Atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition caused by anthropogenic activities may alter litter decomposition and species composition, and then affect N cycling and carbon (C) sequestration in an ecosystem. Using the litterbag method, we studied the effects of N addition (CK: no N addition; low-N: 1 g N m-2 y-1; high-N: 2 g N m-2 y-1) on changes in mass remaining of shoot litter decomposition of three grasses (Stipa baicalensis, Carex pediformis and Leymus chinensis) over 28 months in the Hulun Buir meadow steppe of Inner Mongolia. The results showed that the addition of high and low N had no significant effect on the decomposition of single-species litter, but low N addition slightly inhibited the decomposition of litter mixtures. In addition, litter decomposition was strongly species dependent. Our results suggest that species type is likely the main determinant of litter decomposition, and low N deposition in natural ecosystems does not influence single-species litter decomposition.
Aerts R. 1997. Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems: a triangular relationship. Oikos, 79(3): 439-449.
Aerts R, H De Caluwe, B Beltman. 2003. Plant community mediated vs. nutritional controls on litter decomposition rates in grasslands. Ecology, 84(12): 3198-3208.
Aerts R, R Van logtestijn, M Van staalduinen, S Toet. 1995. Nitrogen supply effects on productivity and potential leaf litter decay of Carex species from peatlands differing in nutrient limitation. Oecologia, 104(4): 447-453.
Aerts R, R S P Van logtestijn, P S Karlsson. 2006. Nitrogen supply differentially affects litter decomposition rates and nitrogen dynamics of sub-arctic bog species. Oecologia, 146(4): 652-658.
?gren G I, E Bosatta, A H Magill. 2001. Combining theory and experiment to understand effects of inorganic nitrogen on litter decomposition. Oecologia, 128(1): 94-98.
Araujo P I, L Yahdjian, A T Austin. 2012. Do soil organisms affect aboveground litter decomposition in the semiarid Patagonian steppe, Argentina? Oecologia, 168(1): 221-230.
Bobbink R, M Hornung, J G M Roelofs. 1998. The effects of air-borne nitrogen pollutants on species diversity in natural and semi-natural European vegetation. Journal of Ecology, 86(5): 717-738.
Bragazza L, A Buttler, J Habermacher, et al. 2012. High nitrogen deposition alters the decomposition of bog plant litter and reduces carbon accumulation. Global Change Biology, 18(3): 1163-1172.
Edwards I P, D R Zak, H Kellner, et al. 2011. Simulated atmospheric N deposition alters fungal community composition and suppresses ligninolytic gene expression in a Northern Hardwood forest. Plos One, 6(6): 1-10.
Flury S, M O Gessner. 2011. Experimentally simulated global warming and nitrogen enrichment effects on microbial litter decomposers in a Marsh. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 77(3): 803-809.
Fog K. 1988. The effect of added nitrogen on the rate of decomposition of organic-matter. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society, 63(3): 433-462.
Frey S D, M Knorr, J L Parrent, R T Simpson. 2004. Chronic nitrogen enrichment affects the structure and function of the soil microbial community in temperate hardwood and pine forests. Forest Ecology and Management, 196(1): 159-171.
Galloway J N, F J Dentener, D G Capone, et al. 2004. Nitrogen cycles: Past, present, and future. Biogeochemistry, 70(2): 153-226.
Gerdol R, A Petraglia, L Bragazza, et al. 2007. Nitrogen deposition interacts with climate in affecting production and decomposition rates in Sphagnum mosses. Global Change Biology, 13(8): 1810-1821.
Gessner M O, C M Swan, C K Dang, et al. 2010. Diversity meets decomposition. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 25(6): 372-380.
Hobbie S E. 2005. Contrasting effects of substrate and fertilizer nitrogen on the early stages of litter decomposition. Ecosystems, 8(6): 644-656.
Hoorens B, R Aerts, M Stroetenga. 2003. Does initial litter chemistry explain litter mixture effects on decomposition? Oecologia, 137(4): 578-586.
Johansson O, K Palmqvist, J Olofsson. 2012. Nitrogen deposition drives lichen community changes through differential species responses. Global Change Biology, 18(8): 2626-2635.
Knorr M, S D Frey, P S Curtis. 2005. Nitrogen additions and litter decomposition: A meta-analysis. Ecology, 86(12): 3252-3257.
Kwabiah A B, R P Voroney, C A Palm, N C Stoskopf. 1999. Inorganic fertilizer enrichment of soil: effect on decomposition of plant litter under subhumid tropical conditions. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 30(3): 224-231.
Li L J, Zeng D H, Yu Z Y, et al. 2011. Impact of litter quality and soil nutrient availability on leaf decomposition rate in a semi-arid grassland of Northeast China. Journal of Arid Environments, 75(9): 787-792.
Limpens J, F Berendse. 2003. How litter quality affects mass loss and N loss from decomposing Sphagnum. Oikos, 103(3): 537-547.
Liu P, Huang J H, Han X G, et al. 2006. Differential responses of litter decomposition to increased soil nutrients and water between two contrasting grassland plant species of Inner Mongolia, China. Applied Soil Ecology, 34(2-3): 266-275.
Liu X J, Duan L, Mo J M, et al. 2011. Nitrogen deposition and its ecological impact in China: An overview. Environmental Pollution, 159(10): 2251-2264.
Lochhead A G, F E Chase. 1943. Qualitative studies of soil microorganisms: V. Nutritional requirements of the predominant bacterial flora. Soil Science, 55(1): 185-195.
Manning P, M Saunders, R D Bardgett, et al. 2008. Direct and indirect effects of nitrogen deposition on litter decomposition. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 40(3): 688-698.
Meentemeyer V. 1978. Macroclimate and lignin control of litter decomposition rates. Ecology, 59(3): 465-472.
Mo J M, S Brown, Xue J H, et al. 2006. Response of litter decomposition to simulated N deposition in disturbed, rehabilitated and mature forests in subtropical China. Plant and Soil, 282(1-2): 135-151.
Powers J S, S Salute. 2011. Macro- and micronutrient effects on decomposition of leaf litter from two tropical tree species: inferences from a short-term laboratory incubation. Plant and Soil, 346(1-2): 245-257.
Ramirez K S, C L Lauber, R Knight, et al. 2010. Consistent effects of nitrogen fertilization on soil bacterial communities in contrasting systems. Ecology, 91(12): 3463-3470.
Ren J Z, Hu Z Z, Zhao J, et al. 2008. A grassland classification system and its application in China. Rangeland Journal, 30(2): 119-209.
Tu L H, Hu H L, Hu T X, et al. 2011. Decomposition of different litter fractions in a subtropical bamboo ecosystem as affected by experimental nitrogen deposition. Pedosphere, 21(6): 685-695.
Song C C, Liu D Y, Yang G S, et al. 2011. Effect of nitrogen addition on decomposition of Calamagrostis angustifolia litters from freshwater marshes of Northeast China. Ecological Engineering, 37(10): 1578-1582.
Thirukkumaran C M, D Parkinson. 2000. Microbial respiration, biomass, metabolic quotient and litter decomposition in a lodgepole pine forest floor amended with nitrogen and phosphorous fertilizers. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 32(1): 59-66.
Vivanco L, A T Austin. 2011. Nitrogen addition stimulates forest litter decomposition and disrupts species interactions in Patagonia, Argentina. Global Change Biology, 17(5): 1963-1974.
Wang C Y, Han G M, Jia Y, et al. 2011. Response of litter decomposition and related soil enzyme activities to different forms of nitrogen fertilization in a subtropical forest. Ecological Research, 26(3): 505-513.
Weand M P, M A Arthur, G M Lovett, et al. 2010. Effects of tree species and N additions on forest floor microbial communities and extracellular enzyme activities. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 42(12): 2161-2173.
Whittinghill K A, W S Currie, D R Zak, et al. 2012. Anthropogenic N deposition increases soil C storage by decreasing the extent of litter decay: Analysis of field observations with an ecosystem model. Ecosystems, 15(3): 450-461.
