo, Yunpeng Qiu, Yi Zhang, Yi Wang, Shuijin Hu · 发表于：Geoderma · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117157 · 被引用次数：10 · 研究领域：Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics、Peatlands and Wetlands Ecology、Climate change and permafrost

• Interactive effects of multi-climate change drivers on decomposition were studied. • Warming inhibited litter decomposition in the early stage (1–2 years) and promoted it in the later stage (3–4 years). • Increased precipitation significantly accelerated litter decomposition initially, but not in the later stages. • Temporal variations in temperature sensitivity were impacted by soil moisture and N addition. Climate warming, precipitation changes, and reactive nitrogen (N) input are important environmental changes that can critically affect litter decomposition and soil carbon (C) dynamics. However, it remains unclear whether and how their effects and/or relative contribution vary across different decomposition stages. We assessed the effects of warming, precipitation changes and N addition, alone and in combination, on litter loss at various stages of the decomposition process in a semi-arid grassland. We found that warming inhibited litter decomposition in the early stage (1–2 years) and promoted it in the later stage (3–4 years). The temperature sensitivity of decomposition was affected by both soil moisture and N addition. Increased precipitation significantly accelerated litter decomposition initially, but not in the later stages. In the litter-soil incubation experiment, we observed that high-quality litter, characterized by low carbohydrate C:methoxyl C (CC:MC) ratio and/or CN ratios, displayed greater sensitivity to changes in moisture. In comparison, low-quality li...