INVESTIGADORES
MORENO maria laura
artículos
Título:
Edge and herbivory effects on leaf litter decomposability in a subtropical dry forest
Autor/es:
MORENO MARÍA LAURA; ROSSETTI, MARÍA ROSA; PERÉZ-HARGUINDEGUY NATALIA; VALLADARES, GRACIELA
Revista:
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Editorial:
SPRINGER TOKYO
Referencias:
Lugar: Tokyo; Año: 2017
ISSN:
0912-3814
Resumen:
It is increasingly recognized that understandingthe functional consequences of landscape change requiresknowledge of aboveground and belowgroundprocesses and their interactions. For this reason, weprovide novel information addressing insect herbivoryand edge effects on litter quality and decomposition infragmented subtropical dry forests in central Argentina.Using litter from Croton lachnostachyus (a commonshrub species in the region) in a decomposition bedexperiment, we evaluated whether litter quality (carbonand nitrogen content; carbon: nitrogen ratio) anddecomposability (percentage of remaining dry weight)differ between litter from forest interiors or edges (origin)and with or without herbivory (damaged/undamagedleaves). We found that edge/interior origin had astrong effect on leaf litter quality (mainly on carboncontent), while herbivory was associated with a smallerincrease in nitrogen content. Herbivore damage increasedleaf litter decomposability, but this effect wasrelated to origin during the initial period of litter incubation.Overall, undamaged leaf litter from the forestedge showed the lowest decomposability, whereasdamaged leaf litter decomposed at rates similar to thoseobserved in litter from the forest interior. The interactingedge and herbivory effects on leaf litter quality anddecomposability shown in our study are important becauseof the increasing dominance of forest edges inhuman-modified landscapes and the profound effect ofleaf litter decomposition on nutrient cycling.