The partitioning of litter carbon fates during decomposition under different rainfall patterns: a laboratory study

During litter decomposition, three major fates of litter carbon (C) are possible: emission as carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere, leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and translocation and transformation into soil organic carbon (SOC). Soil moisture, one of the key drivers of litter dec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biogeochemistry 2020-03, Vol.148 (2), p.153-168
Main Authors: Yang, Xu, Szlavecz, Katalin, Pitz, Scott L., Langley, J. Adam, Chang, Chih-Han
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmospheric models
Biogeosciences
Carbon 13
Carbon cycle
Carbon dioxide
Climate models
Decomposition
Dissolved organic carbon
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Ecosystems
Efflux
Environmental Chemistry
Extreme values
Extreme weather
Forest soils
Laboratories
Leachates
Leaching
Leaf litter
Life Sciences
Mesocosms
Organic soils
ORIGINAL PAPERS
Partitioning
Poplar
Priming
Rain
Rainfall
Rainfall intensity
Soil
Soil layers
Soil moisture
Soil surfaces
Soils
Temperate forests
Translocation
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Summary:During litter decomposition, three major fates of litter carbon (C) are possible: emission as carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the atmosphere, leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and translocation and transformation into soil organic carbon (SOC). Soil moisture, one of the key drivers of litter decomposition, is predicted to change in the future due to shifts in precipitation patterns. We explored the effects of low, medium and high rainfall intensities on the partitioning of litter carbon fates in a 6-month long laboratory experiment. We tracked carbon in ¹³C-labeled tulip poplar litter in a laboratory mesocosms by measuring respiration rates, dissolved organic carbon in the leachate, and soil organic carbon at the end of the experiment. Mesocosms with the same three rainfall intensities but without leaf litter were also set up. Leaching of labile carbon caused priming, but the effect was stronger in the low intensity treatment. Transport of litter-derived carbon also differed: in high intensity treatment there was more total carbon in the surface soil and more litter-derived carbon in in the deep soil layers. The cumulative CO₂ efflux was not significantly different. Our results highlight that extreme rainfall events, as projected by most climate models, may lead to altered carbon cycling in temperate forest soils.
ISSN:0168-2563
1573-515X
DOI:10.1007/s10533-020-00651-0