Litter decomposition rates across tropical montane and lowland forests are controlled foremost by climate
Creators
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Ostertag, Rebecca1
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Restrepo, Carla2
- Abeim, Iveren3
- Aragón, Roxana4
- Ataroff, Michelle5
- Chapman, Hazel6
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Fadrique, Belen7
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González, Grizelle8
- Häger, Achim9
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Homeier, Jürgen10
- Llambí, Luis Daniel5
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Næsborg, Rikke Reese11
- Poma López, Laura Nohemy12
- Ramirez Correa, Jorge Andrés13
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Scharnagl, Klara14
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Tobón, Conrado15
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Dalling, James W.16
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Martin, Patrick H.17
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Abiem, Iveren3
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Aiba, Shin‐ichiro18
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Alvarez‐Dávila, Esteban19
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Cueva‐Agila, Augusta Y.20
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Fernández, Romina D.4
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Gotsch, Sybil G.11
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Iñiguez‐Armijos, Carlos21
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Moore, Georgianne W.22
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Pompeu, Patrícia Vieira23
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Powell, Jennifer R.24
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Williams, Cameron B.11
- 1. University of Hawaii at Hilo
- 2. University of Puerto Rico System
- 3. University of Jos
- 4. National University of Tucumán
- 5. Universidad de Los Andes
- 6. University of Canterbury
- 7. University of Leeds
- 8. US Forest Service
- 9. Leiden University
- 10. Nephrologisches Zentrum Goettingen
- 11. Franklin & Marshall College
- 12. Universidad Nacional de Loja
- 13. University of Cauca
- 14. University of California, Berkeley
- 15. National University of Colombia
- 16. University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign
- 17. University of Denver
- 18. Hokkaido University
- 19. Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia
- 20. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador
- 21. Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja
- 22. Texas A&M University
- 23. Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso
- 24. Cloudbridge Nature Reserve*
Description
The "hierarchy of factors" hypothesis states that decomposition rates are controlled primarily by climatic, followed by biological and soil variables. Tropical montane forests (TMF) are globally important ecosystems, yet there have been limited efforts to provide a biome-scale characterization of litter decomposition. We designed a common litter decomposition experiment replicated in 23 tropical montane sites across the Americas, Asia, and Africa and combined these results with a previous study of 23 sites in tropical lowland forests (TLF). Specifically, we investigated (1) spatial heterogeneity in decomposition, (2) the relative importance of biological factors that affect leaf and wood decomposition in TMF and, (3) the role of climate in determining leaf litter decomposition rates within and across the TMF and TLF biomes. Litterbags of two mesh sizes containing Laurus nobilis leaves or birchwood popsicle sticks were spatially dispersed and incubated in TMF sites, for 3 and 7 months on the soil surface and at 10-15 cm depth. The within-site replication demonstrated spatial variability in mass loss. Within TMF, litter type was the predominant biological factor influencing decomposition (leaves > wood), with mesh and burial effects playing a minor role. When comparing across TMF and TLF, climate was the predominant control over decomposition, but the Yasso07 global model (based on mean annual temperature and precipitation) only modestly predicted decomposition rate. Differences in controlling factors between biomes suggest that TMF, with their high rates of carbon storage, must be explicitly considered when developing theory and models to elucidate carbon cycling rates in the tropics.
Notes
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Additional details
Related works
- Is cited by
- 10.1111/btp.13044 (DOI)
- 10.1111/btp.13044 (DOI)