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77 results for “leaf decomposition”
Data for a leaf litter decomposition study and soil density fractionation analysis at a whole-watershed fertilization experiment in a temperate forest
To assess how elevated N deposition influences leaf litter decomposition dynamics and soil organic matter formation in a temperate deciduous forest, we coupled a reciprocal transplant leaf litter decomposition study with an analysis of the distribution of soil organic matter in mineral associated and particulate organic matter fractions at a long-term, whole-watershed, N fertilization experiment. We found that nearly 30 years of N additions slowed decay rates by about 11% for leaf litter decomposed in the fertilized watershed, regardless of the watershed from which the initial litter was collected. An apparent consequence of the altered rates of decomposition was that the soil in the fertilized watershed had about a 40% greater fraction of SOM in light particulate organic matter compared to the reference watershed, which was positively correlated with the bulk soil carbon to nitrogen ratio. Collectively, our results suggest that under conditions of N saturation, the physical transfer pathway of SOM formation is favored, which can have important implications for the future of the soil organic matter stock and nutrient cycling.
Leaf litter decomposition experiment In QPA and QPB - 2017-2019
We ran a leaf litter decomposition experiment over a seven-week period in each of three different years: 2017, 2018, and 2019. To assess leaf decomposition rates, we incubated leaf packs of freshly abscised Tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa) leaves in pools in each of our two study stream reaches, and retrieved them at intervals over a seven-week period. We attempted to run experiments before onset of heavy rains which often occur in September-December. We chose to use leaves of Tabonuco for experimental leaf packs because it is a dominant riparian tree species along both of our study reaches. This dataset can be used to asses ecosystem function within tropical headwater streams. Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service.
Leaf Litter Decomposition Experiment in QPA and QPB – Insects - 2019
Macroinvertebrates collected from Tabonuco leaf packs associated with 50-day in-situ leaf litter decomposition experiment from 2019-07-1 – 2019-08-20 in Quebrada Prieta A and Quebrada Prieta B. This data may be used to examine insect colonization of leaf packs within streams. Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service.
leaf litter decomposition experiment In QPA and QPB - visual shrimp observations 2019
Visual shrimp observations from pools associated with 2019 in-situ leaf litter decomposition experiment. Shrimp abundance was recorded over two-minute intervals within pools in Quebrada Prieta A and Quebrada Prieta B. Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service.
fungal interactions during tropical leaf decomposition
Fungal interactions during leaf decomposition can facilitate or inhibit other fungi. This experiment focused on whether preconditioning of leaf litter by microfungi that were confined to one leaf (Unit-Restricted) made leaf litter less likely to be colonized and decomposed by basidiomycetes that bind litter into mats (Non-Unit- Restricted) than non-preconditioned litter. Leaves of Manilkara bidentata in litterbags were preconditioned by incubating them for 0, 1, 2 or 3 months in flat litter/seed rain baskets 10 centimeters above the forest forest floor to avoid colonization by basidiomycete fungi. Preconditioned and non-preconditioned leaves were transferred to 5 replicate basidiomycete fungal mats of Gymnopus johnstonii for 6 weeks. Both attachment by basidiomycete fungi and percent mass loss after 6 weeks decreased significantly with increasing preconditioning time. In non-preconditioned leaves, gamma irradiation did not affect mass loss or percent white-rot despite having significantly increased numbers of basidiomycete fungal connections as compared to non-irradiated leaves. In non-preconditioned leaves, more basidiomycete attachments to non-irradiated than irradiated leaves suggest facilitation by phyllosphere microfungi. While basidiomycete colonization was initially facilitated by phyllosphere fungi, we inferred that degradation of resource quality led to fewer fungal attachments and less mass loss after 1-3 months of preconditioning by microfungi. There is a 1-month time window for basidiomycete fungi to incorporate fallen leaves into their litter mats. Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forest
Cross-site decomposition of leaf litter in terrestrial and aquatic habitats, CWT and LUQ, 2000 (species Buchenavia capitata, Dacryodes excelsa, Guarea guidonia, Quercus prinus).
Comparison of decomposition and nutrient losses from three species of leaf litter in terrestrial and aquatic habitats at CWT and LUQ LTER sites. Overall hypothesis is that macro-consumers have different patterns and impacts on decomposition rates than microbial decomposers, and that these patterns are magnified in litters of low vs. high qualities over the two years of the experiment.
Leaf decomposition along the Ball Creek / Coweeta Creek elevational gradient at the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory from 1991 to 1992
This work was conducted in the southern Appalachian Mountains at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, North Carolina, USA from 1991 to 1992. We investigated in-stream leaf decomposition in different habitat patches using leaf species that varied in their speed of processing along a first fourth-order stream gradient. Most studies of stream disturbance have been from the perspective of point or non-point discharges that impinge directly on stream communities. Streams may also receive indirect impacts when the catchments they drain are disturbed by such activities as logging. Logging has been extensive in areas drained by small to intermediate streams throughout the United States, and few streams in the Eastern United States drain forests that have escaped logging. The present study was undertaken to investigate the impact of clear-cutting on the rates at which riparian tree leaves are comminuted by first-order stream communities in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
Multiple Element Limitation in Northern Hardwood Ecosystems (MELNHE): Leaf Litter Decomposition 2012-2014
Decomposition of leaf litter is a major source of nutrient transfer from vegetation to soils and an important carbon flux. In northern hardwood forests, litter decomposition might be affected by nutrient availability, species composition, stand age or structure, or access by soil decomposers. We investigated these factors in four stands at the Bartlett Experimental Forest in New Hampshire that have had nitrogen and phosphorus added in full factorial design since 2011. Leaf litter of early and late successional species was collected in 2012 and deployed in bags of two mesh sizes (63 µm and 2 mm) in two young and two mature stands and collected three times over the next 2 years. Decomposition was evaluated by fitting mass loss as an exponential function of time represented by growing degree days. Litter decomposed more quickly in the small mesh bags (p < 0.001), which excluded mesofauna. This result was surprising, but might be explained by the greater rigidity of the large mesh material making poor contact with the soil. The litter with a species composition characteristic of our young stands decomposed more quickly than the litter representing mature stands (p = 0.01 for species mix in the full model). The environment in which is was placed was not as important: Neither the age of the stand in which it was placed (p = 0.31), nor N addition (p = 0.59), P addition (p = 0.41), or the interaction of N and P addition (p = 0.13) were significant predictors of the decomposition rate, defined by fitting an exponential decay constant. Additional detail on the MELNHE project, including a datatable of site descriptions and a pdf file with the project description and diagram of plot configuration can be found in this data package: https://portal.edirepository.org/nis/mapbrowse?scope=knb-lter-hbr&identifier=344 Litter was collected by Rick Bicher and sorted by species by middle school students. Litterbags were made, filled, and weighed by middle school students. Gracie Gilcrist
Energetic mismatch induced by warming decreases leaf litter decomposition by aquatic detritivores
<p>1. The balance of energetic losses and gains is of paramount importance for understanding and predicting the persistence of populations and ecosystem processes in a rapidly changing world. Previous studies suggested that metabolic rate often increases faster with warming than resource ingestion rate, leading to an energetic mismatch at high temperature. However, little is known about the ecological consequences of this energetic mismatch for population demography and ecosystem functions.</p> <p>2. Here, we combined laboratory experiments and modeling to investigate the energetic balance of a stream detritivore (Gammarus fossarum) along a temperature gradient and the consequences for detritivore populations and organic matter decomposition.</p> <p>3. We experimentally measured the energetic losses (metabolic rate) and supplies (ingestion rate) of Gammarus and we modeled the impact of rising temperatures and changes in Gammarus body size induced by warming on population dynamics and benthic organic matter dynamics in freshwater systems.</p> <p>4. Our experimental results indicated an energetic mismatch in a Gammarus population where losses via metabolic rate increase faster than supplies via food ingestion with warming, which translated in a decrease of energetic efficiency with temperature rising from 5 to 20 °C. Moreover, our consumer-resource model predicts a decrease in the biomass of Gammarus population with warming, associated with lower maximum abundances and steeper abundance decreases after biomass annual peaks. These changes resulted in a decrease of leaf litter decomposition rate and thus longer persistence of leaf litter standing stock over years in the simulations. In addition, Gammarus body size reductions led to shorter persistence for both leaf litter and Gammarus biomasses at low temperature and the opposite trend at high temperature, revealing that body size reduction was weakening the effect of temperature on resource and consumer persistence.</p> <p>5. Our model contributes to identifying the mechanisms that explain how thermal effects at the level of individuals may cascade through trophic interactions and influence important ecosystem processes. Considering the balance of physiological processes is crucial to improve our ability to predict the impact of climate change on carbon stocks and ecosystem functions.</p>
Fine-root biomass production, sedge root, sedge leaf, and moss shoot decomposition, soil water-table level, and temperature data from two sedge fens in Finland
<p>Dataset including fine-root biomass production, mass loss of sedge (<em>Carex rostrata</em>) roots and leaves, and moss (<em>Sphagnum</em> <em>fallax</em>) shoots, along with environmental data (soil water-table level, air temperature, soil temperature at 5 cm, and soil temperature at 15 cm) from two sedge fens located in southern Finland (Lakkasuo, Orivesi, 61°48' N 24°19'E) and northern Finland (Lompolojänkkä, Kittilä, 68°N 24°12'E). Data are from a climate change experiment, where warming was induced with open top chambers (OTCs) and drying with shallow ditching. Data are from years 2011-2013.</p>
Data for the analysis from "Evidence for positive priming of leaf litter decomposition by contact with eutrophic pond sediments"
<p>These are the data files used in the analysis of the results of the experiments that are reported in the manuscript "Evidence for positive priming of leaf litter decomposition by contact with eutrophic pond sediments". More details on the analysis can be found in at: https://github.com/KennyPeanuts/sediment_priming</p>
Fig. 1 in Effect of leaf decomposition stage and water temperature on fragmentation activity of a shredder invertebrate species in lotic ecosystems
Fig. 1. Schematic representation of the eXperimental design of the present study. EXperiment I: nine discs of senescent (S) and nine discs of conditioned senescent (SCD) wastes were used in each aquarium in the absence of shredder invertebrates. EXperiment II: nine discs of senescent (S), nine discs of conditioned senescent (SCD) and nine discs of green detritus (G) were used in each aquarium in the presence of shredded invertebrates (Phylloicus sp.).
Fig. 2 in Effect of leaf decomposition stage and water temperature on fragmentation activity of a shredder invertebrate species in lotic ecosystems
Fig. 2. Mean values and standard error of leaf mass loss (LML) of senescent (senescent plus conditioned senescent, due to the absence of visual distinction by coloration) and green detritus for larval case production by Phylloicus sp. in the different water temperature treatments at Capetinga Stream, Água Limpa Farm, Brasília, Brazil.
Energetic mismatch induced by warming decreases leaf litter decomposition by aquatic detritivores
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Long-term Carbon and Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Dynamics of Leaf and Fine Root Litter project (LIDET-Long-term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team) data for the ARC, Arctic LTER. 1990 to 2000.
This file is from the Long-term Carbon and Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Dynamics of Leaf and Fine Root Litter project (LIDET-Long-term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team). This file contains only the Arctic LTER data. In particular the mass looses over the ten year study. Three types of fine roots (graminoid, hardwood, and conifer), six types of leaf litter (which ranged in lignin/nitrogen ratio from 5 to 75), and wooden dowels were used for litter incubations over a ten year period.
Leaf decomposition in relation to resource characteristics and consumer diversity
Resource subsidies and biodiversity are essential for maintaining community structure and ecosystem functioning, but the relative importance of consumer diversity and resource characteristics to decomposition remains unclear. Forested headwater streams are detritus-based systems, dependent on leaf litter inputs from adjacent riparian ecosystems, and decomposition of these resources is an important ecosystem function. Here, we examined the effects of consumer community diversity on leaf decomposition in a reciprocal transplant experiment. We asked: (1) if stream consumer communities are adapted to local resources, and (2) how functional trait diversity among communities affects the leaf decomposition process. We did not find evidence that communities were adapted to locally-derived resource subsidies. Instead, we found that consumer biomass and functional trait diversity as well as resource characteristics were the primary biotic drivers of decomposition. Consumer biomass was stimulated by specific resource subsidies, leading to direct and indirect effects of resource subsidies on ecosystem functioning. Contrary to current theory, we show that decomposition was higher with decreased detritivore functional diversity, suggesting dominant traits encompassing a specific niche increased decomposition. We also show that top-down, consumer diversity effects can be equal in magnitude to the bottom-up effects of resource characteristics during the decomposition process. Our research illustrates the importance of considering multiple biotic and abiotic drivers interacting via multiple pathways to affect a crucial ecosystem function.
Data from: Invertebrate phenology modulates the effect of the leaf economics spectrum on litter decomposition rate across 41 subtropical woody plant species
<ol> <li>Litter quality and decomposers are critical to carbon and nutrient cycling through litter decomposition. However, how relationships between litter quality and invertebrate detritivores change litter mass loss through time is poorly known. 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. This contribution may change through time, as both population peaks of invertebrate detritivores and litter quality of given species will change through time.</li> <li>Here we introduce invertebrate phenology into a conceptual model of drivers of litter mass loss. We hypothesized that in the early decomposition period, LES can predict litter decomposability with or without a strong invertebrate contribution, i.e., litter with higher nutrient content would decompose faster. But in the later decomposition period, when higher quality litter will already have decomposed too much and lower quality litters have still been less degraded, a strong invertebrate peak would coincide with relatively more consumption of initially lower quality litters; this would lead to a hump-back relationship between leaf litter mass loss and initial LES position in this period.</li> <li>We tested our hypothesis through a one-year field decomposition experiment using leaf litter of 41 woody species in each of two sites in subtropical forest in China; only one of these sites had a strong late peak of leaf litter-feeding moth larvae in the litter layer.</li> <li>LES score of litter species had a positive linear relationship with litter mass loss before the key invertebrate consumer peaks in the litter layer. However, with the invertebrates peaking later into the decomposition process, the invertebrate consumption peaked at initially lower quality litters, which altered the species' decomposability trajectory on the LES, consistent with the hypothesized hump-back relationship between leaf litter mass loss and LES. This phenomenon resulted in a strongly reduced slope of cumulative mass loss on initial LES score across species.</li> <li>Our finding highlights the importance of considering interactions between the timing of detritivore activities and the timing of litter quality for better understanding the relationships between soil animals and ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling.</li> </ol>
Data from: Leaf litter decomposition in tropical freshwater swamp forests is slower in swamp than non-swamp conditions
<p><span><span>Decomposition is a key ecosystem function, and the rate of decomposition in forests affects their carbon storage potentials. Processes and factors determining leaf litter decomposition rates in dry-land and temperate forests are well understood, but these are generally poorly studied in tropical wetland forests, especially freshwater swamp forests (FSF). The home-field advantage (HFA) hypothesis predicts that soil microbes specialize in decomposing leaf litter produced by the tree species in their immediate vicinity. However, empirical support for the HFA is equivocal, and the HFA has never been tested in the highly heterogeneous and biodiverse ecosystems of tropical FSFs. We collected leaf litter from swamp and non-swamp tree species in a tropical FSF in Singapore and monitored the decomposition rates of these in swamp and non-swamp plots for a period of eight months. Leaf litter decomposed 3.7 times more slowly in swamp plots. Leaf litter from swamp tree species were significantly poorer in quality (higher C:N ratio) than those of non-swamp FSF tree species, but this had only a weak effect on decomposition rates. There was also only weak evidence for the HFA and only in non-swamp conditions. Our results show that while the leaf litter of tropical FSF swamp and non-swamp tree species differ significantly in chemical traits, litter decomposition rate is ultimately determined by local abiotic conditions, such as hydrology. Additionally, the high FSF tree diversity may prevent decomposer communities from specializing on any group of leaf litter types and thus limit the extent of HFA observed in such heterogeneous forests.</span></span></p>
Data from: Different dynamics and controls of enzyme activities of leaf and root litter during decomposition
<p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p>
Data from: Intraspecific leaf trait variation mediates edge effects on litter decomposition rate in fragmented forests
<p>There is strong trait dependence in species-level responses to environmental change and their cascading effects on ecosystem functioning. However, there is little understanding of whether intraspecific trait variation (ITV) can also be an important mechanism mediating environmental effects on ecosystem functioning. This is surprising, given that global change processes such as habitat fragmentation and the creation of forest edges drive strong trait shifts within species. On 20 islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China, we quantified intraspecific leaf trait shifts of a widely distributed shrub species, <em>Vaccinium carlesii</em>, in response to habitat fragmentation. Using a reciprocal transplant decomposition experiment between forest edge and interior on 11 islands with varying areas, we disentangled the relative effects of intraspecific leaf trait variation vs. altered environmental conditions on leaf decomposition rates in forest fragments. We found strong intraspecific variation in leaf traits in response to edge effects, with a shift towards recalcitrant leaves with low specific leaf area and high leaf dry matter content from forest interior to the edge. Using structural equation modelling, we showed that such intraspecific leaf trait response to habitat fragmentation had translated into significant plant afterlife effects on leaf decomposition, leading to decreased leaf decomposition rates from the forest interior to the edge. Importantly, the effects of intraspecific leaf trait variation were additive to and stronger than the effects from local environmental changes due to edge effects and habitat loss. Our experiment provides the first quantitative study showing that intraspecific leaf trait response to edge effects is an important driver of the decrease in leaf decomposition rate in fragmented forests. By extending the trait-based response-effect framework towards the individual level, intraspecific variation in leaf economics traits can provide the missing functional link between environmental change and ecological processes. These findings suggest an important area for future research on incorporating ITV to understand and predict changes in ecosystem functioning in the context of global change.</p>
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