Forest soil acidification consistently reduces litter decomposition irrespective of nutrient availability and litter type

Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and acid deposition are co-occurring in many ecosystems, likely with complex interactive effects on litter decomposition.

Few studies have been conducted to distinguish the interactive effects of these three factors on forest litter decomposition. Thus, we performed a 5-year litter decomposition experiment with N, P, acid addition in a temperate forest of Changbai Mountain in China, including four litter types from Pinus koraiensis, Quercus mongolica, Tilia amurensis and their mixtures.

Our results showed that acid addition consistently reduced litter decomposition rate, irrespective of nutrient addition or litter types. In contrast, N and P addition had less impact on litter decomposition. Litter decomposition rate linearly reduced with decreasing soil pH, but positively increased with soil N availability. No relationship was found between soil P availability and litter decomposition. Soil enzyme activity played a key role in regulating litter deco...