Carbon input belowground is the major C flux contributing to leaf litter mass loss: Evidences from a 13C labelled-leaf litter experiment
Abstract
Partitioning of the quantities of C lost by leaf litter through decomposition into (i) CO2 efflux to the atmosphere and (ii) C input to soil organic matter (SOM) is essential in order to develop a deeper understanding of the litter-soil biogeochemical continuum. However, this is a challenging task due to the occurrence of many different processes contributing to litter biomass loss. With the aim of quantifying different fluxes of C lost by leaf litter decomposition, a field experiment was performed at a short rotation coppice poplar plantation in central Italy. Populus nigra leaf litter, enriched in 13C (δ13C approximately +160 per thousand) was placed within collars to decompose in direct contact with the soil (δ13C approximately −26 per thousand) for 11 months. CO2 efflux from within the collars and its isotopic composition were determined at monthly intervals. After 11 months, remaining litter and soil profiles (0–20 cm) were sampled and analysed for their total C and 13C content. Gas chromatography (GC), GC–mass spectrometry (MS) and GC-combustion-isotope ratio (GC/C/IRMS) were used to analyse phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) extracted from soil samples to identify the groups of soil micro-organisms that had incorporated litter-derived C and to determine the quantity of C incorporated by the soil microbial biomass (SMB). By the end of the experiment, the litter had lost about 80% of its original weight. The fraction of litter C lost as an input into the soil (67 ± 12% of the total C loss) was found to be twice as much as the fraction released as CO2 to the atmosphere (30 ± 3%), thus demonstrating the importance of quantifying litter-derived C input to soils, in litter decomposition studies. The mean δ13C values of PLFAs in soil (δ13C = −12.5 per thousand) showed sustained incorporation of litter-derived C after one year (7.8 ± 1.6% of total PLFA-C). Thus, through the application of stable 13C isotope analyses, we have quantified two major C fluxes contributing to litter decomposition, at macroscopic and microscopic levels.
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Decomposition rates established by using litter bags underestimate the flux of carbon from residues to soil pools, as shown for Miscanthus and poplar.
“The decomposition rates established by using litter bags will underestimate the flux of C from the residues to the soil pools, as shown for Miscanthus [108] and poplar [78, 109].”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
The use of isotopic methods gives a much better account for the in situ complexity of soil systems.
“The use of isotopic methods gives a much better account for the in situ complexity of soil systems [109].”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
Carbon losses in litter bags may be solely a function of microbial respiration, and other fundamental soil processes affecting turnover such as adsorption to clay and occlusion within the soil matrix were not accounted for.
“C losses may be solely a function of microbial respiration within the litter bag [109], and other fundamental soil processes affecting turnover, such as adsorption to clay and occlusion within the soil matrix [35, 121], were not accounted for.”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
In short-rotation woody crop systems, only 15-18% of original mass was lost from litter bags over 8 months, while a loss of 80% of the same litter was estimated during an 11-month period using 13C-labelled material.
“In SRWC systems, similar discrepancies due to experimental procedures occur: Only 15–18 % of the original mass was lost from litter bags over 8 months [78], whilst a loss of 80 % of the same litter was estimated during an 11-month period using 13C-labelled material [109].”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
These losses translated into mean residence times about four times longer (4.3-5.3 years) than those determined from isotope ratios (1.15 years) and about twice those calculated when accounting for the 10°C difference in incubation temperatures.
“These losses translated into MRTs about four times longer (4.3–5.3 years) than those determined from isotope ratios (1.15 years) and about twice those calculated when accounting for the 10 °C difference in incubation temperatures.”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
It is difficult to estimate in situ litter decomposition in both short-rotation woody crops and herbaceous crops.
“It is difficult to estimate in situ litter decomposition, both in SRWC [78, 109] and in HCG [108].”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
A small number of studies using isotopes, model systems and field sampling allow scaling of mean residence times to in situ rates.
“However, a small number of studies using isotopes [109], model systems [110, 111] and field sampling [32, 81, 82] allow their scaling to in situ rates.”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
Within the short-rotation coppice data, there is more quantitative evidence from poplar than for willow.
“Within the SRC data, there is more quantitative evidence from poplar [60, 72, 78, 79, 99, 109] than for willow [58, 111, 131].”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
Decomposition rates of LC residues can vary with temperature, or through interaction between temperature and recalcitrance, which could depend on their chemical composition.
“Decomposition rates of LC residues can vary with temperature, or through interaction between temperature and ‘recalcitrance’, which could depend on their chemical composition [4, 109].”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
Simulations were greatly improved when decomposition rates were calibrated using labelled C measurements and applied to experimental evidence for poplar litter.
“Simulations were greatly improved when decomposition rates were calibrated using labelled C measurements [173–175] and applied to the experimental evidence presented for poplar litter [78, 109].”
From Carbon Sequestration by Perennial Energy Crops: Is the Jury Still Out? (2015) · cites this paper as [109]
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- Authors
- Rubino, M., Dungait, J. A. J., Evershed, R. P., Bertolini, T., De Angelis, P., D’Onofrio, A., Lagomarsino, A., Lubritto, C., Merola, A., & Terrasi, F.
- Affiliations
- University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (IT)
- University of Bristol (GB)
- Università degli Studi della Tuscia (IT)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Soil Biology and Biochemistry
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-07
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 1009-1016
- ISSN
- 0038-0717 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2072159772
- Cited by
- 166
- References
- 55
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 15.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Soil Biology and Biochemistry (publishedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (publishedVersion)
- Rothamsted Repository (Rothamsted Repository) (submittedVersion)
- UnitusOpen (Tuscia University) (submittedVersion)
- Archivio Istituzionale della Ricerca - Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli" (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Natural Environment Research Council (lsmsf010001)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Environmental and biological studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil erosion and sediment transport
- Keywords
- leaf litter decomposition, carbon flux, soil organic matter, CO2 efflux, 13C labeling, phospholipid fatty acids, soil microbial biomass, soil microbes, poplar plantations, Populus nigra, short rotation coppice
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