Leaf habit of tree species does not strongly predict leaf litter decomposition but alters climate-decomposition relationships

Abstract

Leaf habit of tree species (evergreen versus deciduous) is proposed to be an important determinant of leaf litter decomposition, but it remains largely understudied as to how climatic regulation of litter decomposition differs between leaf habits. We isolated the relative role of climate and leaf habit in leaf litter decomposition by investigating the latitudinal pattern of leaf litter decomposition for Chinese broad-leaved tree species. Litter decomposition rate decreased with latitude, which was largely driven by mean annual temperature (MAT). Evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved tree species shared similar decomposition rate where they coexisted. Leaf litter decomposition of evergreen broad-leaved tree species was more sensitive to MAT than that of the deciduous species, whereas leaf litter decomposition of the deciduous trees was more sensitive than that of the evergreen to mean annual precipitation. Climatic variables explained more variation in leaf litter decomposition than did leaf habit alone. Our findings support the conventional paradigm that climate is a dominant regulator of leaf litter decomposition over broad geographical scales, notwithstanding recent studies calling into question this paradigm. While leaf habit alone does not predict leaf litter decomposition very well where both evergreen and deciduous species coexisted, the direction and strength of shift in leaf litter decomposition diverged between leaf habits across the climatic gradient. These findings underscore the urgent need to consider the impacts of changes in leaf habits when predicting leaf litter decomposition in response to climate change.