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70 results for “leaf litter decomposition”
Data from: Periphytic algae decouple fungal activity from leaf litter decomposition via negative priming
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Data from: Different dynamics and controls of enzyme activities of leaf and root litter during decomposition
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Data from: Intraspecific leaf trait variation mediates edge effects on litter decomposition rate in fragmented forests
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Data from: Leaf litter decomposition in tropical freshwater swamp forests is slower in swamp than non-swamp conditions
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N dynamics of leaf and root litter decomposition
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Data from: Chronic phosphorus enrichment and elevated pH suppresses Quercus spp. leaf litter decomposition in a temperate forest
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How detritivores, plant traits and time modulate coupling of leaf versus woody litter decomposition rates across species
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The coordination between leaf and fine root litter decomposition and the difference of their controlling factors
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Data from: Invertebrate phenology modulates the effect of the leaf economics spectrum on litter decomposition rate across 41 subtropical woody plant species
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Data from: Evaluating community effects of a keystone ant, Azteca sericeasur, on Inga micheliana leaf litter decomposition in a shaded coffee agro-ecosystem
<p class="MsoNoSpacing"> Our research examined the effect of <i>Azteca sericeasur, </i>a keystone arboreal ant,<i> </i>on the decomposition of leaf litter of the shade tree, <i>Inga micheliana, </i>in coffee agro-ecosystems<i>. </i>This interaction is important in understanding the spatial heterogeneity in decomposition. We hypothesized that <i>A. sericeasur </i>could affect leaf litter decomposition by excluding other ants, which could release decomposers, like collembolans, from predation pressure. Determining the relative strengths of these interactions can illuminate the importance of <i>A. sericeasur </i>in decomposition and nutrient cycling processes.</p> <p class="MsoNoSpacing">We assessed the ant and arthropod communities surrounding 10 pairs of trees, where each pair included one shade tree with an established <i>A. sericeasur </i>nest. Tuna baits were used in conjunction with pitfall traps to assess the ant and arthropod community, and litterbags with <i>I. micheliana </i>leaf litter were used to assess decomposition. The species richness of ants did not change in proximity to <i>A. sericeasur </i>nests, though the ant communities were distinct. Abundance of collembola and community composition of other invertebrates did not change with the presence of an <i>A. sericeasur </i>nest and there were no differences in leaf litter decomposition rates. This contradicts past studies that suggests <i>A. sericeasur </i>reduces species richness in its territory. We suggest that other ants may avoid <i>A. sericeasur </i>by moving within and beneath the leaf litter. Our results indicate there is no net effect of <i>A. sericeasur </i>on leaf litter decomposition.</p>
Data from: Decomposition of leaf litter mixtures across biomes: The role of litter identity, diversity and soil fauna
<p class="CxSpFirst">1. At broad spatial scales, the factors regulating litter decomposition remain ambiguous, with the understanding of these factors largely based on studies investigating site-specific single litter species, whereas studies using multi litter species mixtures across sites are rare.</p> <p class="CxSpMiddle">2. We exposed in microcosms containing single species and all possible mixtures of four leaf litter species differing widely in initial chemical and physical characteristics from a temperate forest to the climatic conditions of four different forests across the northern hemisphere for one year.</p> <p class="CxSpMiddle">3. Calcium, magnesium and condensed tannins predicted litter mass loss of single litter species and mixtures across forest types and biomes, regardless of species richness and microarthropod presence. However, relative mixture effects differed among forest types and varied with the access to the litter by microarthropods. Access to the microcosms by microarthropods modified the decomposition of individual litter species within mixtures, which differed among forest types independent of litter species richness and composition of litter mixtures. However, soil microarthropods generally only little affected litter decomposition.</p> <p>4. <i>Synthesis</i>. We conclude that litter identity is the dominant driver of decomposition across different forest types and the non-additive litter mixture effects vary among biomes despite identical leaf litter chemistry. These results suggest that across large spatial scales the environmental context of decomposing litter mixtures, including microarthropod communities, determine the decomposition of litter mixtures besides strong litter trait based effects.</p>
Data from: Specific leaf area predicts dryland litter decomposition via two mechanisms
1. Litter decomposition plays important roles in carbon and nutrient cycling. In dryland both microbial decomposition and abiotic degradation (by UV light or other forces) drive variation in decomposition rates, but whether and how litter traits and position determine the balance between these processes is poorly understood. 2. We investigated relationships between litter quality and their decomposition rates among diverse plant species in a desert ecosystem in vertically contrasting positions representing distinct decomposition environments driven by different relative contributions of abiotic and microbial degradation. Thereto, leaf litter samples from 17 desert species were sealed into litterbags and placed on the soil surface under strong solar exposure versus shade conditions, or buried in the soil at 10 cm depth, for a whole year. 3. Litter decomposition rates were 21 and 17 % higher in burial and light-exposed treatments, respectively, than those in shade. Leaf traits, i.e. specific leaf area (SLA), litter C:N ratio and lignin concentration could predict litter decomposition to some degree, but their predictive power was dependent on litter position. However, multiple linear regression showed that SLA, litter C and P significantly affected k values for leaf litter decomposition besides litter position, with SLA standing out as a strong determinant of litter decomposition rate as related either to solar radiation or the environment below the soil surface. Furthermore, the interspecific differences in litter decomposition rate decreased over time, implying that afterlife effects of leaf traits on decomposition were attenuated. 4. Synthesis. These findings suggest that abiotic photodegradation and soil burial mediated microbial decomposition could be responsible for higher than expected litter turnover in dryland. They point to a dual role of specific leaf area as a promotor of decomposition rates: via relative exposure of the leaf surface to abiotic factors such as UV light versus to soil moisture and microbes under soil burial.
Data from: Leaf litter diversity and structure of microbial decomposer communities modulate litter decomposition in aquatic systems
1. Leaf litter decomposition is a major ecosystem process that can link aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems by flows of nutrients. Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning research hypothesizes that the global loss of species leads to impaired decomposition rates and thus to slower recycling of nutrients. Especially in aquatic systems an understanding of diversity effects on litter decomposition is still incomplete. 2. Here we conducted an experiment to test two main factors associated with global species loss that might influence leaf litter decomposition. Firstly, we tested whether mixing different leaf species alters litter decomposition rates compared to decomposition of these species in monoculture. Secondly, we tested the effect of the size structure of a lotic decomposer community on decomposition rates. 3. Overall, leaf litter identity strongly affected decomposition rates, and the observed decomposition rates matched measures of metabolic activity and microbial abundances. While we found some evidence of a positive leaf litter diversity effect on decomposition, this effect was not coherent across all litter combinations and the effect was generally additive and not synergistic. 4. Microbial communities, with a reduced functional and trophic complexity, showed a small but significant overall reduction in decomposition rates compared to communities with the naturally complete functional and trophic complexity, highlighting the importance of a complete microbial community on ecosystem functioning. 5. Our results suggest that top-down diversity effects of the decomposer community on litter decomposition in aquatic systems are of comparable importance as bottom-up diversity effects of primary producers.
Data from: Nutrient scarcity strengthens soil fauna control over leaf litter decomposition in tropical rainforests
Soil fauna is a key control of the decomposition rate of leaf litter, yet its interactions with litter quality and the soil environment remain elusive. We conducted a litter decomposition experiment across different topographic levels within the landscape replicated in two rainforest sites providing natural gradients in soil fertility to test the hypothesis that low nutrient availability in litter and soil increases the strength of fauna control over litter decomposition. We crossed these data with a large dataset of 44 variables characterizing the biotic and abiotic microenvironment of each sampling point and found that microbe-driven Carbon (C) and Nitrogen (N) losses from leaf litter were 10.1 and 17.9 % lower, respectively, in the nutrient-poorest site but this among-site difference was equalized when meso- and macrofauna had access to the litterbags. Further, on average soil fauna enhanced the rate of litter decomposition by 22.6%, and this contribution consistently increased as nutrient availability in the microenvironment declined. Our results indicate that nutrient scarcity increases the importance of soil fauna on C and N cycling in tropical rainforests. Further, soil fauna is able to equalize differences in microbial decomposition potential thus buffering to a remarkable extent nutrient shortages at an ecosystem level.
Data from: Leaf-litter decomposition and macroinvertebrate assemblages along an urban stream gradient in Puerto Rico
Urbanization is a major land use form that has large impacts on ecosystems. Urban development in the watershed impacts stream ecosystems by increasing nutrient and organic matter loads, altering hydrology, and reducing biodiversity. Puerto Rico is an ideal location to assess and monitor the effects of urbanization on streams, because it is increasingly urbanized and streams do not receive inputs of untreated sewage, characteristic of many other tropical urban areas. The objective of this study was to determine how leaf-litter decomposition and aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages varied along a tropical urban gradient. We conducted the study in the Río Piedras watershed, San Juan Metropolitan Area, in six low order streams that formed an urban gradient ranging from 10 to 70% urban land cover. At each stream, we placed six 5g leaf bags of Ficus longifolia in three different pools and collected one bag on each sampling date. Decomposition rates were fast in forested streams (range 0.021 – 0.039 day-1) and decreased with increasing urbanization (range 0.007 – 0.008 day-1). Rates were strongly and negatively correlated with percent impervious surface cover (R= 0.81, p=0.01). Functional feeding group diversity was higher in forested streams, with the presence of shredders. Decomposition rates were significantly and positively correlated with functional feeding group diversity and abundance (R= 0.66, p= 0.04). Overall, our results show that urbanization affected the environment and macroinvertebrate diversity resulting in large negative effects on stream ecosystem function.
Data from: Altered leaf litter quality exacerbates the negative impact of climate change on decomposition
1.Leaf litter decomposition is a key component of global biogeochemical cycles that influences soil carbon storage, nutrient availability and plant productivity. Ongoing climate change will lead to warmer and drier conditions in many dryland regions, potentially affecting litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics. Climate change effects can be direct and/or indirect, e.g. through changes in litter quality, yet their relative importance on litter decomposition remains unclear. 2. We conducted a manipulative study in a semiarid shrubland to assess the effects of leaf litter quality, forecasted climate change, i.e. +2.5°C warming (W), 30% rainfall reduction (RR), as well as their interaction (W+RR) to elucidate their relative effects on litter decomposition. 3. Climatic effects alone reduced decomposition of a homogeneous control leaf litter collected from Helianthemum squamatum shrubs growing in unmanipulated plots by 23.4%, 18.1%, and 29.8% in the W, RR and W+RR treatments, respectively. Leaf litter quality was lower in shrubs that had been growing in warmed plots (W and W+RR), as they had lower nutrient concentrations (P, Fe) and higher C:N and C:P ratios than leaf litter produced under ambient (control) conditions. Lignin concentration was significantly lower in litter from W+RR plots, yet when both climate and litter quality were considered simultaneously, decomposition rates were 32.0%, 26.3% and 39.9% lower in W, RR and W+RR plots compared to controls. In addition, we found greater microbial N immobilization in leaf litter incubated within warmed (W and W+RR) than within non‐warmed plots (Control and RR). Structural equation modelling showed that higher litter moisture and microbial biomass contents stimulated decomposition. Simulated climate change (W, RR and W+RR) reduced decomposition indirectly by negatively affecting litter moisture contents and litter microbial biomass. Microbial nitrogen immobilization was stimulated by the lower quality (i.e. high C:N ratios) of the leaf litter collected in shrubs from warmed plots (W and W+RR). 4. Synthesis Our findings indicate that forecasted climate change conditions slow down C and N cycling in a dryland ecosystem, an effect that is further exacerbated by climate change‐induced reductions in litter quality and related reductions in bacterial and fungal biomass in litter.
Stronger effect of litter quality than microorganisms on leaf and root litter C and N loss at different decomposition stages following a subtropical land use change
<p>Litter decomposition contributes largely to global carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, and it is strongly determined by litter quality and microbial community composition in ways that are poorly understood. Here, we conducted a 2-year field litter decomposition experiment by collecting leaf and root litter of crops (from cropland), shrubs (from shrubland), and wood (from woodland) and placing samples for decomposition in woodland soil in central China to investigate the effects of litter quality and microbial community composition on C and N loss of leaf and root litter of three species under different decomposition stages. Our results showed that the leaf litter C and N losses of shrubs were significantly higher than those of crops and wood, whereas the root litter C and N losses of crops were significantly higher than those of shrubs and wood. Generally, the leaf litter C and N losses of the three species were higher on average than those of fine root litter under the whole decomposition period. For the C loss of the three species, litter lignin and phosphorus as well as initial litter quality were predominant drivers of root litter decomposition, while litter lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose concentrations were dominant for leaf litter decomposition. For N loss, litter stoichiometry and litter quality directly governed leaf and root litter N loss, and the initial litter quality largely regulated N loss at the late decomposition stage. Unexpectedly, the effect of microbial community composition on litter C and N loss was relatively weak and only exhibited an effect on litter C and N loss during the early stage of decomposition. Thus, our results revealed the huge disparity in C and N loss of plant species and litter types at different decomposition stages, which should be considered jointly when evaluating their roles in plant-soil feedbacks under global land use change.</p>
Data from: Meiofauna promotes litter decomposition in stream ecosystems depending on leaf species
<p>Litter decomposition, a fundamental process of nutrient cycling and energy flow in freshwater ecosystems, is driven by a diverse array of decomposers. As an important component of the heterotrophic food web, meiofauna can provide a trophic link between leaf-associated microbes (i.e., bacteria and fungi)/plant detritus and macroinvertebrates, though their contribution to litter decomposition is not well understood. To investigate the role of different decomposer communities in litter decomposition, especially meiofauna, we compared the litter decomposition of three leaf species with different lignin to nitrogen ratios in litter bags with different mesh sizes (0.05, 0.25, and 2 mm) in a forested stream, in China for 78 days. The meiofauna significantly enhanced the decomposition of leaves of high- and medium-quality, while decreasing (negative effect) or increasing (positive effect) the fungal biomass and diversity. Macrofauna and meiofauna together contributed to the decomposition of low-quality leaf species. The presence of meiofauna and macrofauna triggered different aspects of the microbial community, with their effects on litter decomposition varying as a function of leaf quality. This study reveals that the meiofauna increased the trophic complexity and modulated their interactions with microbes, highlighting the important yet underestimated role of meiofauna in detritus-based ecosystems.</p>
Data for: Decomposability of leaf and wood litter are not correlated across species: Effects of litter traits on decomposition in field and laboratory conditions
<ol> <li>Changes in tree species composition have important effects on the overall rate of litter decomposition at a community level because litter decomposability varies among species and between leaf and wood litter. To understand how changes in tree species composition affect litter dynamics and carbon sequestration at the ecosystem level, it is important to clarify interspecific variations in leaf and wood litter decomposability and the traits driving the variation.</li> <li>Using field data, field experiments, and laboratory experiments, we explored rates of leaf and wood litter decomposition and their relationships to traits of ten deciduous hardwood species in a temperate forest in Japan. Rates of leaf and wood litter decomposition at the community level were also estimated by considering species-specific litter inputs and decomposition rates.</li> <li>Rates of leaf and wood litter decomposition were not correlated under either field or controlled laboratory conditions. This is probably because the traits that affect decomposition rate differ between leaf and wood litter. Interspecific variation in litter decomposability of leaves and wood was generally consistent between field conditions and laboratory experiments using a single fungus, suggesting that the decomposing fungi set the species-specific decomposition rates. Moreover, the leaf and wood traits that affected decomposition by their specific fungi were different. The aboveground input of wood litter was less than half that of leaf litter, but its half-life was >3 times longer, suggesting that wood and leaves make similar contributions to litter accumulation.</li> <li>Focusing on either leaf or wood litter alone may produce misleading estimates of how species composition changes affect litter dynamics at the community level. Our results provide insight into predicting the response of carbon dynamics to future climate change.</li> </ol>
Data from: Variation in home-field advantage and ability in leaf litter decomposition across successional gradients
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