학술논문
Mechanical fragmentation of leaf litter by fine root growth contributes greatly to the early decomposition of leaf litter
Document Type
article
Author
Source
Global Ecology and Conservation, Vol 26, Iss , Pp e01456- (2021)
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2351-9894
Abstract
Understory plant root proliferation into the litter layer occurs in many forest ecosystems and dramatically accelerates litter decomposition and nutrient release in the early stages. Mechanical fragmentation of leaf litter by fine roots could be one main reason, but its mechanism is poorly understood. To quantitatively assess the influence of fine roots on the mechanical fragmentation of leaf litter in the early decomposition process, we examined the effects of fine root mass of Lolium multiflorum on morphological and physical characteristics of decomposing litters of Symplocos setchuensis, a dominant species in a mid-subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest of China, via a litter bag simulation experiment. The results showed that there were various fine root growth forms in/on decomposing litters, including the penetration and tearing of leaf epidermis, and the “walking or inserting” between the mesophyll tissue and the leaf veins. Fine root mass had a significant positive effect on the mass loss during litter decomposition (F = 8.543, P