Effect of woody plant expansion on decomposition of fine root mixtures in a grass-dominated temperate wetland

Abstract

Little is known about the effect of woody plant expansion on decomposition of root mixtures in grass-dominant temperate wetlands. Here, we collected fine roots (< 1 mm) of Deyeuxia angustifolia (grass) and Betula fruticosa (shrub) from a freshwater wetland in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeast China, and decomposition rates of their monocultures and mixtures (with 2:1 and 1:2 mass ratios) were determined by measuring carbon (C) mineralization and mass loss with a 365 days incubation experiment. Meanwhile, litter mixing effects were assessed by the differences in observed decomposition rates of root mixtures and predicted values based on the performance of component species decomposing alone. Betula fruticosa fine roots had higher N, total polyphenol, and condensed tannin concentrations than D. angustifolia fine roots. By the end of incubation, B. fruticosa fine roots generally had greater C mineralization rate and mass loss than the other three root treatments. Notably, both C mineralization rate and mass loss were lower than the expected values in the B. fruticosa-dominant mixture, whereas there were no significant differences between observed and expected values in the D. angustifolia-dominant mixture. Our findings imply that the increase in woody plant abundance will exert influences on fine root decomposition rates through altered substrate quality and litter mixing effects in grass-dominated temperate wetlands.