Leaf structure and defence control litter decomposition rate across species and life forms in regional floras on two continents
Leaf structure and defence control litter decomposition rate across species and life forms in regional floras on two continents
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DOI：
10.1046/j.1469-8137.1999.00430.x
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发表时间：
1999-07-01
期刊：
影响因子：
9.4
通讯作者：
Cerabolini, B
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cornelissen, JHC;Pérez-Harguindeguy, N;Cerabolini, B
有一些证据表明，提供结构或化学保护（“防御”）的新鲜叶片的特征在落叶中仍然有效，并控制土壤中或土壤上分解率的种间变异。我们通过实验测试了叶片防御和凋落物分解率之间的负相关关系是否是根本性的，即它是否在高等植物物种和生命形式中始终存在，以及它是否在被海洋隔开的地理和气候不同地区的植物区系中重复。我们采用了两个户外垃圾袋实验，在其中，我们同时比较了广泛的植物物种的叶凋落物的相对质量损失（“分解”）公布的结果。一个实验是在阿根廷的科尔多瓦，包括48种典型的阿根廷干旱，亚热带景观沿着陡峭的海拔梯度。另一个在英国的谢菲尔德，那里有72种典型的英国温带大西洋物种。我们通过在谢菲尔德进行的一项类似实验将这两个实验联系起来，该实验托管了阿根廷和英国物种的子集。我们还测试了新鲜叶片的所有物种从同一地区的抗拉强度（韧性）和相对适口性通才草食性蜗牛在多物种的“自助餐厅”实验。在阿根廷和英国，所有物种的叶片适口性（r = 0.61; 0.73）或叶片抗张强度（r =-0.60;-0.60）与凋落物质量损失之间存在高度显著的相关性。这些关系可以通过广泛的生命形式群体之间和内部的变化来解释。比叶面积（面积：干质量）的鲜叶始终只与英国生活型组内的凋落物质量损失。我们说明了可能的生态系统的后果，这些关系通过比较功能性状的英国物种不同的叶的习惯。与落叶树种相比，常绿植物一般具有先天生长缓慢，这对应于它们的比叶面积较长，抗张强度较高，对无脊椎植食性动物的适口性较低。相应地，常绿植物产生更多的耐落叶。因此，生长缓慢的常绿植物可能会保持自己的地位，在贫瘠的生态系统中，通过叶片性状，帮助他们有效地保存其营养物质，并保持营养矿化低，从而不允许潜在的快速增长的落叶物种，以胜过他们。
There is some evidence that traits of fresh leaves that provide structural or chemical protection ('defence') remain operational in the leaf litter and control interspecific Variation in decomposition rate in or on the soil. We tested experimentally whether the negative relationship between foliar defence and litter decomposition rate is fundamental, i.e. whether it is seen consistently across higher plant species and life forms, and whether it is repeated in the floras of geographically and climatically distinct areas separated by an ocean. We employed the published results of two outdoor litter bag experiments, in which we simultaneously compared the relative mass losses ('decomposibility') of leaf litters of a wide range of plant species. One experiment was in Cordoba, Argentina, and included 48 Argentine species typical of the dry, subtropical landscapes along a steep altitudinal gradient. The other was in Sheffield, UK, and hosted 72 British species typical of the temperate-Atlantic landscape there. We linked the two experiments through a similar experiment in Sheffield that hosted litters of subsets of both the Argentine and British species. We also tested fresh leaves of all species from the same areas for tensile strength ('toughness') and relative palatability to generalist herbivorous snails in multi-species 'cafeteria' experiments. Both in Argentina and in Great Britain there were highly significant correlations between leaf palatability (r = 0.61; 0.73) or leaf tensile strength (r = -0.60; -0.60) and litter mass loss across all species. These relationships could be explained by variation both between and within broad life-form groups. Specific leaf area (area:dry mass) of fresh leaves was consistently correlated only with litter mass loss within British life form groups. We illustrated the possible ecosystem consequences of these relationships by comparing functional traits of British species differing in leaf habit. In comparison with deciduous species, evergreens generally had innately slow growth, which corresponded to their longer-lived leaves of lower specific leaf area, higher tensile strength and lower palatability to generalist invertebrate herbivores. Correspondingly, evergreens produced more resistant leaf litter. Thus, slow-growing evergreens might maintain their position in infertile ecosystems through leaf traits that help them to conserve their nutrients efficiently and to keep nutrient mineralization low, thereby not allowing potentially fast-growing deciduous species to outcompete them.