10.5061/DRYAD.RFJ6Q57CK
Wei, Bin
0000-0002-8516-3153
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zhang, Dianye
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Kou, Dan
University of Eastern Finland
Yang, Guibiao
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Liu, Futing
Chinese Academy of Forestry
Peng, Yunfeng
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yang, Yuanhe
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Decreased ultraviolet radiation and decomposer biodiversity inhibit litter
decomposition under continuous nitrogen inputs
Dryad
dataset
2022
FOS: Earth and related environmental sciences
2022-02-08T00:00:00Z
2022-02-08T00:00:00Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14015
54169 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition has altered biogeochemical cycles and
ecosystem functioning. As a key process involved in carbon and nutrient
cycles in terrestrial ecosystems, litter decomposition is sensitive to
external N inputs. However, it remains unclear how the interactions of
ultraviolet (UV) radiation, soil biodiversity (bacteria, fungi and
invertebrates) and conventional drivers (e.g., litter chemistry and
microbial activities) regulate the responses of litter decomposition to
continuous N inputs. Based on an N-addition experimental platform, we
conducted a two-year litter decomposition experiment to examine the
relative importance of N-induced changes in biotic and abiotic factors in
mediating changes in the decomposition rates of four litter types (three
representative species and their mixture) along an experimental N gradient
in a Tibetan alpine steppe. Our results showed that litter decomposition
rates exhibited a consistent decrease in response to N enrichment among
all species and their mixture. The slowed decomposition rates with
increasing N addition were associated with N-induced reductions in UV
radiation and soil bacterial diversity. An additional UV radiation
manipulative experiment further confirmed that photodegradation had strong
effects on plant litter decomposition at our study site. These results
demonstrated that N-induced declines in UV radiation and soil bacterial
diversity inhibited litter decomposition, challenging the traditional view
that changes in litter chemistry and microbial activities determine the
responses of litter decomposition to external N inputs.