Partitioning the effect of composition and diversity of. Litter decomposition is an important process in the global carbon cycle. Leaf litter decomposition research papers academia. Methods for estimating litter decomposition springerlink. Streams are naturally subjected to great spatial and temporal variability, which is likely to affect the distribution. Litter decomposition injune2010weinstalled20 cmdiameterpvccollars at the site to a depth of 5 cm. In this activity students examine the ecology of a local leaf litter the forest floor community. Leaf litter quality is defined as the ease of decomposition heal et al. Sun, in reference module in earth systems and environmental sciences, 20. The students will learn about litter decomposition. Dekker d, max rietkerk a dipartimento di arboricoltura, botanica e patologia vegetale, university of naples federico ii, italy. Most studies on the chemical constituents that determine leaf litter quality have been conducted in temperate streams webster and benfield 1986. We examined the relative importance of leaf litter identity acacia melanoxylon, pittosporum undulatum, morella faya and environmental conditions on litter decomposition in seven lakes in the.
Both fungi and bacteria convert leaf carbon into microbial biomass, enhancing leaf palatability for shredding invertebrates. To elucidate how different leaf traits affected litter decomposition a microcosm experiment. California waste mgmt bulletin bananaorange peel 25 weeks cotton rag 15 months cigarette butt 15 years wool clothing 15 years plasticcoated paper 5 years plastic bag 1020 years painted wooden stake years. Pdf diversity and forest leaf litter decomposition. Here we evaluate 14 leaf and litter traits, and litter decomposition rates. Leaf litter has slower decomposition rate than expected in warm temps date. Pdf backgroundquestionmethods the projected increase in biodiversity loss. Leaf economics traits predict litter decomposition of tropical plants. A triangular relationship article pdf available in oikos 793. They will explore the decomposition process and observe the rates at which different pieces of litter decompose. Leaf litter has slower decomposition rate than expected in.
Leaf litter decomposition on insular lentic systems. Decomposition of sitespecific litter mixtures was monitored for 100 wk in four roodplaht communities. Decomposition was determined by using litter bags with sampling at 0, 14, 36, 60, 90, 119, 179, 291 and 362 days after commencement and determining the remaining biomass kg ha1, decomposition. Functional leaf traits and biodiversity effects on litter. View leaf litter decomposition research papers on academia. Litter decomposition may also respond differently as n accumulates in the forest ecosystem. Chapter methods for estimating litter decomposition. Leaf litter decomposition is a vital process in forest environments. Species initial leaf litter quality, as a legacy of their position on the leaf economics spectrum les, may determine the invertebrate contribution to litter mass loss. The litter decomposition process is mainly governed by three factors. Climatic controls on leaf litter decomposition across.
Though it is well established that litter decomposition varies among species, most leaf litter decomposes not alone, but in mixture with litter from heterospecifics. In the activity, they will use a graphmaking tool to create a graph of trash decomposition rates. Interactions among decaying leaf litter, root litter and. The mass remaining was most highly correlated with the initial lignin. Leaf breakdown studies allow ecologists to measure decomposition rates in different environments.
Rapid loss of biodiversity worldwide has raised concerns about the consequences to ecosystem functioning, including processes such as litter decomposition. Litter fall in terrestrial ecosystems signifies a crucial pathway for nutrient return to the soil. Decomposition rates of a common litter between stream and. A knowledge of litter decomposition rates and biological processes could be useful for the management of soil fertility swift 1986, ecological restoration of environmentally fragile sites, detoxification of soil contaminants and reducing the emission of trace gases to the atmosphere heal et al. To test the generality of this relationship we treated the data from a study of leaf litter decomposition in. Suberkropp department of biological sciences, university of alabama, tuscaloosa, al, u. Leaf litter decomposition plays vital roles in carbon and nutrient retention and release in diverse ecosystems. We will use the litterbag technique and a 2way anova study design to compare leaf breakdown in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, each with forested and urbanized land uses. Litter decomposition decay rates did not vary among topographic posi tions, so data were pooled by watershed. Kathy shea decomposition rates of sugar maple acer saccharum leaves in a stream and pond environment within a maplebasswood ecosystem in southern minnesota were recorded. Site climatic characteristics strongly affect the litter decomposition rate by modifying conditions for decomposers to act and transform organic litter matter into forms readily usable for plants berg et al. Interaction of initial litter quality and thinning.
Leaf litter decomposition rates were a positive linear function of mat, causing the residence time of leaf litter on the forest floor to decline by. A global metaanalysis, dominated by studies in mesic to. Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. As the longterm effects of elevated atmospheric n inputs on litter decomposition will be a critical factor in forest ecosystem response to n deposition, it is necessary to investigate how the litter decomposition process responds to chronic n additions. Leaf litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics associated. Nitrogen and lignin control of hardwood leaf litter. Decomposition is the process by which organic substances are broken down into simpler organic matter. Plant litter decomposition in a semiarid ecosystem. Litter mass loss or decay is the sum of carbon dioxide co 2 release and discharge of compounds. Ecologists have found that leaf litter is not as sensitive to. Decomposition dynamics of the litter materials were described by inverse linear relationships between the percentage of original mass remaining and the nitrogen concentration in the residual material. Leaf traits drive plant diversity effects on litter decomposition and fpom.
Leaf litter decomposition and microbial activity in nutrientenriched and unaltered reaches of a headwater stream v. This experiment was conducted for 180 days by using litter bag technique during dry and wet seasons. In decreasing order of importance, the key factors regulating decomposition are commonly assumed to be climate, litter quality e. The distinct nutrient acquisition strategies of em and.
They identify characteristics common to marine debris by experimenting with different materials and analyzing collected samples. A couple kids went on line and checked out sites about leaf litter and told the class what they found extra credit. Decomposition rates of a common litter between stream and pond environments in a maplebasswood ecosystem tom nickerson biology 371 semester research dr. Initial lignin concentration was highly correlated r 2. They will then explore the consequences of not reducing, reusing andor recycling. Modelling the effects of litter decomposition on tree. Leaf litter decomposition in streams is an important ecosystemlevel process, which depends on the activity of invertebrates and microorganisms. Leaf traits drive plant diversity effects on litter decomposition and. Decomposition of plant litter is the most important source of nutrients for plants in many terrestrial ecosystems swift et al. Leaf tissue can account for more than 70% of above ground litter fall in forests, and the rest is composed of stems, small twigs and propagative structures robertson and paul 1999. Pdf rates of litter decomposition and nutrient release from litter provide valuable information on the capacity of different tree species to.
Specific leaf area predicts dryland litter decomposition. By 30 months, we see that between 6080% of the carbon is lost. Their answers were more detailed about what it was. When a larger c fraction is released into the atmosphere, a smaller c fraction is transferred to humic substances, which can be stored in soils for a long time. Ecology and diversity of leaf litter fungi during early. Consequent experiments with litter mixtures to assess effects of changing tree composition and diversity on decomposition have given mixed results, but the causes are not clear. This study focused on leaf litter decomposition and nutrient n, p, and k dynamics during the decomposition process. Litter decomposition is a crucial ecological process that regulates nutrient cycling. Through classroom and field activities, students sort, categorize and come up with a common definition of marine debris. Bags caught in trees or rolling around in the surf, bottle caps on the beach where shells should be, or plastic bottles hastily discarded on a sidewalk.
The decomposition of leaf litter constitutes a major pathway of carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. Leaf litter decomposition rates increase with rising mean. Mangifera indica, zizyphus jujuba, litchi chinensis, and artocarpus heterophyllus are the most common cropland agroforest horticultural tree species of bangladesh. Heterotrophic metabolism, facilitated through comminution by small insects and leaching during precipitation events, results in the release of plant litter carbon as co 2 into the atmosphere. However, the effects of understory plants and overstory trees on litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics.
The process is a part of the nutrient cycle and is essential for recycling the finite matter that occupies physical space in the biosphere. The litter layer is quite variable in its thickness, decomposition rate and nutrient content and is affected in part by seasonality, plant species, climate, soil fertility, elevation, and latitude. An integrated spectroscopic and wet chemical approach to. Bodies of living organisms begin to decompose shortly after death. Statistical methods annual decomposition rates k values were determined by species and throughfall treatment mass loss data were analyzed using a negative exponential decay model y100ekt olsen. It accounts for most of the heterotrophic soil respiration and results in formation of more stable soil organic carbon soc which is the largest terrestrial carbon stock. Leaf litter decomposition and microbial activity in.
Litter decomposition is one of the key ecological processes in ecosystems. Leaf litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in four. Litter from the four species decomposed at different rates table 3 and the rates of decay of the four species varied over time. Johan lidman abstract headwaters, which are the most common stream order in the landscape, are mostly. Although litter decomposition is influencedby biotic.
I had the students refer back to their textbooks to see if leaf litter was mentioned in the ecology chapter. Microbes participated in macrophyte leaf litters decomposition in. Animals, such as worms, also help decompose the organic materials. At the 6 month harvest, there are some initial decomposition differences because of management practices, but this difference disappears by 12 months fig. Which chemical constituents are known to determine leaf litter quality. Students will collect and identify the living organisms in a plot, identify the tropic levels, and create a. Litter decomposition rates are a function of litter quality, biota and microclimate seastedt et al. Litterfall in terrestrial ecosystems represents the primary pathway for nutrient return to soil. Litter decomposition may induce remarkable feedbacks to climate change because it is a climatedependent process.
Short communication litter quality impacts on grassland. Pdf climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter. This contribution may change through time, as both population peaks of invertebrate detritivores and litter quality of given species will change through time. Our estimate of the q 10 temperature coefficient for leaf litter decomposition was 2.
Decomposition and nutrient dynamics of hardwood leaf. In the early stages of decomposi tion the ratio of c. The effects of leaf litter evenness on decomposition. Homefield advantage accelerates leaf litter decomposition in forests. Airdrying depresses rates of leaf litter decomposition article pdf available in soil biology and biochemistry 30. Litter decomposition an overview sciencedirect topics. The balance between litter inputs and heterotrophic litter decomposition influences the amount of. Invertebrate phenology modulates the effect of the leaf. Litter decomposition is an important component of ecosystem processes, such as soil formation or nutrient cycling taylor et al.
Litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in a phosphorus. Litter quality and decomposability of species from a mediterranean. Pdf leaf litter decomposition, litterfall, and effects of leaf. However, the two studies vary widely in their estimates of the apparent q10 temperature coefficient, the proportional. Ramesh reddy2 1west florida research and education center, university of florida, 5988 hwy.
The most extreme variability of litterfall is seen as a function of seasonality. Determine mass loss and analyze litter at 6 months, 1 year, 1. Functional diversity of leaf litter mixtures slows. Individual leaf and litter characteristics are good predictors of. N may be the best predictor of mass loss and n release, with lignin content becoming increasingly important at later stages of litter decomposition. Litter decomposition activity background litter in our area litter is everywhere. Marine debris composition and abundance materials for grades 45. Cumulative effects of nitrogen additions on litter. Measurement of leaf litter decomposition springerlink. Decomposition, expressed as a constant k that integrates the rates of organic matter loss over time, showed a 33% and 60% reduction in litter. Modelling the effects of litter decomposition on tree diversity patterns stefano mazzoleni a. Formal analysis, funding acquisition, investigation, methodology. Effects of changes in the environment and contribution of microbial and shredder activity on litter decomposition.
1071 310 468 238 1067 603 926 276 57 1188 1248 993 1137 775 11 647 989 865 1172 920 296 362 1575 1272 891 496 1452 944 1516 645 724 1434 1039 423 342 1480 403 852 166 1468