Litter decomposition of three halophytes in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Relevance of litter quality, microbial activity and microhabitat
Studies of litter decomposition in salt marshes have been mainly focused on the measurement of decomposition rates, being litter quality, the type of microbial decomposers and their extracellular enzyme activity, rarely considered. Moreover, most of these studies have been conducted in Poaceae and C...
| Authors: | ; ; ; ; |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Status: | Published version |
| Publication date: | 2022 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| Repository: | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:recercat.cat:10256/22872 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10256/22872 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Sòls -- Microbiologia Soil microbiology Halòfits Halophytes Aiguamolls Marshes |
| _version_ | 1878732980293206016 |
|---|---|
| author | Carrasco Barea, Lorena |
| author2 | Llorens i Guasch, Laura Romaní i Cornet, Anna M. Gispert i Negrell, Maria Assumpta Verdaguer Murlà, Dolors |
| author2_role | author author author author |
| author_browse | Carrasco Barea, Lorena Gispert i Negrell, Maria Assumpta Llorens i Guasch, Laura Romaní i Cornet, Anna M. Verdaguer Murlà, Dolors |
| author_facet | Carrasco Barea, Lorena Llorens i Guasch, Laura Romaní i Cornet, Anna M. Gispert i Negrell, Maria Assumpta Verdaguer Murlà, Dolors |
| author_role | author |
| collection | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| description | Studies of litter decomposition in salt marshes have been mainly focused on the measurement of decomposition rates, being litter quality, the type of microbial decomposers and their extracellular enzyme activity, rarely considered. Moreover, most of these studies have been conducted in Poaceae and Cyperaceae species, being scarce the literature on Chenopodiaceae species, which are abundant in Mediterranean salt marshes. Here we analyse the litter decomposition process of two Chenopodiaceae (Sarcocornia fruticosa and Halimione portulacoides) and one Poaceae (Elytrigia atherica) species, belonging S. fruticosa to a halophilous scrub habitat and the other two to a salt meadow habitat of a Mediterranean salt marsh. For each species, we analysed litter decomposition rates, litter quality, fungal and bacterial biomass and potential extracellular enzymes activities. In order to embrace the spatial heterogeneity, two zones were considered within each habitat. Litter of E. atherica decomposed 7- and 13-fold slower than those of S. fruticosa and H. portulacoides, respectively, suggesting that this species is the one that would favour most the carbon sequestration into the soil. The different decomposition rates would be explained by the higher initial lignin and cellulose content of E. atherica rather than by the initial carbon and nitrogen content and C/N ratio. Moreover, enzyme efficiency, compared to enzyme activity, better contributes to explain the different decomposition rates observed. Bacteria dominated throughout the litter decomposition process regardless the species, but fungi increased their relevance in the later stages, when the relative lignin litter content increased. Litter decomposition was affected by microhabitat spatial differences, although the responses depended on the species. Hence, flooding (in the habitat of S. fruticosa) or soil texture (in the habitat of E. atherica and H. portulacoides) might have modulated the decomposition process, being H. portulacoides the most sensitive species to the spatial differences of the salt meadow habitat |
| eu_rights_str_mv | openAccess |
| format | article |
| id | ES_4db4f4ac7400a86bf91ac8b124f62d35 |
| institution | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| instname_str | Varias* (Consorci de Biblioteques Universitáries de Catalunya, Centre de Serveis Científics i Acadèmics de Catalunya) |
| network_acronym_str | ES |
| network_name_str | España |
| oai_identifier_str | oai:recercat.cat:10256/22872 |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| publisherStr | Elsevier |
| reponame_str | Recercat. Dipósit de la Recerca de Catalunya |
| spelling | Litter decomposition of three halophytes in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Relevance of litter quality, microbial activity and microhabitat Carrasco Barea, Lorena Llorens i Guasch, Laura Romaní i Cornet, Anna M. Gispert i Negrell, Maria Assumpta Verdaguer Murlà, Dolors Sòls -- Microbiologia Soil microbiology Halòfits Halophytes Aiguamolls Marshes Studies of litter decomposition in salt marshes have been mainly focused on the measurement of decomposition rates, being litter quality, the type of microbial decomposers and their extracellular enzyme activity, rarely considered. Moreover, most of these studies have been conducted in Poaceae and Cyperaceae species, being scarce the literature on Chenopodiaceae species, which are abundant in Mediterranean salt marshes. Here we analyse the litter decomposition process of two Chenopodiaceae (Sarcocornia fruticosa and Halimione portulacoides) and one Poaceae (Elytrigia atherica) species, belonging S. fruticosa to a halophilous scrub habitat and the other two to a salt meadow habitat of a Mediterranean salt marsh. For each species, we analysed litter decomposition rates, litter quality, fungal and bacterial biomass and potential extracellular enzymes activities. In order to embrace the spatial heterogeneity, two zones were considered within each habitat. Litter of E. atherica decomposed 7- and 13-fold slower than those of S. fruticosa and H. portulacoides, respectively, suggesting that this species is the one that would favour most the carbon sequestration into the soil. The different decomposition rates would be explained by the higher initial lignin and cellulose content of E. atherica rather than by the initial carbon and nitrogen content and C/N ratio. Moreover, enzyme efficiency, compared to enzyme activity, better contributes to explain the different decomposition rates observed. Bacteria dominated throughout the litter decomposition process regardless the species, but fungi increased their relevance in the later stages, when the relative lignin litter content increased. Litter decomposition was affected by microhabitat spatial differences, although the responses depended on the species. Hence, flooding (in the habitat of S. fruticosa) or soil texture (in the habitat of E. atherica and H. portulacoides) might have modulated the decomposition process, being H. portulacoides the most sensitive species to the spatial differences of the salt meadow habitat This work was supported by the Life+ Program of the European Commission [Life Pletera; LIFE13NAT/ES/ 001001] and the project DryHarshSal (RTI2018-097950-B-C21). Lorena Carrasco-Barea held a PhD grant [IFUdG2015] from the University of Girona. SOLIPLANT have been recognized as a consolidated research group by the Generalitat de Catalunya (2017SGR0055). Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Elsevier Elsevier http://hdl.handle.net/10256/22872 |
| spellingShingle | Litter decomposition of three halophytes in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Relevance of litter quality, microbial activity and microhabitat Carrasco Barea, Lorena Sòls -- Microbiologia Soil microbiology Halòfits Halophytes Aiguamolls Marshes |
| status_str | publishedVersion |
| title | Litter decomposition of three halophytes in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Relevance of litter quality, microbial activity and microhabitat |
| title_full | Litter decomposition of three halophytes in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Relevance of litter quality, microbial activity and microhabitat |
| title_fullStr | Litter decomposition of three halophytes in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Relevance of litter quality, microbial activity and microhabitat |
| title_full_unstemmed | Litter decomposition of three halophytes in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Relevance of litter quality, microbial activity and microhabitat |
| title_short | Litter decomposition of three halophytes in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Relevance of litter quality, microbial activity and microhabitat |
| title_sort | Litter decomposition of three halophytes in a Mediterranean salt marsh: Relevance of litter quality, microbial activity and microhabitat |
| topic | Sòls -- Microbiologia Soil microbiology Halòfits Halophytes Aiguamolls Marshes |
| topic_facet | Sòls -- Microbiologia Soil microbiology Halòfits Halophytes Aiguamolls Marshes |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10256/22872 |