Decomposition of needle litter and its organic chemical components: theory and field experiments. Long-term decomposition in a Scots pine forest. III

Abstract

Scots pine needles were collected and field incubations were begun in the autumn of 6 consecutive years. The incubated needles were sampled three times a year and analysed for mass loss and chemical composition. The longest incubation time obtained was 1825 days. Four series of needles from a nutrition experiment (three levels of nutrient application and one control) sampled at one occasion were followed in the same way for 1448 days. The logarithm of remaining mass versus time of the pooled samples fits a linear regression well (average rate constant = 0.286 year−1, r2 = 0.963, n = 75). A higher resolution shows, however, that the decay rate decreases with time as the chemical composition changes. To better understand the decomposition process we have formulated a mathematical model for the course of mass loss as a system consisting of two fractions, a readily decomposable (labile) one and a refractory one. The mass loss from the two fractions can be direct or mass can be transferred from the refractory to the labile fraction. The model allows us to calculate the variation of the refractory fraction with time (generally there will always be some labile material in the system) and the decrease of the decomposition rate as a function of time or as a function of the concentration of the refractory fraction. We have found it possible to identify the refractory fraction both as the lignin fraction and as the nonsoluble fraction of the needles. The first identification yields a long transient response, whereas the second gives a system rapidly reaching a steady state. In both cases, the decay of the refractory material results in transfer of material to the labile fraction.