Effects of sand burial on litter decomposition rate and salt content dynamics in an extremely arid region

Aims Due to the extremely low precipitation, low vegetation coverage, strong solar radiation, and poor soil stability, litter turnover in extremely arid areas differs from that in non-arid areas.This study aimed to determine the patterns of leaf litter decomposition of contrasting initial qualities in an extremely arid region.Methods We used the litter bag method to investigate changes of the mass and water-soluble salt content in the leaf litter of three dominant species, Karelinia caspia, Alhagi sparsifolia and Populus euphratica, in the desertoasis transitional zone of the southern edge of the Taklimakan Desert, in responses to three levels of sand burial treatments, including placement of letter samples at the surface, and 2 cm and 15 cm soil depths, respectively, that represented different incubation environments under natural conditions.Important findings The relationships of litter decomposition rate with the initial litter quality indicators, including carbon (C) content, nitrogen (N) content, C:N and lignin content, differed between the extremely arid sites and the non-arid sites.The litter placed on the surface had higher lignin content and faster mass loss than those subjected to other treatments.The losses of litter mass and changes in water-soluble salt content significantly ©植物生态学报 Chinese Journal of Plant Ecology 扫 码 提 问