Temporal variation of litter decomposition in relation to simulated soil climate. Long-term decomposition in a Scots pine forest. V

Abstract

Decomposition of Scots pine needle litter was studied in a Scots pine forest in central Sweden. A 6-year series with annual incubations of needle litter was used to analyse the climatic influence on the process. The original litter was of similar chemical properties between years and each year new litter was incubated, in the same way, in the autumn. Sampling took place at time intervals ranging from 1 month to 1 year. Soil climate variables such as temperature and water contents and tensions were calculated with a soil water and heat model from standard meteorological data. Decomposition rates from periods longer than 145 days were correlated with different soil climatic factors. The responses for the 1st and 2nd incubation years were not significantly different, but higher coefficients of determination (r²) were found for the 2nd year. Estimated actual evapotranspiration or soil temperature explained temporal variation of decomposition to about 70%; soil water content only or soil water tension only explained 90%. When moisture and temperature were combined, 95 and 99% of the variation could be explained for the 1st and 2nd year, respectively. When time periods down to 1 month were included, very poor fits were found with the same climate response functions. However, the relationships were improved by an inertia function which indicated a time lag of 2–3 months between soil climate and the response in decomposition rate.