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Open Access

ARTICLE

Drought Effects on Pine Litter Decomposition and Metal Nutrient Release Are Moderated by Mixed Understory Vegetation Litter

Xianyan Wang1,#, Yan Guo1,#, Nan Yang1, Shengnan Ouyang1, Honglang Duan1, Jie Wang1, Qiqiang Guo1, Liehua Tie1,2,3,*, Guijie Ding1
1 Institute for Forest Resources and Environment of Guizhou, Guizhou Key Laboratory of Forest Cultivation in Plateau Mountain, Guizhou Provincial Field Scientific Observation and Research Station, College of Forestry, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
2 CSIC, Unitat d’Ecologia Global CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Edifici C, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
3 CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
* Corresponding Author: Liehua Tie. Email: email
# These authors contributed equally to this work
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Carbon and Nutrient Cycling in Forest Ecosystems)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2026.084022

Received 15 April 2026; Accepted 09 July 2026; Published online 24 July 2026

Abstract

Understory vegetation-mediated forest litter decomposition and nutrient release processes are critical for biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem sustainability. Drought-dominated global change significantly affects relevant processes, but its impact on metal element release from mixed litters of overstory trees and understory vegetation remains unclear. Here, we conducted an 18-month in situ decomposition experiment in a Pinus massoniana–Camellia oleifera mixed forest under three precipitation regimes: control (CK), low-intensity reduction (R30), and high-intensity reduction (R60). Both R30 and R60 treatments significantly inhibited P. massoniana litter mass loss by 4.85% and 6.22%, respectively. Only R60 treatment significantly reduced the mass loss in C. oleifera and mixed litters. The release of K and Mg from P. massoniana litter was suppressed by R30 and R60 treatments, and only R60 treatment significantly impeded K and Mg release from the mixed litter. Furthermore, R60 treatment significantly reduced Ca release from C. oleifera litter and Mn release from both single-species litters. These results suggest that mixed understory litter may partially alleviate the inhibitory effects of moderate drought on litter decomposition and metal nutrient release. These findings provide new insights for understanding understory vegetation-mediated forest litter decomposition processes under ongoing climate change.

Keywords

Reduced precipitation; litter decomposition; element release; metal nutrient cycling; Pinus massoniana; Camellia oleifera

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