scholarly journals Site Type Effect on Litter Decomposition Rates: A Three-Year Comparison of Decomposition Process between Spoil Heap and Forest Sites

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Horodecki ◽  
Jagodziński
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Forest Stands ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Degraded Lands ◽  
Spoil Heap ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Pine Stands

Research Highlights: Direct comparison of leaf litter decomposition rates between harsh soil conditions of degraded lands and adjacent “closer to natural” forest areas has not been done before. Background and Objectives: We aimed to fill this knowledge gap by determining the differences in amounts of carbon and nitrogen released by species-specific litter depending on decomposition rates in various stand and habitat conditions, which enables selection of the most ecologically and economically appropriate (for fast soil organic layer development) tree species for afforestation of reclaimed lands. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on the external spoil heap of the “Bełchatów” lignite mine (Central Poland) and adjacent forests. In December 2013, we established a litterbag experiment beneath the canopies of birch and pine stands. We used litter of Alnus glutinosa (Gaertn.), Betula pendula (Roth), Pinus sylvestris (L.), and Quercus robur (L.) collected ex situ, which we installed (after oven-drying) beneath the canopies of eight stands. The experiment lasted for three years (with sampling of three-month intervals). Results: Harsh soil conditions of degraded lands are unfavorable for litter mineralization. It was found that 23%–74% of decomposed materials were mineralized in spoil heap stands, whereas in forest stands these amounts ranged from 35%–83%. Litter of Q. robur in birch stands on the spoil heap is predicted to take 12 years longer for total decomposition than in forest stands of the same species. This hinders organic carbon turnover and could result in elongation of the time for full biological and economic reclamation of degraded lands. On the other hand, decomposition of relatively fast decomposable litter (A. glutinosa and B. pendula) in pine stands on the spoil heap was faster than in pine stands in forest sites (17% and 13% faster, respectively). We did not observe this trend for decomposition of more recalcitrant litter types of P. sylvestris and Q. robur. Conclusions: The results show the value of selective choice of tree species for afforestation of post-mining areas to accelerate the development of technogenic soil substrates. We recommend introducing all tree species studied in the cluster form of admixtures as all of them could bring some profits in ecological and economical reclamation.

Interaction of Douglas-fir with red alder and salal foliage litter during decomposition

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.W. Fyles ◽  
I.H. Fyles
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Nitrogen Content ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Linear Trend ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
Red Alder ◽  
Ericaceous Shrub

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsugamenziesii (Mirb.) Franco) foliage litter was incubated in the laboratory in 100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, and 0/100% mixtures with foliage litters from red alder (Alnusrubra Bong.), a nitrogen-fixing tree species, and salal (Gaultheriashallon Pursh) an ericaceous shrub. Mass loss and mineral nitrogen content were measured at eight dates during the 32-week incubation. The occurrence of interaction between litters, observed as deviation from a linear trend across mixtures at each date, was determined by polynomial contrasts. Douglas-fir–red alder mixtures decomposed faster than predicted by mass loss from pure litters throughout the study, apparently because of nitrogen mineralized by the red alder component. Douglas-fir–salal mixtures decomposed more slowly than predicted between 7 and 25 weeks. The study demonstrates the potential for litters to interact with positive or negative effects on decomposition rates and emphasizes the need to examine such interactions if litter decomposition in the field is to be understood.

scholarly journals Bottom-Up and Top-Down Controls of Litter Decomposition Rates and N Dynamics in Arid Steppes.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria-Victoria Piazza ◽  
Gaston R. Oñatibia ◽  
Martin R. Aguiar
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Decomposition Rates ◽  
N Dynamics ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Litter Traits ◽  
Grass Litter

Abstract AimsArid ecosystem soil processes are strongly bottom-up controlled by resource scarcity. However, grazing intensification can induce changes through multiple pathways and spatio-temporal scales. For example, by changing litter quality and site environmental conditions. Our purpuse was to understand the relative importance of top-down and bottom-up controls of litter decomposition and N dynamics in the Patagonian grass-shrub steppes.MethodsWe performed three litterbag decomposition experiments to evaluate: i) the interactive effects of litter traits and site environmental conditions (grazed vs. exclosure communities) (reciprocal transplants in situ), ii) the net effect of litter traits in a common garden (ex situ), and iii) the net effect of site environmental conditions using a foreign common litter substrate (in situ). The study was performed on three pairs of sites with areas under a long-term exclosure (> 25 years) or under year-round sheep grazing. Local litter included main community species composition and was sorted by grass and shrubs material. ResultsGrazing exclusion did not significantly alter litter decomposition, either through changes in grass litter traits that control decomposition or through changes in the site environmental conditions. Nevertheless, N released during litter decomposition was 286% higher in exclosures than in grazing commumnities. The difference was associated to changes in the grass litter chemical quality. The effects were maintained when we integrated results from the entire litter community. ConclusionOur study suggests that decomposition rates in arid steppes are mainly bottom-up determined, but top-down controls shaping grass litter traits importantly alter the flux of N during decomposition.

scholarly journals Succession of Mite Assemblages (Acari, Mesostigmata) during Decomposition of Tree Leaves in Forest Stands Growing on Reclaimed Post-Mining Spoil Heap and Adjacent Forest Habitats

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 718 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cezary Urbanowski ◽  
Paweł Horodecki ◽  
Jacek Kamczyc ◽  
Maciej Skorupski ◽  
Andrzej Jagodziński
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Alnus Glutinosa ◽  
Vertical Movement ◽  
Organic Layer ◽  
Spoil Heap ◽  
Pine Stands ◽  
Forest Habitats

Mites significantly contribute, prevalently by vertical movement, to mixing of the organic layer with the mineral soil, thus they may be important in renewing soils. Our aim was to analyze the changes in abundance and species richness of mesostigmatid assemblages on decomposing leaves of Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn., Betula pendula Roth, Pinus sylvestris L. and Quercus robur L. in pine and birch stands growing on a reclaimed spoil heap and adjacent forests. In December 2013, 1024 litterbags (mesh size = 1 mm) containing leaf litter of broadleaved and coniferous trees (mean initial dry weight per sample = 5.789 g) were laid out in the same number and kind in each of the two sites. Mites were extracted from litterbags which were collected every 3–6 months for 3 years. In total, 6466 mites were identified in 59 taxa. Total abundance was higher on forest habitats (5174 specimens) compared to the spoil (1292), and in birch compared to pine stands, both in forest (3345, 1829, respectively) and spoil habitats (981, 311). Throughout the experiment, mites were most abundant on oak litter samples (2063 specimens), while the remaining litter types had similar abundances (1455–1482). At the beginning of the experiment (3–6 months) mite abundance was very low, but was higher on forest habitats. The highest abundance was found after 9 months—144 specimens in pine stands on the spoil heap and 685 in birch stands on forest habitats. During the study, 49 taxa were found on forest and 29 on heap habitats. In birch stands, 37 and 22 taxa were found, whereas in pine 30 and 21, on forest and heap, respectively. The most frequent species on the heap were Amblyseius tubae Karg, Asca bicornis Canestrini et Fanzago, and Asca aphidioides Linneaeus, whereas in forest habitat—Zercon peltatus C.L. Koch, Veigaia nemorensis C.L. Koch, and Trachytes aegrota C.L. Koch. Habitat conditions, tree species and litter type significantly determined the mesostigmatid species composition, richness and abundance. By selection of dominant tree species during afforestation, it is possible to significantly affect the soil fauna composition, and thus indirectly the rate of decomposition.

scholarly journals Litter Decomposition Rates of Biocrust-Forming Lichens Are Similar to Those of Vascular Plants and Are Affected by Warming

Ecosystems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Berdugo ◽  
Dinorah O. Mendoza-Aguilar ◽  
Ana Rey ◽  
Victoria Ochoa ◽  
Beatriz Gozalo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Vascular Plants ◽  
Decomposition Rates
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