Carbon(C) mineralization and decomposition of litters is a critical process to maintain ecosystem nutrients cycling, and drives the large flux of terrestrial C to atmosphere. Therefore, the factors that control the litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystem are focused on all the time. Horqin Sandy Land is one of the regions that suffering severe land desertification in north China. As a result, soils in this region were coarsened and impoverished. Litter input and subsequent C mineralizing and decomposing would improve soil texture and nutrients in this region. In this study, C mineralization and decomposition of litters from 27 plant species were investigated by adding litter into soil and incubating it in laboratory. Subsequently, we analyzed the correlations of total CO2 release and dry mass loss with C concentration, N concentration, lignin concentration, C/N, lignin/N, labile Pool I and II, and recalcitrant Pool in litter. The results showed that there were big differences in litter quality among 27 plant species, and correspondingly total CO2 release and dry mass loss also differed greatly and varied from 9.0 mg C·g-1 dry soil to 12.7 mg C·g-1 dry soil and from 14.7% to 40.4%, respectively, among 27 plant species. Total CO2 releases after adding litter were significantly larger than the control (non-addition of litter), suggesting that litter input would accelerated C mineralization. Correlation analysis showed that total CO2 release and dry mass loss were significantly correlated with N concentration, C/N, lignin/N, labile pool I and II, and recalcitrant pool in litter of 27 plant species. Stepwise regression, however, suggested that C mineralization and mass loss of litter were mainly controlled by labile pool I and lignin/N in 27 plant species.
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