文献类型：期刊文献

英文题名：Soil Invertebrates Play Key Roles in Stage-Specific Shifts in Elevational Patterns of Litter Decomposition in Dongling Mountain, Beijing

作者：Zhang, Shijie[1,2] Zhang, Yuxin[1] Lin, Yinghua[3] Wang, Miao[4] Xu, Guorui[5] Ma, Keming[1,2]

第一作者：Zhang, Shijie

通信作者：Ma, KM[1];Ma, KM[2]

机构：[1]Chinese Acad Sci, Res Ctr Eco Environm Sci, State Key Lab Ecol Secur Reg & City, Beijing 100085, Peoples R China;[2]Univ Chinese Acad Sci, Beijing 100049, Peoples R China;[3]Chinese Acad Forestry, Inst Wetland Res, Beijing 100091, Peoples R China;[4]Chengdu Acad Governance, Chengdu 610110, Peoples R China;[5]Chinese Acad Sci, Xishuangbanna Trop Bot Garden, Xishuangbanna 666303, Peoples R China

年份：2025

卷号：16

期号：4

外文期刊名：FORESTS

收录：;EI(收录号：20251818319767);Scopus(收录号：2-s2.0-105003644584);WOS:【SCI-EXPANDED(收录号:WOS:001476406500001)】；

基金：This research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (32071543, 31470481).

语种：英文

外文关键词：altitude; invertebrates; litter decomposition; nitrogen; temporal dynamics

摘要：Litter decomposition is a fundamental ecological process that drives nutrient cycling and energy flow. However, little is known about the elevational patterns of this process in different stages. We established ten sites on Dongling Mountain in Beijing, China, to investigate the elevational patterns of oak leaf (Quercus liaotungensis) decomposition, as well as the underlying mechanisms. Our results revealed distinct elevational patterns of litter decomposition in different stages. There was no significant altitudinal pattern in the mass loss of Q. liaotungensis leaves at the 2nd, 4th, and 6th months of decomposition. By the 16th month, the mass loss decreased significantly along the elevation gradient (p = 0.008). By the 28th month, a reverse pattern emerged, with greater mass loss observed at higher elevations (p < 0.001). A similar change also took place in the altitudinal pattern of the abundance of invertebrates within the litter bag, which was lower at higher elevations at the 16th month (p = 0.002), but higher at higher elevations at the 28th month (p = 0.002). In addition, we examined the elevational patterns of carbon and nitrogen concentrations in different stages. The results of the structural equation model revealed that the invertebrate abundance at the 4th month influenced the litter residues at the 16th month (p < 0.001), yet nitrogen content at the 16th month affected litter residues at the 28th month(p < 0.001). This study provides novel insights into the temporal dynamics of litter decomposition along an elevational gradient and highlights the underlying mechanisms by which litter chemistry and biological factors regulate this process.