Manganese in the litter fall-forest floor continuum of boreal and temperate pine and spruce forest ecosystems – A review

• Published in: Forest ecology and management 2015-12, Vol.358, p.248-260
• Main Authors: Berg, Björn, Erhagen, Björn, Johansson, Maj-Britt, Nilsson, Mats, Stendahl, Johan, Trum, Florence, Vesterdal, Lars
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Carbon; Carbon dioxide; Climate; Concentration gradient; Coniferous; Decomposition; Ecosystems; Forest Science; Forestry; Forests; Fungi; Gradient; Gradient methods; Humus; Litter; Manganese; Nitrogen fertilizers; Norway spruce; Organic carbon; Picea; Picea abies; Pine; Pinus; Pinus sylvestris; Plants (botany); Review; Reviews; Scots pine; Skogsvetenskap; Soils
• ISSN: 0378-1127; 1872-7042; 1872-7042
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2015.09.021

•Manganese concentration in foliar litter fall is negatively related to MAT.•Manganese concentration in both natural foliar litter and litter after N fertilization appear to be negatively correlated.•Faster decomposition of lignified litter tissue with increasing Mn concentration.•Higher Mn concentration gives a more far-going decomposition – less stabilized residue, less carbon sequestered.•Manganese concentration in humus decreases with increasing MAT. We have reviewed the literature on the role of manganese (Mn) in the litter fall-to-humus subsystem. Available data gives a focus on North European coniferous forests. Manganese concentrations in pine (Pinus spp.) foliar litter are highly variable both spatially and temporally within the same litter species and for the genus Pinus we found a range from 0.03 to 3.7mgg−1. Concentrations were related negatively to site mean annual temperature (MAT) and annual actual evapotranspiration (AET) for pine species litter but not for that of Norway spruce (Picea abies) as a single species. Combined data for several species showed a highly significant relationship to MAT. Manganese peroxidase is an Mn-dependent enzyme, found in white-rot fungi, essential for the degradation of lignin and ligninlike compounds. The decomposition rates of lignified litter tissue (late phase) is positively related to the litter’s Mn concentration. Further, the Mn concentration is positively related to the limit value for decomposition – the higher the Mn concentration the smaller the stable litter fraction. Manganese release from decomposing litter appears at least in part to be species related. Thus was release from pine needle litter significantly faster (p