Differences in litter quality, microbial activity or abiotic conditions cannot fully account for the variability in decomposition rates observed in semiarid ecosystems. Here we tested the role of variation in litter quality, water supply, and UV radiation as drivers of litter decomposition in arid lands. And show that carry-over effects of litter photodegradation during dry periods can regulate...

abstract the addition of manures and chemical fertilizers as soil amendments for the improvement of soil fertility and quality could affect the seasonal changes in the activity of soil microbes and enzymes. this study aimed at investigating the effect of different levels of nitrogen from broiler litter and urea sources on the trend of urease, alkaline phosphatase and saccharase activities in a ...

One of the major concerns about global warming is the potential for an increase in decomposition and soil respiration rates, increasing CO2 emissions and creating a positive feedback between global warming and soil respiration. This is particularly important in ecosystems with large belowground biomass, such as grasslands where over 90% of the carbon is allocated belowground. A better understan...

Land-use conversion into bioenergy crop production can alter litter decomposition processes tightly coupled to soil carbon and nutrient dynamics. Yet, litter decomposition has been poorly described in bioenergy production systems, especially following land-use conversion. Predicting decomposition dynamics in postconversion bioenergy production systems is challenging because of the combined infl...

Plant chemical composition and the soil community are known to influence litter and soil organic matter decomposition. Although these two factors are likely to interact, their mechanisms and outcomes of interaction are not well understood. Studies of their interactive effects are rare and usually focus on carbon dynamics of litter, while nutrient dynamics in the underlying soil have been ignore...

We report data on leaf litter production and decomposition from a manipulative biodiversity experiment with trees in tropical Panama, which has been designed to explore the relationship between tree diversity and ecosystem functioning. A total of 24 plots (2025 m) were established in 2001 using six native tree species, with 1-, 3-, and 6-species mixtures. We estimated litter production during t...

Labile, 'high-quality', plant litters are hypothesized to promote soil organic matter (SOM) stabilization in mineral soil fractions that are physicochemically protected from rapid mineralization. However, the effect of litter quality on SOM stabilization is inconsistent. High-quality litters, characterized by high N concentrations, low C/N ratios, and low phenol/lignin concentrations, are not c...

In this study, we developed simple, phenomenological models that enabled us to examine whether litter mixtures of differing quality increased, decreased, or had no effect on the rate of net N mineralization relative to a model that extrapolated the expected result assuming no interaction among litters of differing quality. We found that the presence of low Ž . quality litter e.g., litter with a...

Macrofauna invertebrates of forest floors provide important functions in the decomposition process of soil organic matter, which is affected by the nutrient stoichiometry of the leaf litter. Climate change effects on forest ecosystems include warming and decreasing litter quality (e.g. higher C : nutrient ratios) induced by higher atmospheric CO(2) concentrations. While litter-bag experiments u...

BACKGROUND Litter decomposition greatly influences soil structure, nutrient content and carbon sequestration, but how litter decomposition is affected by climate change is still not well understood. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS A field experiment with increased temperature and nitrogen (N) addition was established in April 2007 to examine the effects of experimental warming, N addition and ...