Storage and release of nutrients during litter decomposition for native and invasive species under different flooding intensities in a Chinese wetland
Wang, Weiqi (Fujian Normal University. Institute of Geography)
Wang, Chun (Fujian Normal University. Institute of Geography)
Sardans i Galobart, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Tong, Chuan (Fujian Normal University. Institute of Geography)
Ouyang, Linmei (Fujian Normal University. Institute of Geography)
Asensio, Dolores (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Gargallo-Garriga, Albert (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)

Date:	2018
Abstract:	Projections of climate change impacts over the coming decades suggest that rising sea level will flood coastal wetlands. We studied the impacts of three intensities of flooding on litter decomposition in the native Cyperus malaccensis, and the invasives Spartina alterniflora and Phragmites australis in Shanyutan wetland (Minjiang River estuary, China). Invasive species had larger C, N and P stocks in plant-litter compartments and higher fluxes among plant-litter-soil, which increased with flooding intensity. Litter mass remaining (% of initial mass) were correlated with the N:P ratio in remaining litter, consistently with the N-limitation in this wetland. P. australis had the highest accumulated N release (P < 0. 001) in all flooding intensities, whereas C. malaccensis had higher N accumulated release than S. alternifolia but only at low flooding intensity. At high flooding intensity, the N released in the first year of litter decomposition (g m⁻² y⁻¹) were 9. 56 ± 0. 21, 2. 38 ± 0. 18 and 1. 92 ± 0. 03 for P. australis, S. alternifolia and C. malaccensis, respectively. The higher rates of nutrient release from litter decomposition in invasive species provided better nutrient supply during the growing season coinciding with the initial phases of decomposition. Thus, this study shows that invasive species may gain a competitive advantage over the native C. malaccensis under the projected scenarios of sea level rises.
Grants:	European Commission 610028 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2016-79836-P Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-274
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Carbon ; China ; Climate change ; Nitrogen ; Phosphorus ; Plant invasion ; Sea level ; Stoichiometry ; Wetland
Published in:	Aquatic botany, Vol. 149 (Oct. 2018) , p. 5-16, ISSN 0304-3770

DOI: 10.1016/j.aquabot.2018.04.006

Post-print 49 p, 1.4 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) > Imbalance-P
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