Dissolved C, N, and P release efficiency from temperate tree leaf litter

Dissolved organic matter and inorganic nutrients released from forest leaf litter through leaching are important energy and nutrient sources that support the production of aquatic food webs. Leaf litter-derived dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is a critical energy source for aquatic heterotrophic microbes, and inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus can enhance primary production. In this study, we experimentally measured the release efficiencies and amounts of DOC, total dissolved nitrogen (TDN) and total dissolved phosphorus (TDP) of the leaf litter from 11 temperate tree species by soaking the leaf litter in water for 28 days. We found that the maximal release efficiency (% of element released per estimated mass of the element) was the highest for P and lowest for N. These efficiencies were species-specific. Additionally, the DOC:TDP, DOC:TDN, and TDN:TDP ratios varied among the leachate of different leaf litter species. DOC:TDP increased with the C:P ratio in leaf litter biomass but is cons..., We examined 11 tree species commonly found in the mountainous areas of northeast Japan. These shed leaves were collected at Zao (N38.122, E140.451) on October 3, 2020, at Kawatabi (N38.745, E140.757) on October 15, 2020, and at Aobayama (N38.259, E140.837) on November 19, 2020, in Miyagi Prefecture, Japan (Fig. 1 and Table 1). All leaves were collected on top of other leaf litter on the ground and therefore did not directly come into direct contact with the soil.
The leaf litter was dried at room temperature (approximately 20°C) in paper bags until it was used for measuring its C, N, and P contents. Prior to the experiment, the C and N contents in the leaf litter were measured using an elemental analyzer (2400 Series II CHNS/O Analyzer, Perkin Elmer, Shelton, Connecticut). For estimating the P content in the leaf litter, the weighed amount of dry leaf litter was first combusted (420°C) for 2 h to turn the leaf litter into ash, which was suspended in 10 mL of distilled water. The mixtur..., We saved the data of leaf litter stoichiometry and dissolved C, N, and P release as Excel files. R can be used to open and analyze the dataset.Â