The piñon (Pinus edulis Engelm.)-juniper [Juniperus monosperma (Engelm.) Sarg.] woodlands of Bandelier National Monument are experiencing accelerated erosion. Earlier studies suggest that causes of these rapidly eroding woodlands are related to an unprecedented rapid transition of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson) savanna to piñon-juniper woodlands as a result of cumulative historical ...

The fruit of woody plants is important as food for wildlife (Martin et al. 1951, Lay 1965). The relation of fruit production to southern forest stand conditions has been explored in only a few studies. Fruit production is greater in forest clearings than in closed forest stands (Lay 1966, Elalls and Alcaniz 1968). In Georgia slash pine (Pinus elliottii) plantations, fruit yields of shrubs are g...

Scant information is available on how soil phosphorus (P) availability responds to atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition, especially in the tropical zones. This study examined the effect of N addition on soil P availability, and compared this effect between forest sites of contrasting land-use history. Effects of N addition on soil properties, litterfall production, P release from decomposing lit...

The search for factors shaping leaf-litter ant communities has received particular attention due to the essential role of these insects in many ecological processes. Here, we aimed to investigate how the number of leaves and leaf morphotypes affect the litter-ant species density at forest edge and interior in an Atlantic Forest remnant in the state of Alagoas, Brazil. This study was developed b...

There is increasing attention on the effects of seasonal snowpack on wintertime litter decomposition, as well as the processes following it, in cold biomes. However, little information is available on how litter nitrogen (N) dynamics vary with snowpack variations created by tree crown canopies in alpine forests. Therefore, to understand the effects of seasonal snowpack on litter N dynamics duri...

The forest ecosystem is the main component of terrestrial ecosystems. The global climate and the functions and processes of soil microbes in the ecosystem are all influenced by litter decomposition. The effects of litter decomposition on the abundance of soil microorganisms remain unknown. Here, we analyzed soil bacterial communities during the litter decomposition process in an incubation expe...

Agriculture in the humid tropics is mostly limited by low soil fertility and invasion of weeds. The nutrient retention capacity of most soils is low and applied mineral fertilizers are rapidly leached into subsoil. Small farmers can not afford continuous mineral fertilizer input to compensate for the losses. Hence the dominating agricultural praxis is shifting cultivation accompanied with slash...

Within the eastern deciduous forest region, forest composition varies, with some areas dominated by a mix of oaks (Quercus spp.) and other areas dominated by a mix of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and other tree species. Prescribed fire is being used on an experimental basis to assess its effectiveness in restoring and maintaining oak-dominated forests. Maple-dominated forests are susceptible to...

In the Brazilian Amazon, forest conversion to agricultural lands (slash-and-burn cultivation) contributes to soil mercury (Hg) release and to aquatic ecosystem contamination. Recent studies have shown that soil Hg loss occurs rapidly after deforestation, suggesting that Hg mobility could be related to the massive cation input resulting from biomass burning. The objective of this research was to...

Decomposing litter in forest ecosystems supplies nutrients to plants, carbon to heterotrophic soil microorganisms and is a large source of CO2 to the atmosphere. Despite its essential role in carbon and nutrient cycling, the temperature sensitivity of leaf litter decay in tropical forest ecosystems remains poorly resolved, especially in tropical montane wet forests where the warming trend may b...