Contrasting responses of soil respiration to litter manipulation in subtropical Mytilaria laosensis and Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations

Future climate change is expected to alter the primary productivity of forest ecosystems, and thus potentially change the quality and quantity of aboveground litter inputs which could affect soil carbon emission and sequestration. A litter manipulation experiment was carried out in 19-year-old Mytilaria laosensis and Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations replanted in C. lanceolata woodland in subtropical China between January 2012 and February 2013. Three treatments including litter exclusion, reciprocal litter transplant and control were conducted within 2 m x2 m plots in randomized block design. Soil respiration rate (R,) were measured monthly by Li-Cor 8100 and soil temperature and soil moisture were also monitored. In summary, we concluded that the effects of litter manipulation on were dependent on tree species, the contributions of litter to R, can be attributed to the quantity and quality of litter input, the changes in soil labile carbon and soil microbial biomass in subtropical forest plantations.