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Effect of Temperature on the Intensity of the Biogenic Decomposition of Aspen Bark

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Abstract

Under temperate climatic conditions, temperature is a key abiotic factor that controls the decomposition of coarse woody debris including bark. Using aspen bark (AB), we have carried out a 12-month laboratory experiment at three contrasting temperatures (2, 12, and 22°C) and constant sufficient moisture to quantify the temperature effect on the decomposition rate (DecR) and decay constant (k) of aspen bark. The effect of temperature on the total loss of C–CO2 and changes in the chemical composition of AB throughout the experiment are also estimated. An increase in the incubation temperature from 2 to 12°C and from 12 to 22°C induces a similar increase in the average (over 12 months) value of the DecR: the Q10 values are 1.30 and 1.41 in these temperature intervals, respectively. The most significant effect of temperature on the DecR dynamics is revealed during the 1st and 2nd months of the experiment. The maximum losses of C–CO2 (284 ± 16 mg C g bark–1, or 55.2 ± 3.2% of the initial C content) are observed at 22°C. The decay constants of AB, calculated by the one-component exponential model, significantly increase with the growth of the incubation temperature: from 0.46 ± 0.01 yr–1 at 2°C to 1.02 ± 0.09 yr–1 at 22°C. Changes in the chemical composition of aspen bark due to the processes of biogenic decomposition include a significant reduction in the amount of alcohol-soluble organic compounds and cellulose to 18–32 and 41–57% of their initial amount, respectively. Lignin losses are less significant, being only 9–18% of their content in AB before the incubation. The quantitative changes in the chemical composition of aspen bark are similar at 2 and 12°C and less pronounced than those at 22°C, which may be explained by an increase in the growing activity of organisms, are actively involved in bark decomposition at 22°C.

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Funding

This study was performed under the State Assignment of the Puschino Biological Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, project no. AAAA-A18-118013190177-9, and State Assignment of the Karelian Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, and supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, project no. 19-04-01282a.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems of Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290, Pushchino, Russia

    I. N. Kurganova & V. O. Lopes de Gerenyu

  2. Forest Research Institute, Karelian Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, 185910, Petrozavodsk, Republic of Karelia, Russia

    N. A. Galibina & E. V. Shorohova

  3. St. Petersburg State Forestry University, 194021, St. Petersburg, Russia

    E. A. Kapitsa & E. V. Shorohova

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  1. I. N. Kurganova
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Kurganova, I.N., Lopes de Gerenyu, V.O., Galibina, N.A. et al. Effect of Temperature on the Intensity of the Biogenic Decomposition of Aspen Bark. Contemp. Probl. Ecol. 13, 663–673 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1995425520060086

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