Litter Decomposition: a Guide to Carbon and Nutrient Turnover

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ISBN: 9780123736178 | 012373617X
Cover: Paperback
Copyright: 7/27/2006

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This photo, taken in Niepolomice Forest near Krakow, Poland, shows the litter layer in a mixed common oak-Scots pine forest, typical for Central Europe. Scots pine needles and oak leaves, cones and pieces of bark all decompose slowly, typically building in this type of forest a layer of partly decomposed organic matter called humic layer. This type of litter and soil organic layer support rather limited numbers of invertebrates and the decomposition process is carried out mainly by microorganisms. It will take years before most of this newly shed litter will be mineralized. Different litter ingredients decompose at different pace, and the chemistry of decomposing litter dramatically changes during the decay. Photo credit: Ryszard Laskowski. Book jacket.

Preface	p. v
Acknowledgements	p. vii
Introduction
General Remarks	p. 1
Decomposition, Nutrient Turnover, and Global Climate Change	p. 3
Biomass Distribution between Soil and Above-Ground Ecosystem Compartments	p. 9
The Importance of Balance	p. 12
Litter Fall
Introduction	p. 20
Litter Fall Amounts-Main Patterns and Regulating Factors	p. 21
Patterns on the Forest Stand Level	p. 21
Litter Fall Patterns in Scots Pine-A Case Study	p. 23
A Model for Accumulated Litter Fall, Stand Level	p. 26
General Comments	p. 26
A Case Study for a Scots Pine Stand	p. 26
Main Litter-Fall Patterns on a Regional Level: Scots Pine and Norway Spruce	p. 28
Distribution of Species	p. 28
Factors Influencing Amounts of Litter Fall	p. 28
Needle Litter Fall-Pattern and Quantities: Scots Pine and Other Pine Species	p. 29
Basal Area and Canopy Cover	p. 35
Needle Litter Quantities: Norway Spruce	p. 36
Comparison of and Combination of Species	p. 36
Litter Fall on a Continental to Semiglobal Scale	p. 37
The Fiber Structure and Organic-Chemical Components of Plant Litter	p. 40
The Fiber	p. 40
The Organic-Chemical Components	p. 43
Nutrients	p. 46
General Features	p. 46
The Trees Withdraw Nutrients before Shedding their Foliar Litter	p. 49
Scots Pine-A Case Study	p. 53
Foliar Litter N Concentration in a Trans-European Transect, Several Species	p. 58
Several Deciduous and Coniferous Leaf Litters	p. 58
Anthropogenic Influences	p. 62
Nitrogen-Fertilized Scots Pine and Norway Spruce Monocultures	p. 62
The Effect of Heavy Metal Pollution	p. 67
Methods for Litter Collection	p. 69
Quantities	p. 69
Qualitative Sampling	p. 71
Decomposers: Soil Microorganisms and Animals
Introduction	p. 73
Communities of Soil Microorganisms and Animals	p. 75
Soil Microorganisms	p. 75
Soil Animals	p. 77
The Degradation of the Main Polymers in Plant Fibers	p. 79
Degradation of Cellulose	p. 79
Degradation of Hemicelluloses	p. 82
Effects of N, Mn, and C Sources on the Degradation of Lignin	p. 83
Degradation of Lignin	p. 87
Degradation of Fibers	p. 92
Fungi	p. 92
Bacteria	p. 93
Microbial Communities and the Influence of Soil Animals	p. 94
Microbial Succession and Competition	p. 94
Effects of Soil Animals on the Decomposition Process	p. 96
Changes in Substrate Composition and Rate-Regulating Factors during Decomposition
Introductory Comments	p. 102
Organic-Chemical Changes During Litter Decomposition	p. 104
Decomposition of Single Chemical Components and Groups of Compounds	p. 104
Relationships between Holocellulose and Lignin during Decomposition	p. 114
Concentrations of Nutrients and Heavy Metals During Litter Decay	p. 114
Nitrogen (N)	p. 116
Phosphorus (P)	p. 116
Sulphur (S)	p. 116
Potassium (K)	p. 117
Calcium (Ca)	p. 117
Magnesium (Mg)	p. 117
Other Metals and Heavy Metals in Natural Concentrations	p. 118
A Three-Phase Model Applied to Litter of Different Initial Chemical Composition	p. 119
Overview of the Model	p. 119
Initial Decomposition Rates for Newly Shed Litter-The Early Decomposition Stage	p. 119
Decomposition in the Late Stage-A Phase Regulated by Lignin Decomposition	p. 129
Link between the Retardation of Litter Decomposition, Lignin Degradation Rate and N Concentration	p. 137
Comments on Spruce Needle Litter Decomposition versus the Three-Phase Model	p. 139
The Litter Close to the Limit Value and at a Humus-Near Stage	p. 142
Do Limit Values Indicate a Stop in the Litter Decomposition Process?	p. 150
Lignin Dynamics in Decomposing Litter	p. 150
Repeatability of Patterns in Lignin Concentration Changes	p. 150
Variation in the Increase in Lignin Concentration Relative to Different Initial Lignin Concentrations in the Litter	p. 153
Variation in Lignin Concentration Increase Rate as Compared to Different Concentrations of N in Litter	p. 153
Does the Litter Chemical Composition Influence Leaching of Compounds from Decomposing Litter?	p. 154
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

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Litter Decomposition: a Guide to Carbon and Nutrient Turnover

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Litter Decomposition: a Guide to Carbon and Nutrient Turnover

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