Regular research paper

Rate of change of pine litter  fall and  decay in response to changing climate along    N-S transect

Alicja Breymeyer

Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, 00-818 Warsaw, Poland, e-mail: a.breym@twarda.pan.pl

Abstract: 

             The response of pine ecosystems to changing latitude and thermoclimate in Central/Northern Europe was investigated through the measurements of rates of two ecosystem processes organic matter (litter) production and decomposition. Studies were carried out at nine sites of pine and mixed pine forests placed along the N-S transect of about 2000 km crossing Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Warmer climates were observed with movement to southern sites; the coefficient of determination (R²) between annual long-term temperature and latitude was at the level of 0.99. The rates of change of both processes were compared in terms of relative increment per 1^oC of long-term temperature and per –1^o of latitude, and expressed in %. Litter production responds stronger to the southward change of climate: the fall of litter is 18–19% greater per +1^oC of average annual temperature and by 8% greater per each –1^o of latitude, compared to the decomposition process, which was accelerated at the rate of 9–12% per 1^oC and 4–5% per –1^o of latitude. These results are summarized by the statement that in pine ecosystems the OM Production Sub-system is more sensitive to change of climate than the Sub-system of OM Decay, which is more conservative.

Key words: pine ecosystem transect study, litter fall/decay, decomposition, climate change