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<p>Litter production and decomposition are fundamental biogeochemical processes regulating soil fertility in forests. This study examined the detrital pathway—litter production, decomposition, and nutrient release across tropical (TRF), subtropical (STRF), and temperate (TMF) forests in Mizoram, northeastern India, to evaluate the influence of elevation-mediated climatic variation. Total annual litter production differed significantly among sites (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001), with STRF showing the highest input (6169&#xa0;kg&#xa0;ha⁻<sup>1</sup>), followed by TRF (3576.7&#xa0;kg&#xa0;ha⁻<sup>1</sup>) and TMF (2301.5&#xa0;kg&#xa0;ha⁻<sup>1</sup>). Leaf litter accounted for 71.6–74.5% of total litterfall and 60–75% of total annual nutrient return across forests. Litter decomposition followed a negative exponential decay model, with the fastest (1.81&#xa0;yr⁻<sup>1</sup>) annual decay constant (<i>k</i>) in TRF and slowest (0.67&#xa0;yr⁻<sup>1</sup>) in TMF. After 360&#xa0;days of litter incubation, cumulative mass loss was 83.7%, 66.7%, and 48.9% in TRF, STRF, and TMF, respectively. Mass loss exhibited a significant positive correlation with total monthly rainfall (<i>r</i> = 0.75, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01) and mean monthly temperature (<i>r</i> = 0.60, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) in TMF, indicating that climate imposes significant constraints on microbial activity at higher elevations. Nutrient release followed the general order K &gt; C ≈ N &gt; P. Principal component analysis confirmed that elevation-driven climatic gradients structure detrital pathways, suggesting that rising temperatures are likely to disproportionately destabilise temperate forest nutrient economies by eroding their retention-based resilience. These results highlight the sensitivity of litter-driven nutrient cycling to elevation-mediated climatic variation, providing a baseline for predicting forest responses to climatic change.</p>

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Elevation-driven climatic variation shapes detrital pathways and nutrient dynamics in forests of Eastern Himalaya: implications for ecosystem resilience

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年5月11日

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  • Basanta Moirangthem,
  • Rajdeep Chanda,
  • Shri Kant Tripathi

摘要

Litter production and decomposition are fundamental biogeochemical processes regulating soil fertility in forests. This study examined the detrital pathway—litter production, decomposition, and nutrient release across tropical (TRF), subtropical (STRF), and temperate (TMF) forests in Mizoram, northeastern India, to evaluate the influence of elevation-mediated climatic variation. Total annual litter production differed significantly among sites (p < 0.001), with STRF showing the highest input (6169 kg ha⁻1), followed by TRF (3576.7 kg ha⁻1) and TMF (2301.5 kg ha⁻1). Leaf litter accounted for 71.6–74.5% of total litterfall and 60–75% of total annual nutrient return across forests. Litter decomposition followed a negative exponential decay model, with the fastest (1.81 yr⁻1) annual decay constant (k) in TRF and slowest (0.67 yr⁻1) in TMF. After 360 days of litter incubation, cumulative mass loss was 83.7%, 66.7%, and 48.9% in TRF, STRF, and TMF, respectively. Mass loss exhibited a significant positive correlation with total monthly rainfall (r = 0.75, p < 0.01) and mean monthly temperature (r = 0.60, p < 0.05) in TMF, indicating that climate imposes significant constraints on microbial activity at higher elevations. Nutrient release followed the general order K > C ≈ N > P. Principal component analysis confirmed that elevation-driven climatic gradients structure detrital pathways, suggesting that rising temperatures are likely to disproportionately destabilise temperate forest nutrient economies by eroding their retention-based resilience. These results highlight the sensitivity of litter-driven nutrient cycling to elevation-mediated climatic variation, providing a baseline for predicting forest responses to climatic change.