Decomposition in tropical forests: A pan-tropical study of the effects of litter type, litter placement and mesofaunal exclusion across a precipitation gradient

• Autores: Powers, Jennifer S.; Montgomery, Rebecca M.; Adair, Carol E.; Brealey, Francis Q.; De Walt, Saarah J.; Castanho, Camila T; Chave, Jerome; Deiniert, Erica; Ganzhonr, Jörg U.; Gilbert, Mathew E.; Gonzalez Iturbe, José Antonio; Bunyavejchewin, Sarayudh; Grau, Hector Ricardo; Harms, Kyle E.; Hiremath, Ankila; Iriarte Vivar, Silvia; Manzane, Eric; De Oliveira, Alexandre A.; Poorter, Lourens; Ramanamanjato, Jean Baptiste; Salk, Carl; Varela, Amanda; Weiblen, George D.; Lerday Manuel T
• Año de publicación: 2009
• Idioma: inglés
• Tipo de recurso: artículo
• Materia: ABOVE GROUND; BELOW GROUND; CLIMATE DECOMPOSITION INDEX; DECOMPOSER FAUNA; DECOMPOSITION; LITTER TYPE; PRECIPITATION; TROPICAL FORESTS
• Institución: Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas

Litter decomposition recycles nutrients and causes large fluxes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. It is typically assumed that climate, litter quality and decomposer communities determine litter decay rates, yet few comparative studies have examined their relative contributions in tropical forests. We used a short‐term litterbag experiment to quantify the effects of litter quality, placement and mesofaunal exclusion on decomposition in 23 tropical forests in 14 countries. Annual precipitation varied among sites (760–5797 mm). At each site, two standard substrates (Raphia farinifera and Laurus nobilis) were decomposed in fine‐ and coarse‐mesh litterbags both above and below ground for approximately 1 year. Decomposition was rapid, with >95% mass loss within a year at most sites. Litter quality, placement and mesofaunal exclusion all independently affected decomposition, but the magnitude depended upon site. Both the average decomposition rate at each site and the ratio of above‐ to below‐ground decay increased linearly with annual precipitation, explaining 60–65% of among‐site variation. Excluding mesofauna had the largest impact on decomposition, reducing decomposition rates by half on average, but the magnitude of decrease was largely independent of climate. This suggests that the decomposer community might play an important role in explaining patterns of decomposition among sites. Which litter type decomposed fastest varied by site, but was not related to climate. Synthesis. A key goal of ecology is to identify general patterns across ecological communities, as well as relevant site‐specific details to understand local dynamics. Our pan‐tropical study shows that certain aspects of decomposition, including average decomposition rates and the ratio of above‐ to below‐ground decomposition are highly correlated with a simple climatic index: mean annual precipitation. However, we found no relationship between precipitation and effects of mesofaunal exclusion or litter type, suggesting that site‐specific details may also be required to understand how these factors affect decomposition at local scales.
Fil: Powers, Jennifer S.. University of Minnesota; Estados Unidos
Fil: Montgomery, Rebecca M.. University of Minnesota; Estados Unidos
Fil: Adair, Carol E.. University of Minnesota; Estados Unidos
Fil: Brealey, Francis Q.. Manchester Metropolitan University; Reino Unido
Fil: De Walt, Saarah J.. Clemson University; Estados Unidos
Fil: Castanho, Camila T. Universidade de Sao Paulo; Brasil
Fil: Chave, Jerome. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique; Francia. Université Paul Sabatier; Francia
Fil: Deiniert, Erica. Organization for Tropical Studies; Costa Rica
Fil: Ganzhonr, Jörg U.. Universitat Hamburg; Alemania
Fil: Gilbert, Mathew E.. Harvard University; Estados Unidos
Fil: Gonzalez Iturbe, José Antonio. Biocenosis A. C.; México
Fil: Bunyavejchewin, Sarayudh. National Park. Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department; Tailandia
Fil: Grau, Hector Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo. Laboratorio de Investigaciones Ecológicas de las Yungas; Argentina
Fil: Harms, Kyle E.. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Panamá. State University of Louisiana; Estados Unidos
Fil: Hiremath, Ankila. Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment; India
Fil: Iriarte Vivar, Silvia. Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C. Unidad de Recursos Naturales; México
Fil: Manzane, Eric. University of Miami; Estados Unidos
Fil: De Oliveira, Alexandre A.. Universidade de Sao Paulo. Departamento de Fisiología. Instituto de Biociencias; Brasil
Fil: Poorter, Lourens. University of Agriculture Wageningen; Países Bajos. Instituto Boliviano de Investigación Forestal; Bolivia
Fil: Ramanamanjato, Jean Baptiste. QIT Madagascar Minerals; Madagascar
Fil: Salk, Carl. University of Duke; Estados Unidos
Fil: Varela, Amanda. Pontificia Universidad Javeriana; Colombia
Fil: Weiblen, George D.. University of Minnesota; Estados Unidos
Fil: Lerday Manuel T. University of Virginia; Estados Unidos