Litter decomposition in the post-fire larch forests of the Tukuringra Range (Upper Priamurie)

• Main Authors: E. R. Abramova, S. V. Bryanin, A. V. Kondratova
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch Publishing House 2018-04-01
• Series: Сибирский лесной журнал
• Subjects: forest fires; decomposition; plant litter; moisture; boreal forests
• Online Access: http://xn--80abmehbaibgnewcmzjeef0c.xn--p1ai/upload/iblock/866/8664103c4b5bbb504c7a6fc67551e218.pdf

Boreal forests are one of the main carbon (С) pools on the planet. Decomposition of the litter is a main mechanism of C accumulation in soil. This process is often influenced by fires. Thus, we need to enhance our understanding about decomposition of the litter in post-fire forests to better understand the mechanism of C accumulation in boreal forests. Here, we studied initial stages of decomposition of litter in the post-fire forest (12 years after fires) and in the background larch forest located in the Tukuringra mountain range in the northern part of the Amur oblast. We present the results of a field experiment on the decomposition of the main typical fractions of larch forest. We used the litter bags method for studying rate of decomposition litter (leaves, grass, branches and needles). After 150 days mass loss of litter was 36.7 % of initial mass in the post-fire forest and 39.9 % in the background forest. Mass loss was most rapid in the first 75 days of the experiment in the both cases. In both plots the rate of decomposition of litter was decreased in order: grass – leaves – needles – branches. In both the post-fire and background forests, rate of litter decomposition is a function of moisture. Soil acidity was higher in post-fire forest than background forest (5.3 and 4.8, respectively, p < 0.01). However, this soil property does not influence early stages of litter decomposition in either case.