Global spectra of plant litter carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and returning amounts

Litter decomposition is a key ecological process that determines carbon (C) and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The initial concentrations of C and nutrients in litter play a critical role in this process, yet the global patterns of litter initial concentrations of C, nitrogen (N) and ph...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Yuan, Ji|||0000-0002-8431-7341, Wu, Fuzhong|||0000-0003-0411-5908, Peng, Changhui|||0000-0002-6723-1343, Peñuelas, Josep|||0000-0002-7215-0150, Vallicrosa Pou, Helena|||0000-0002-5860-3096, Sardans i Galobart, Jordi|||0000-0003-2478-0219, Peng, Yan, Wu, Qiqian|||0000-0002-4371-6303, Li, Zimin|||0000-0002-6377-2636, Heděnec, Petr|||0000-0002-9425-8525, Li, Zhijie, Tan, Siyi, Yuan, Chaoxiang, Ni, Xiangyin|||0000-0002-2507-3463, Yue, Kai|||0000-0002-7709-8523
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Repositorio:Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddd.uab.cat:290766
Acceso en línea:https://ddd.uab.cat/record/290766
https://dx.doi.org/urn:doi:10.1111/1365-2745.14250
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Carbon cycle
Global map
Leaf litter
Lifeform
Machine learning
Mycorrhizal association
Descripción
Sumario:Litter decomposition is a key ecological process that determines carbon (C) and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. The initial concentrations of C and nutrients in litter play a critical role in this process, yet the global patterns of litter initial concentrations of C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are poorly understood. - We employed machine learning with a global database to quantitatively assess the global patterns and drivers of leaf litter initial C, N and P concentrations, as well as their returning amounts (i.e. amounts returned to soils). - The medians of litter C, N and P concentrations were 46.7, 1.1, and 0.1%, respectively, and the medians of litter C, N and P returning amounts were 1.436, 0.038 and 0.004 Mg ha-1 year-1, respectively. Soil and climate emerged as the key predictors of leaf litter C, N and P concentrations. Predicted global maps showed that leaf litter N and P concentrations decreased with latitude, while C concentration exhibited an opposite pattern. Additionally, the returning amounts of leaf litter C, N and P all declined from the equator to the poles in both hemispheres. - Synthesis: Our results provide a quantitative assessment of the global concentrations and returning amounts of leaf litter C, N and P, which showed new light on the role of leaf litter in global C and nutrients cycling.