Impact of litter quality and soil nutrient availability on leaf decomposition rate in a semi-arid grassland of Northeast China

It was hypothesized that litter with higher N concentration would decompose faster than that with lower N concentration and that increased soil nutrient availability would stimulate litter decomposition. To examine the interspecific differences in decomposition rate of leaf litter in relation with differences in litter chemistry and soil nutrient availability, senescent leaves of four species Pennisetum flaccidum, Artemisia scoparia, Chenopodium acuminatum and Cannabis sativa, and soil samples with different fertilization treatments (no fertilization, N, P, and N + P fertilizations, respectively) were collected from a sandy grassland in Northeast China and incubated under laboratory conditions. The decomposition rate of leaf litter was determined by measuring the CO₂ emission during decomposition of litter. We found remarkable interspecific differences in leaf decomposition rates. Moreover, rates of litter decomposition at different incubation stages were correlated with different litter quality indices. The rate of litter decomposition was positively correlated with initial litter N concentration in the initial stage of the incubation, whereas it was negatively correlated with litter N and P concentrations in the late stage. Responses of litter decomposition to soil nutrient availability differed among species. Our results suggest that both indirect changes in litter quality through shifts of species composition/dominance and direct changes in soil nutrient availability under nutrient addition conditions could affect litter decomposition and consequently C and nutrient cycling of grassland ecosystems.