Empirical evidence that manganese enrichment accelerates decomposition

doi:10.1016/j.apsoil.2021.104148

Applied Soil Ecology

Volume 168, December 2021, 104148

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2021.104148 Get rights and content

Highlights

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Asymptotic decomposition model best fits the long-term mass loss data.
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Initial Mn concentrations were strongly correlated with values of asymptote.
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Mn fertilization remarkably promoted lignin decay.
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Mn fertilization decreased the fraction of slowly decomposing litter.
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Mn in the plant-soil system may have a profound impact on decomposition.

Abstract

Our understanding of the controls regulating the rate of litter decomposition is important for improving confidence in the parameterization of carbon cycle–climate feedbacks. Traditional conceptual models rely primarily on climate and lignin/N ratios as the main regulators of decomposition. Here we studied the effects of manganese (Mn) addition on long-term decomposition across 18 substrates in a laboratory incubation. Mn addition remarkably promoted later stage of decomposition, resulting into a smaller fraction of slowly decomposing litter. This dynamic is closely associated with the changes of activities of manganese peroxidase, an important enzyme with greater capacity for lignin degradation. Our findings suggest the necessity of incorporating the interaction of Mn and decomposition into biogeochemical models.

Section snippets

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Acknowledgements

We thank Luning Wen and Pengyu Ma for helping to analyze manganese peroxidase. The funding for this research was supported by the State Key Program of China (2016YFD0300904), National Science Foundation of China (32022054, 31971531 and 41807388), Instrument Developing Project of CAS (YJKYYQ20190079), and Youth Innovation Promotion Association of CAS (2019198), Type A project of the special pilot program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences: Soil productivity recovery and crop yield improvement in

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Manganese indicates root decomposition rates across soil layer, root order, and tree species: Evidence from a subtropical forest
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Different spatial locations provide different external conditions for root decomposition, while species and root order cause obvious differences in root substrate quality. Both differences in internal and external conditions may determine root decomposition rate. We explored the effects of decomposition position, root order, and species differences on root decomposition, and determined the role of manganese (Mn) in root decomposition. We conducted a fine root decomposition experiment using roots from Schima superba, Cleyera japonica, and Eurya loquaiana (separated into orders 1−3, 4−5, and 6) in the litter layer, and at 0−10 cm, 20−30 cm, and 40−50 cm soil depth in a subtropical forest. Root mass and concentration of C, N, P, Mn, condensed tannins and total phenolics were measured during two years of decomposition. Root decomposition rates decreased with increasing soil depth for all root samples. Compared to decomposition at 0−10 cm soil depth, remaining mass (% of initial) declined by 7%–34% in the litter layer and increased by 17%–37% at 40−50 cm soil depth. Lower-order roots had a higher decomposition rate than higher-order roots in the litter layer, but at 40−50 cm soil depth, we observed the opposite. Root litter Mn concentration and remaining mass were negatively correlated during the whole decomposition period including the early, middle, and late stages. Initial root Mn content was negatively correlated with remaining mass after two years of decomposition in the litter layer, and at 20−30 cm, 40−50 cm soil depth. However, no significant relationship between mass remaining and initial root N, P, condensed tannins and total phenolics were observed in the subsoil. Variance partitioning showed that the soil layer contributes significantly to the variance in remaining root mass, C, and Mn, whereas root order group contributed more than the soil layer to remaining root N and P. Our results indicate that soil depth is more important than root order for fine root decomposition rate at a site scale. Relative root decomposition rate between lower- and higher-order roots depends on the decomposition environment. Overall, this study strongly suggests that root Mn concentration (whether in initial or other decomposition stages) was much more consistently correlated with mass remaining than traditional predictors of N, P, condensed tannins, or total phenolics. Root Mn concentration greatly indicates root decomposition rates across soil layers, root orders, and species. Initial root Mn concentration and Mn supply capacity of the decomposition environment jointly control root decomposition rates throughout the decomposition process.
Manganese effects on plant residue decomposition and carbon distribution in soil fractions depend on soil nitrogen availability
2023, Soil Biology and Biochemistry
Recent studies have highlighted the critical role of manganese (Mn) in plant litter decomposition and soil organic carbon (C) cycling in forest ecosystems. Long term nitrogen (N) deposition and N fertilization can increase soil acidity and mobilize bioavailable Mn (Mn²⁺) in soil. However, no studies have examined the interactive effect of N and Mn fertilization on litter decomposition and carbon distribution in agricultural soils, despite agroecosystems being subject to both N and Mn management. We hypothesized that increased soil N and Mn availability would accelerate plant residue decomposition and transfer of its C to mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM), and that the combined effect of Mn and N enrichment would be greater than the individual effect. We conducted a laboratory incubation experiment by adding ¹³C-labeled residue of perennial grass Glyceria striata (Lam.) to agricultural soils that had received 225 kg N ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ for 27 years (N₁) and comparable soils that received no N (N₀). Before the experiment, these soils also received three levels of dissolved Mn²⁺, designated M₀ (no additional Mn), M₁ (50 mg kg⁻¹), or M₂ (250 mg kg⁻¹). We measured total CO₂ production as well as distribution of ¹³C from the residue into CO₂, particulate organic matter (POM), MAOM, and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) over a 1-year period. Manganese amendments significantly increased CO₂ production from residue decomposition in the N₁ soil, but no such effect was observed in the N₀ soil. Manganese also accelerated the loss of residue-derived C from POM and DOC, but increased its recovery in MAOM. However, the positive effect of added Mn in decomposition and recovery in MAOM in the presence of N fertilization occurred only during the initial 30-day decomposition period, where M₂ showed a 12% increase in cumulative CO₂ production from residue, 8% increase in POM loss, and 43% increase in recovery of residue C in MAOM compared to M₀. For M_1, only CO₂ emission from residue was significantly higher than Mo during this period. At 365 days M₂ showed 8% increase in CO₂ production, 1% increase in POM loss, and 16% increase in recovery of residue C in MAOM compared to M_0, but none of these were statistically significant (p < 0.05). This study adds to the growing evidence that increasing Mn availability enhances plant litter decomposition. However, the occurrence and magnitude of Mn-induced stimulation of decomposition is context specific. Further investigation with greater temporal resolution, involving a multitude of litter and soil types and including microbial compositional and functional characterization, is recommended to fully elucidate the interactive role of Mn and N on C cycling.
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Dead Wood Elements Composition in Different Tree Species and Stages of Decay in the Broad-Leaved Forests of the Kaluzhskie Zaseki Reserve
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¹: Denotes equal contribution.

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Short CommunicationEmpirical evidence that manganese enrichment accelerates decomposition

Highlights

Abstract

Section snippets

Declaration of competing interest

Acknowledgements

Soil Biol. Biochem.

For. Ecol. Manag.

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Soil Biol. Biochem.

Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems: a triangular relationship

Oikos

Decomposition and nutrient dynamics of litter in long-term optimum nutrition experiments. I. Organic matter decomposition in Norway spruce (Picea abies)

Scand. J. For. Res.

Maximum decomposition limits of forest floor litter types: a synthesis

Can. J. Bot.

Factors influencing limit values for pine needle litter decomposition: a synthesis for boreal and temperate pine forest systems

Biogeochemistry

Understanding the dominant controls on litter decomposition

J. Ecol.

A test of the hierarchical model of litter decomposition

Nat. Ecol. Evol.

Short Communication
Empirical evidence that manganese enrichment accelerates decomposition