DOI: 10.5061/dryad.dz08kps0n
title: Data from: Different dynamics and controls of enzyme activities of leaf and root litter during decomposition

description: Litter enzyme dynamics are strongly shaped by litter, soil,
 and microbial attributes during decomposition, however, enzyme
 dynamics of leaf and root litter remains unresolved due to contrasting
 differences in rates and controls on leaf and root litter decomposition.
 Herein, we conducted a 784-day field experiment to evaluate the relative
 importance of litter, alkaline soil, and microbial attributes to enzyme
 activities and their C:N:P stoichiometry of leaf and root litter
 during decomposition under subtropical land use change of China. We found
 that only the C- and N-acquiring enzyme activities of shrub leaves were
 greater than those of wood and crop, and there was no significant
 difference in P-acquiring enzyme activity among the three species of
 leaves. Both the C- and P-acquiring enzyme activities of crop roots were
 significantly lower than those of afforested lands (i.e., woodland and
 shrubland). The N-acquiring activities of wood roots were significantly
 lower than those of shrub and crop. At the temporal dynamics, the C-, N-,
 and P-acquiring enzyme activities of the leaves decreased with mass loss,
 which was affected by the shift in litter nutrients (e.g., N and P) and
 soil moisture during decomposition. In contrast, the three enzyme
 activities of roots increased with mass loss, largely due to the increase
 in microbial biomass of bacteria regulated by litter stoichiometry. The
 enzymatic C:nutrient (N and P) ratios declined with mass loss, but the
 enzymatic P:N ratios remained relatively constant with mass loss during
 the leaf litter decomposition. Whereas, both of the enzymatic C:nutrient
 ratios and enzymatic P:N ratios decreased with mass during the root litter
 decomposition. Our results showed that the enzymatic C:N:P stoichiometry
 of decaying leaves and roots was predominantly predicted by microbial
 biomass and bacterial biomass, respectively. Overall, we outlined the
 pattern of contrasting contributions of litter, soil, and microbial
 attributes to enzyme dynamics during decomposition, which provided a
 framework for better understanding litter C, N, and P dynamics in relation
 to microbial resource allocation strategy during decomposition.
description: We selected three sites with different land use types (i.e.,
 woodland, shrubland, and cropland). At each study site, three independent
 10 m × 10 m plots were selected. Each plot was located 100 m apart from
 one another. We conducted a 784-day <em>in situ</em> litter
 decomposition experiment, where litter from each species and site was
 incubated at their own site (e.g., crop litter was placed back into the
 cropland). In each woodland and shrubland, freshly fallen senesced leaves
 were collected from litter traps (1 m × 1 m). Roots (diameter ≤2 mm) were
 excavated using a root auger at a depth of 20 cm under each tree in the
 two plantations. For cropland, the leaves and roots (diameter ≤2 mm) of
 maize were collected after harvesting. Living roots were selected as the
 experimental materials based on color, luster, and elasticity. The sampled
 roots were placed in an incubator and transported to the laboratory.
 Adherent soil particles and extraneous organic material were gently
 removed from the root samples. Thereafter, all collected leaf and root
 litter samples were oven-dried (55 °C) in the laboratory. Subsequently,
 the leaf and root litters were sterilized at 121 °C for 20 min to ensure
 that the most likely import of the microbial community was through the
 soil rather than litter. Finally, all collected leaf and root litter
 samples were oven-dried (55 °C) in the laboratory for further experiments
 and analysis. On October, 2016, a total of 5.0 g of
 oven-dried leaves and roots were placed in nylon bags (15 cm × 20 cm, with
 a 1-mm mesh size). A total of 450 litterbags prepared for this experiment
 (3 plots × 3 species × 2 litter types ×5 decomposition times × 5
 replicates). After removing the floor litter (if any), leaf litterbags
 were fixed to the mineral soil surface. The root litterbags were placed in
 the soil at a depth of 10 cm at an angle of approximately 30° to the
 vertical. An additional set of samples from each litter was prepared for
 initial morphological traits and chemical analyses. After 77, 168, 265,
 419, and 784 days of decomposition, we measured soil temperature and
 moisture in each plot with a portable instrument (SIN-TH8, SinoMeasure,
 China). At each decomposition time, five leaf and root litterbags were
 retrieved separately from each plot to ensure sufficient sample testing
 for all variables. Litterbags were transported to the laboratory where the
 exterior of the bags was brushed free of adhering soil. Two subsamples of
 litter were immediately frozen and stored at -20 °C until the analysis of
 enzyme activity and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA); the remaining litters
 were carefully cleaned of mineral soil particles, living soil animals, and
 debris adhering to the litter materials, and then dried (55 °C for 48 h)
 in an oven before weighing. See Table S1 for a detailed description of
 replication statement.
description: # Different dynamics and controls of enzyme activities of leaf and root
 litter during decomposition These data include a data sheet with field
 collected data compiled across two years. Each litter types has a unique
 label including leaf and root litter. All traits (i.e., β‐1,4‐glucosidase
 (BG, EC 3.2.1.21), the sum of the leucine aminopeptidase (LAP, EC 3.4.11),
 N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase (NAG, EC 3.2.1.14), acid phosphatase (AP, EC
 3.1.3.2)) were determined in the laboratory by standard methods. To
 analyze the enzymatic C:N:P stoichiometry, the vector length (i.e.,
 quantifying the relative C versus nutrient acquisition) was calculated as
 the square root of the squared sum of the values of x and y [length = Sqrt
 (x2 + y2)], and the vector angle (i.e., quantifying the relative P versus
 N acquisition) was calculated as the arctangent of the point (x, y) [angle
 (degrees) = degrees (Atan2(x, y))], where x represents the relative
 proportion of C- to C+P-acquiring enzyme activities and y represents the
 relative proportion of C- to C+N-acquiring enzyme activities. The columns
 in the dataset refer to: Types = Leaf or root; Litter mass loss = The
 initial litter weight minus the litter weight of sampling time divided by
 the initial litter weight; BG = β‐1,4‐glucosidase (BG, EC 3.2.1.21); NAP =
 The sum of the leucine aminopeptidase (LAP, EC 3.4.11),
 N‐acetyl‐β‐glucosaminidase (NAG, EC 3.2.1.14); AP = Acid phosphatase (AP,
 EC 3.1.3.2); Vector_length = The square root of the squared sum of the
 values of x and y, where x represents the relative proportion of C- to
 P-acquiring enzyme activities and y represents the relative proportion of
 C- to N-acquiring enzyme activities (Moorhead et al., 2016); Vector_angle
 = The arctangent of the point (x, y) [angle (degrees) = degrees (Atan2(x,
 y))], where x represents the relative proportion of C- to P-acquiring
 enzyme activities and y represents the relative proportion of C- to
 N-acquiring enzyme activities (Moorhead et al., 2016); Litter C loss = The
 initial litter C minus the litter C of sampling time divided by the
 initial litter C; Litter lignin loss = The initial litter lignin minus the
 litter lignin of sampling time divided by the initial litter lignin;
 Litter cellulose loss = The initial litter cellulose minus the litter
 cellulose of sampling time divided by the initial litter cellulose; Litter
 hemicellulose loss = The initial litter hemicellulose minus the litter
 hemicellulose of sampling time divided by the initial litter
 hemicellulose; Litter N loss = The initial litter N minus the litter N of
 sampling time divided by the initial litter N; Litter P loss = The initial
 litter P minus the litter P of sampling time divided by the initial litter
 P; Soil temperature = ℃; soil moisture = Volumetric water content of soil;
 Litter C concentration = %; Litter lignin concentration = %; Litter
 cellulose concentration = %; Litter hemicellulose concentration = %;
 Litter N concentration = %; Litter P concentration = mg kg-1; Liiter C:N =
 unitless; Liiter N:P = unitless; Liiter lignin:N = unitless; Bacterial
 biomass = μg g-1; Fungi biomass = μg g-1; Total PLFAs biomass = μg g-1.