Combined effects of litter features, UV radiation, and soil water on litter decomposition in denuded areas of the arid Patagonian Monte

CARRERA, A.L.; BERTILLER, M.B; BOSCO, T

PLANT AND SOIL

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2016 vol. 406 p. 71 - 82

0032-079X

We evaluated the combined effects oflitter type, UV radiation, and soil water on litter decomposition processes indenuded areas of the arid Patagonian Monte. Methods We conducted a manipulative experimentwith litterbags with litter dominated by evergreen shrubs (ES), and litterdominated by perennial grasses andevergreen shrubs (PG) placed onundisturbed upper soil blocks from denuded areas. We subjected soil blocks with litterbags to near ambient andattenuated UV radiation levels, and low and high soil water levels. We evaluated litter mass loss and changesin N, soluble phenolic and lignin contents during 420 days. Results PG litter decomposedfaster than ES litter, and UVradiation and soil water enhanced decomposition ofboth litter types. PG litter immobilized N while ES litter released N. Duringdecomposition, soluble phenolic content decreased while lignin content did notvary in both litter types. Conclusions Our resultshighlighted that abiotic and biotic controls differed between mass loss and Nrelease/ immobilization. We found additive effects of the studied factors onmass loss while litter chemistry controlled microbial N release orimmobilization from decaying litter. Further studies should explore the effectsof these factors on species or functional groups shifts in microorganismcommunities.