[Effects of litter and mineral nitrogen input on soil organic carbon decomposition in subtropical mixed forest in Dinghu Mountain, South China].

In July-December 2010, a complete factor-controlled experiment was conducted to study the effects of litter and mineral nitrogen addition on soil organic matter decomposition (soil respiration) at the depths of 0-10 cm and 20-30 cm in Dinghu Mountain National Reserve. Coniferous needle litter and broadleaved litter were added, respectively, and 70 g N x m(-2) x yr(-1) of NH4 NO3 was applied to simulate soil nitrogen saturation whereas soil mineral nitrogen was removed by ion-exchange membrane to simulate the decreased nitrogen absorption by root. The addition of both needle litter and broadleaved litter increased the respiration rate of soil-litter system significantly from July to November, but this effect disappeared in December. Both mineral nitrogen application and soil mineral nitrogen removal increased the soil-litter respiration significantly. These results suggest that litter decomposed completely in a short period therefor had limited effects on soil organic matter decomposition and accumulation, and thus, foliar litters could be not the major source of soil organic matter, whereas soil mineral nitrogen removal could obviously promote the soil organic matter decomposition in the system.