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

BOSCO, TOMÁS; BERTILLER, MÓNICA BEATRIZ; CARRERA, ANALÍA LORENA

PLANT AND SOIL

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2016

0032-079X

Aims: We evaluatedthe combined effects of litter type, UV radiation, and soil water on litterdecomposition processes in denuded areas of the arid Patagonian Monte. Methods: We conducteda manipulative experiment with litterbags with litter dominated by evergreenshrubs (ES), and litter dominated by perennial grasses and evergreen shrubs(PG) placed on undisturbed upper soil blocks from denuded areas. We subjectedsoil blocks with litterbags to near ambient and attenuated 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 decomposed faster than ES litter, and UV radiationand soil water enhanced decomposition of both litter types. PG litterimmobilized N while ES litter released N. During decomposition, solublephenolic content decreased while lignin content did not vary in both littertypes. Conclusions: Our results highlighted that abiotic and bioticcontrols differed between mass loss and N release/immobilization. We foundadditive effects of the studied factors on mass loss while litter chemistrycontrolled microbial N release or immobilization from decaying litter. Furtherstudies should explore the effects of these factors on species or functionalgroups shifts in microorganism communities.