Dissertation Research: Effect of Leaf Traits on the Decomposibility of Leaf Litter

当植物丢弃它们的叶子时，产生的凋落物在土壤凋落物层中分解。由于不同的分解速率可以改变土壤中储存的有机质的数量以及养分循环的速度，因此了解对分解速率的控制是一个重要的目标。影响分解的一个重要因素是树叶的物理和化学特性。在不同的环境条件下，植物(无论是在同一物种内还是在不同物种之间)具有不同的叶片物理和化学特性。也就是说，有些叶子厚而营养贫乏，而另一些叶子薄而营养丰富，这些不同的叶子类型往往以一种对植物有利的方式与环境相匹配。该项目试图将在特定环境条件下发现的树叶特征与不同树叶凋落物的分解能力联系起来。具体地说，它将测试在高降雨量和低降雨量的肥沃和贫瘠土壤上发现的叶片特征的影响。将在两个系统中研究树叶特性对分解的影响--在夏威夷的一个物种内，以及在澳大利亚的跨物种。由此产生的数据将允许对降水和土壤养分对树叶凋落物分解的交互影响进行新的测试。

When plants discards their leaves the resulting litter decomposes in the soil litter layer. Because different decomposition rates can change the amount of organic matter that is stored in the soil as well as the speed of nutrient cycling, understanding the controls on decomposition rate is an important goal. One important factor affecting decomposition is the physical and chemical traits of the leaves. In different environmental conditions plants (both within a species and between different species) have different leaf physical and chemical characteristics. That is, some leaves are thick and nutrient-poor while others are thin and nutrient-rich, and these different leaf types are often matched to the environment in a way that is advantageous to the plant. This project seeks to connect the leaf characteristics found in certain environmental conditions to the decomposability of different leaf litters. Specifically, it will test the effect of leaf traits found on fertile and infertile soils at both high and low precipitation. The effects of leaf traits on decomposition will be studied in two systems-in Hawaii within a species, and in Australia across species. The resulting data will allow a new test for the interactive effects of precipitation and soil nutrients on the decomposability of leaf litter.