Marcescence in temperate regions mediates tree litter decomposition through abiotic factors

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60077344%3A_____%2F25%3A00639559" target="_blank" >RIV/60077344:_____/25:00639559 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/67985939:_____/25:00639413 RIV/00216208:11310/25:10500192 RIV/60460709:41330/25:102095

Result on the web

<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038071725001130?via%3Dihub" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038071725001130?via%3Dihub</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109820" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109820</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Marcescence in temperate regions mediates tree litter decomposition through abiotic factors

Original language description

Most temperate trees shed their senescent leaves in autumn. However, some genera, typically beech and oak, retain a large portion of their dead leaves until the start of the subsequent growing season, a phenomenon termed marcescence. The fundamentally different conditions marcescent and shed senescent leaves are exposed to have the potential to substantially alter litter decomposition. The extent to which marcescence affects decomposition in temperate ecosystems, however, remains unknown, which hampers our understanding of carbon and nutrient cycles. Here, we aimed to resolve this dilemma in a manipulative field experiment by quantifying the effect of solar radiation and precipitation, the major factors marcescent leaves are exposed to in temperate ecosystems, on the decomposition of marcescent leaves relative to that of leaves directly decomposing in the organic layer after their senescence.nExposure of leaves from the genera Quercus and Fagus to solar radiation before decomposition in the organic layer resulted in a considerably higher mass loss for those leaves than for leaves decomposing directly in the organic layer (37 vs. 23 %). This effect was further amplified upon exposure of leaves to both solar radiation and precipitation (cumulative mass loss of ∼50 % or more). Leaf chemistry analyses via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy suggested that disruption of ligno-cellulose complexes and leaching of the released compounds in the solar radiation only and solar radiation and precipitation treatments, respectively, accelerated leaf decomposition. We identify marcescence as an integral driver of litter decomposition and highlight the need to consider marcescence in carbon and nutrient cycling in temperate ecosystems.

Czech name

—

Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10611 - Plant sciences, botany

Project

<a href="/en/project/GA21-18623S" target="_blank" >GA21-18623S: Marcescence – common but overlooked. Why do some plants retain their dead biomass and what are the consequences for litter decay and nutrient cycling?</a><br>

Continuities

I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace

Publication year

2025

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Soil Biology and Biochemistry

ISSN

0038-0717

e-ISSN

1879-3428

Volume of the periodical

207

Issue of the periodical within the volume

August

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

9

Pages from-to

109820

UT code for WoS article

001477363000001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105002799912