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Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Short- and long-term influence of litter quality and quantity on simulated heterotrophic soil respiration in a lowland tropical forest
AU - Brechet, Laetitia Magali
AU - Le Dantec, Valérie
AU - Ponton, Stéphane
AU - Goret, Jean-Yves
AU - Sayer, Emma Jane
AU - Bonal, Damien
AU - Freycon, Vincent
AU - Roy, Jacques
AU - Epron, Daniel
N1 - The final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10021-016-0104-x
PY - 2017/9
Y1 - 2017/9
N2 - Heterotrophic soil respiration (SRH) alone can contribute up to 50% of total ecosystem respiration in tropical forests. Whereas the abiotic controls of SRH have been extensively studied, the influence of plant traits is less well characterised. We used field experiments and a modelling approach to test the relative influence of plant traits on SRH in lowland tropical forest in French Guiana. We measured leaf- and root litter traits for five common tree species and conducted a root decomposition experiment to evaluate the influence of root chemistry on decay rates. We measured SRH in trenched plots and used our field measurements to parameterize and test the Century model of soil C dynamics. Overall, the Century model performed well in simulating SRH, and species-specific root decomposition in Century corresponded well to decomposition rates measured in situ. Root litter characterized by low lignin-to-nitrogen ratios decomposed more rapidly than low-quality root litter during the first 6 months. Model runs over different time scales revealed that litter quality substantially influenced SRH on an annual time-scale by determining the rates of root- and leaf litter decomposition. However, litter mass had an overriding influence on SRH over the longer term in 20-year model runs. Synthesis Using simple plant trait data to parameterise the Century model, we were able to accurately simulate changes in SRH in a lowland tropical forest. Our results suggest that this approach could be used to predict changes in tropical soil C dynamics under global change scenarios by including data on changes in plant productivity and C inputs to the soil (for example litterfall and root turnover).
AB - Heterotrophic soil respiration (SRH) alone can contribute up to 50% of total ecosystem respiration in tropical forests. Whereas the abiotic controls of SRH have been extensively studied, the influence of plant traits is less well characterised. We used field experiments and a modelling approach to test the relative influence of plant traits on SRH in lowland tropical forest in French Guiana. We measured leaf- and root litter traits for five common tree species and conducted a root decomposition experiment to evaluate the influence of root chemistry on decay rates. We measured SRH in trenched plots and used our field measurements to parameterize and test the Century model of soil C dynamics. Overall, the Century model performed well in simulating SRH, and species-specific root decomposition in Century corresponded well to decomposition rates measured in situ. Root litter characterized by low lignin-to-nitrogen ratios decomposed more rapidly than low-quality root litter during the first 6 months. Model runs over different time scales revealed that litter quality substantially influenced SRH on an annual time-scale by determining the rates of root- and leaf litter decomposition. However, litter mass had an overriding influence on SRH over the longer term in 20-year model runs. Synthesis Using simple plant trait data to parameterise the Century model, we were able to accurately simulate changes in SRH in a lowland tropical forest. Our results suggest that this approach could be used to predict changes in tropical soil C dynamics under global change scenarios by including data on changes in plant productivity and C inputs to the soil (for example litterfall and root turnover).
KW - Century model
KW - decomposition
KW - leaf litter
KW - fine roots
KW - heterotrophic soil respiration
KW - sensitivity analysis
KW - soil carbon dynamics
KW - plant traits
U2 - 10.1007/s10021-016-0104-x
DO - 10.1007/s10021-016-0104-x
M3 - Journal article
VL - 20
SP - 1190
EP - 1204
JO - Ecosystems
JF - Ecosystems
SN - 1432-9840
IS - 6
ER -