Interactive effects of plant litter type and yak excrement on litter decomposition in a shrub-encroached alpine meadow
Data files
May 17, 2025 version files 25.72 KB
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Initial_quality_of_litter.csv
2.21 KB
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Plant_litter_remaining.csv
21.34 KB
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README.md
2.17 KB
Abstract
In the plant community with a shrub-grass mosaic, the main types of litter include herbaceous litter and its mixed forms with shrub leaves and stems. However, the quantitative relationship between the litter composition type and the litter decomposition, as well as how these processes are influenced by grazing activities (e.g., excrement deposition), remains largely unexplored.
Herein, a three-year litter incubation experiment was conducted in a shrub-encroached alpine meadow. We aimed to elucidate the individual and interactive effects of litter type (solely grass litter (L), a mixture of grass litter and shrub leaves (L1), and a mixture of grass litter, shrub leaves, and shrub stems (L2)) and yak excrement addition (no addition, addition of dung only, addition of urine only, addition of both dung and urine) on the litter decomposition rate and nutrients release. Additionally, the initial chemical quality of litter, soil microclimate, soil nutrients, and soil microbial attributes were analyzed to ascertain the underlying driving mechanisms.
We found that litter type and yak excrement had significant individual and interactive effects on litter decomposition. Specifically, litter type primarily affected litter decomposition by increasing initial carbon and lignin concentration and reducing the nitrogen and phosphorus concentration of the litter. In contrast, yak excrement positively impacted litter decomposition through enhancing soil pH and soil microbial activity. Crucially, low-quality litter (L2) mitigated the positive effects of yak excrement on litter decomposition. While the addition of yak excrement did not alter the overall direction of litter decomposition, it influenced the magnitude of the effects caused by litter mixing. Notably, temporary nitrogen immobilization was observed during the early stages of decomposition, and net phosphorus release patterns were evident throughout the decomposition process. However, the duration of nitrogen immobilization differed depending on the litter type and yak excrement treatment.
Our findings provide localized evidences that elucidates the interactive effects of litter type and yak excrement addition on litter decomposition and nutrient release processes. These results contribute to a deeper understanding of how grazing activity modulate nutrient cycling in shrub-encroached grassland ecosystems.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.6wwpzgn98
Authors: Yingxin Wang
Email: wangyingxin14@lzu.edu.cn
Other contributors: Zhou, Qingping; Chu, Jianmin; Zhang, Jinxin; Hou, Fujiang*
Organization: State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems; Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs; College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730020, China
Date created: 2025-4-25
Methods of data collection/generation: see article for details
Description of the data and file structure
This dataset has two .csv files with (1: Plant litter remaining, 2: Initial quality of litter) in the article, specifically as follow:
For the data of Plant litter remaining, the variations include Dry matter residual mass (g), Hemicellulose remaining (%), Lignin remaining (%), Total N remaining (%), and Total P remaining (%). The microsite has four replicates. the sampling includes the initial substrate data in October 2017 and the subsequent days of 60 (December 2017), 180 (April 2018), 300 (August 2018), 420 (December 2018), 540 (April 2019) and 660 (August 2019). Plant litter types: solely grass litter (L), a mixture of grass litter and shrub leaves (L1), and a mixture of grass litter, shrub leaves, and shrub stems (L2)). Yak excrement addition: no addition (CK), addition of dung only (D), addition of urine only (U), addition of both dung and urine (DU).
For the data on Initial quality of litter, the variations include C (litter total carbon, %), N (litter total nitrogen, %), P (litter total phosphorus, %), Hemicellulose (litter hemicellulose, %), Lignin (litter lignin, %), C/N (C: N ratio), C/P (C: P ratio), Lignin/N (Lignin: N ratio), N/P (N: P ratio), and Lignin/P (Lignin: P ratio). Plant litter types: solely grass litter (L), a mixture of grass litter and shrub leaves (L1), and a mixture of grass litter, shrub leaves, and shrub stems (L2)). Each litter type has six replicates.