Decomposition Characteristics and Interaction of Mixed Leaf Litter Mixtures of Pinus koraiensis and Quercus mongolica in Original Broadleaved-Korean Pine Forest.
Abstract:We studied litter decomposition within mesh bag in original broadleavedKorean pine forest by simulating possible forest litter composition proportion of Pinus koraiensis koraiensis(P) and Quercus mongolica(M)(P; M/P1∶3; M/P1∶1; M/P 3∶1 and M) during the succession process. We clarified the decomposition characteristics, mechanism and the interaction of the mixed litter of two species(P.koraiensis and Q.mongolica) with different composition proportion and mixing effects by using decomposition bag method. The decomposition speeds of the mixed litter of two species were faster than those of pure P.koraiensis and pure Q.mongolica leaf litter, which indicated that the mixing of P.koraiensis and Q.mongolica leaf litter accelerated the decomposition compared to the single-species leaf litter. The fastest decomposition rate was in the composition proportion of the mixed litter of M/P1∶3, and the rate of the mixed decomposition decreased first and then increased with the increasing of Q.mongolica in the mixed litter. For C and N dynamics, litter C showed release model in the all treatments; however, the litter N appeared complex manifestations. N was accumulated in P.koraiensis, while released in Q.mongolica during the whole observation period. Q.mongolica litter could accelerate C release and N enrichment in P.koraiensis litter and then reduced the C/N ratio in P.koraiensis litter. The P.koraiensis litter have a positive effect on C release of Q.mongolica, but no significant effect on N release of Q.mongolica. There was no consistent effect of P.koraiensis litter on C/N ratio of Q.mongolica litter.