DOI: 10.5061/dryad.wwpzgmszh
title: The overall decomposition of the spring-lodged litter is faster than the autumn-lodged litter in a steppe ecosystem

description: In grasslands, a large proportion of senescent plant shoots in autumn pass
 the winter period as standing dead materials instead of becoming detached
 litter immediately. However, the information is hardly available on the
 decomposition of plant standing dead materials during the winter period
 and its impacts on the subsequent decomposition of these materials after
 littering in the coming spring. We conducted a two-year experiment to
 compare the decomposition process of the litters lodged in autumn versus
 that lodged in spring of two dominant plant species, Leymus chinensis and
 Stipa grandis, in a native steppe ecosystem in Inner
 Mongolia. Throughout the whole decomposition period, the
 autumn-lodged litter was directly positioned upon the soil surface, while
 the spring-lodged litter suspended as standing dead for the first 7 months
 in the autumn and winter period before being detached. We found that the
 overall decomposition rate of spring-lodged litter was faster than that of
 autumn-lodged litter over the experimental period. The decomposition rate
 was correlated positively with the N content, but negatively with the C/N
 ratio, lignin concentration and lignin/N ratio in litters. The
 spring-lodged litter showed a sharp decrease in lignin remaining during
 the standing-dead stage, while the autumn-lodged litter did not, which
 suggested an important role played by photodegradation in the breakdown of
 lignin over the winter period that facilitated the litter decomposition in
 subsequent stages. These findings highlight the difference in the
 decomposition rates of the litters lodged in autumn versus in spring, and
 suggest it important to incorporate the effects of the standing-dead stage
 on litter decomposition in calculating or modeling the nutrient turnover
 rates in semi-arid steppe ecosystems.
description: # The overall decomposition of the spring-lodged litter is faster than the
 autumn-lodged litter in a steppe ecosystem Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.wwpzgmszh](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.wwpzgmszh) ##
 Description of the data and file structure **Litter type**: Represents the
 seasonal type of litter, classified according to the exposure conditions
 before the litter comes into contact with the ground and begins
 decomposition.     “Spring” — Refers to litter that remains standing for
 approximately seven months before falling to the ground. During this
 period, it undergoes a photodegradation phase under sunlight exposure,
 after which it contacts the soil surface and begins decomposition.    
 “Autumn”— Refers to litter that falls directly to the ground in autumn
 without a prior sunlight exposure phase, and its decomposition occurs
 entirely on the soil surface. **Month:** The month or time point at which
 samples were collected, indicating decomposition duration.
 **State:** Divide the months mentioned above by 12 to convert them into
 years. **Litter_species:** The plant species that produced the litter,
 such as Leymus chinensis or Stipa grandis **Block:** The replicate number
 used in the experimental design. **Mass_loss_%:** Percentage of initial
 dry mass lost during decomposition; represents the decomposition rate.
 **Initial_C_%:** The initial organic carbon concentration in the litter.
 **Initial_N_%:** The initial total nitrogen concentration in the litter.
 **Intial_C_and_N_ratio:** The ratio of total carbon to total nitrogen at
 the beginning of decomposition **Initial_Hemicellulose_%:** The initial
 hemicellulose concentration in the litter. **Initial_cellulose_%:** The
 initial cellulose concentration in the litter. **Initial_Lignin_%:** The
 initial lignin concentration in the litter.
 **Initial_Lignin_and_N_ratio:** The initial lignin and N ratio in the
 litter. **Remaining_mass_%:** Fraction of dry mass remaining after
 decomposition **N_%:** Total nitrogen concentration in the remaining
 litter after a certain decomposition period. **C_%:** Total carbon
 concentration in the remaining litter after a certain decomposition
 period. **C_and_N_ratio:** Total carbon and nitrogen ratio in the
 remaining litter after a certain decomposition-n period.
 **Hemicellouse_%:** Hemicellulose concentration in the remaining litter
 after a certain decomposition period. **Cellulose_%:** Cellulose
 concentration in the remaining litter after a certain decomposition
 period. **Lignin_%:** Lignin concentration in the remaining litter after a
 certain decomposition period. **Lignin_and_nitrogen_ratio:**
 Lignin_and_nitrogen_ratio in the remaining litter after a certain
 decomposition period. **Remaining_C_%:** Fraction of carbon remaining
 after decomposition, indicates carbon retention. **Remaining_N_%:**
 Fraction of nitrogen remaining after decomposition, indicates carbon
 retention. **Remaining_hemicellulose_%:** Fraction of hemicellulose
 remaining after decomposition, indicates carbon retention.
 **Remaining_cellulose_%:** Fraction of cellulose remaining after
 decomposition, indicates carbon retention. **Remaining_lignin_%:**
 Fraction of lignin remaining after decomposition, indicates carbon
 retention.