Abstract
Abstract. Litters of reproductive organs have rarely been studied despite their role in allocating nutrients for offspring reproduction. This study determines the mechanism through which flower litters efficiently increase the available soil nutrient pool. Field experiments were conducted to collect plant litters and calculate biomass production in an alpine meadow of the eastern Tibetan Plateau. C, N, P, lignin, cellulose content, and their relevant ratios of litters were analyzed to identify their decomposition features. A pot experiment was performed to determine the effects of litter addition on the soil nutrition pool by comparing the treated and control samples. The litter-bag method was used to verify decomposition rates. The flower litters of phanerophyte plants were comparable with non-flower litters. Biomass partitioning of other herbaceous species accounted for 10–40 % of the aboveground biomass. Flower litter possessed significantly higher N and P levels but less C ∕ N, N ∕ P, lignin ∕ N, and lignin and cellulose concentrations than leaf litter. The litter-bag experiment confirmed that the flower litters of Rhododendron przewalskii and Meconopsis integrifolia decompose approximately 3 times faster than mixed litters within 50 days. Pot experiment findings indicated that flower litter addition significantly increased the available nutrient pool and soil microbial productivity. The time of litter fall significantly influenced soil available N and P, and soil microbial biomass. Flower litters fed the soil nutrition pool and influenced nutrition cycling in alpine ecosystems more efficiently because of their non-ignorable production, faster decomposition rate, and higher nutrient contents compared with non-flower litters. The underlying mechanism can enrich nutrients, which return to the soil, and non-structural carbohydrates, which feed and enhance the transitions of soil microorganisms.
Highlights
Plant properties directly affect the productivity and function of an ecosystem in a natural environment (Chapin et al, 1986; Chapin, 2003; Berendse and Aerts, 1987; Grime, 1998)
Neither of the flower litters of S. angustata or R. capitatum were significantly different compared with their non-flower litters (P > 0.05), the difference between the two remained noticeable, whose values were 28.03 ± 3.56 g m−2 vs. 13.21 ± 1.49 g m−2 for R. capitatum and 19.58 ± 3.50 g m−2 vs. 12.95 ± 0.61 g m−2 for S. angustata
The N / P of flower litter was significantly higher than that of leaf litter (8.42 ± 0.42, 11.60 ± 0.56; F = 20.62, P < 0.001). These findings indicated that flower litter can supply more P per unit N than leaf litter
Summary
Plant properties directly affect the productivity and function of an ecosystem in a natural environment (Chapin et al, 1986; Chapin, 2003; Berendse and Aerts, 1987; Grime, 1998). Plants continuously lose N and P in their entire life history and even during litter production and decomposition (Laungani and Knops, 2009; Richardson et al, 2009). Litter tends to be recalcitrant (Aerts, 1997), but reproductive tissues present chemical composition that differs from vegetative parts, resulting in a markedly faster decomposition and nutrient release, with repercussions for nutrient cycling and patchiness (Buxton and Marten, 1989; Lee et al, 2011). The rate of decay and concentrations of nutrients in the litter determine the rate of nutrient release, which creates a positive feedback to site fer-
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