Decomposition of tree leaf litters grown under elevated CO2: Effect of litter quality

Abstract

Ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.), sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) and Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr.) leaf litters were monitored for decomposition rates and nutrient release in a laboratory microcosm experiment. Litters were derived from solar domes where plants had been exposed to two different CO2 regimes: ambient (350 μL L-1 CO2) and enriched (600 μL L-1 CO2). Elevated CO2 significantly affected some of the major litter quality parameters, with lower N, higher lignin concentrations and higher ratios of C/N and lignin/N for litters derived from enriched CO2. Respiration rates of the deciduous species were significantly decreased for litters grown under elevated CO2, and reductions in mass loss at the end of the experiment were generally observed in litters derived from the 600 ppm CO2 treatment. Nutrient mineralization, dissolved organic carbon, and pH in microcosm leachates did not differ significantly between the two CO2 treatments for any of the species studied. Litter quality parameters were examined for correlations with cumulative respiration and decomposition rates: N concentration, C/N and lignin/N ratios showed the highest correlations, with differences between litter types. The results indicate that higher C storage will occur in soil as a consequence of litter quality changes resulting from higher atmospheric concentrations of CO2.