Wu Qi Qian, Wang Chuan Kuan
Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China.
Ying Yong Sheng Tai Xue Bao. 2018 Jul;29(7):2422-2432. doi: 10.13287/j.1001-9332.201807.004.
Changes in snow-cover patterns induced by global climate change profoundly influence ecological processes in terrestrial ecosystems, including litter decomposition and soil nutrient cycling. Forest, a major terrestrial ecosystem, plays a crucial role in global biogeochemical cycling. Here, we reviewed the effects of changes in seasonal snow-cover on litter decomposition and soil nitrogen (N) cycling in forests. Global climate change would result in increasing or decreasing seasonal snow-cover depending on local conditions, with direct and indirect effects on forest litter decomposition. The changes in seasonal snow-cover would directly affect decomposition process by changing environmental temperature and moisture, litter quality, and decomposer dynamics, and would indirectly influence decomposition via altering community structure, vegetation phenology, and soil nutrients. Meanwhile, the changes in seasonal snow-cover would modify forest soil N dynamics through changing N enrichment, soil temperature and moisture, freeze-thaw cycle, forest community, subnivean fauna and microorganisms. Further studies in this field should focus on: 1) employing experiments with divergent protocols to simulate diverse changing patterns of seasonal snow-cover under the global climate change scenarios; 2) the effects of the seasonal snowmelt leaching on forest litter decomposition and soil N dynamics; 3) elucidating mechanisms underlying forest litter decomposition and soil N dynamics driven by changes in seasonal snow-cover patterns in different ecosystems and climate zones; and 4) quantifying the instantaneous and prolonged effects of changes in seasonal snow-cover on forest litter decomposition and soil N dynamics in the snow-covered and snow-free seasons, respectively. These studies will provide theoretical basis and solid data support for the understanding and model-prediction of the responses of the biogeochemical cycle in terrestrial ecosystems to global climate change.
全球气候变化引起的积雪模式变化深刻影响着陆地生态系统中的生态过程，包括凋落物分解和土壤养分循环。森林作为主要的陆地生态系统，在全球生物地球化学循环中起着关键作用。在此，我们综述了季节性积雪变化对森林凋落物分解和土壤氮（N）循环的影响。全球气候变化将根据当地条件导致季节性积雪增加或减少，对森林凋落物分解产生直接和间接影响。季节性积雪的变化将通过改变环境温度和湿度、凋落物质量以及分解者动态直接影响分解过程，并通过改变群落结构、植被物候和土壤养分间接影响分解。同时，季节性积雪的变化将通过改变氮富集、土壤温度和湿度、冻融循环、森林群落、雪下动物群和微生物来改变森林土壤氮动态。该领域的进一步研究应聚焦于：1）采用不同方案的实验来模拟全球气候变化情景下季节性积雪的多样变化模式；2）季节性融雪淋溶对森林凋落物分解和土壤氮动态的影响；3）阐明不同生态系统和气候区季节性积雪模式变化驱动森林凋落物分解和土壤氮动态的潜在机制；4）分别量化季节性积雪变化在有雪季和无雪季对森林凋落物分解和土壤氮动态的即时和长期影响。这些研究将为理解和模型预测陆地生态系统生物地球化学循环对全球气候变化的响应提供理论依据和坚实的数据支持。
