Abstract Leaf-litter is a significant source of biogenic Si, and differences among tree species in Si release rates during litter decomposition are important for quantifying Si cycles in forest ecosystems. We conducted two experiments to improve mechanistic understanding of Si release rates from dead leaves, using lowland tropical trees of Sarawak, Borneo. In the first experiment, we assessed Si leaching from leaf litter when they were shaken in water for four hours. In the second experiment, leaf litter samples were allowed to decompose in mesh bags in growth chambers for two months, in order to determine rates of decomposition and Si release, and to explore a relationship between decomposition rate and initial litter chemistry. Among the 12 species with large differences in initial leaf-litter Si concentration (0.72–80.0 mg Si g−1), Si leaching to water varied widely (0.04–0.16 mg Si g−1) and positively correlated with the initial Si concentration (R2 = 0.87; P

中文翻译：

---

落叶分解过程中热带树种硅释放率的多样性

摘要 凋落物是生物硅的重要来源，凋落物分解过程中树种间硅释放率的差异对于量化森林生态系统中的硅循环很重要。我们使用婆罗洲沙捞越的低地热带树木进行了两个实验，以提高对枯叶硅释放率的机械理解。在第一个实验中，我们评估了在水中摇动四小时后从落叶中浸出的硅。在第二个实验中，让凋落物样品在生长室的网袋中分解两个月，以确定分解率和 Si 释放率，并探索分解率与初始凋落物化学之间的关系。在凋落物初始 Si 浓度（0.72-80.0 mg Si g-1）差异较大的 12 个物种中，