The decomposition and transformation of above and belowground plant detritus litter is the main process by which soil organic matter som is formed. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration this fully revised and updated 2nd edition of plant litter focuses on. Litter decomposition via leaching of dissolved organic matter dom is understudied suggest the wettest of lowland forests may sustain some of the highest rates of litter turnover on earth climate change is likely to slow rates of decomposition, unless litter quality concurrently increased. Contrasting dynamics and trait controls in firstorder root. Representation of the effects of plant litter quality and quantity on litter. Plant litter decomposition is a critical step in the mineralization of organic nutrients, and it influences the carbon c balance in terrestrial ecosystems berg and mcclaugherty 2014. This fully revised and updated 2nd edition of plant litter focuses on decompo. Request pdf on jan 1, 2008, bjorn berg and others published plant litter. Plant litter decomposition, humus formation, carbon. The availability of several longterm studies from these forest types allows a more indepth approach to the later stages of decomposition as well as to humus formation. Plant litter also constitutes an important portion of the allochthonous inputs entering heterotrophic waters that run through mountain forests webster and meyer 1997. Spatial separation of litter decomposition and mycorrhizal. N ratio of litter is an order of magnitude larger than that of som.
Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration 3rd ed. Recently, extensive research on som has been conducted to explain the potential of soil to sequester carbon in a form of organic matter. This fully revised and updated 2nd edition of plant litter focuses on decomposition processes in natural terrestrial systems such as boreal and temperate forests. Advantages of mixed tree stands in restoration of upper. An initial issue to address on this topic is the magnitude of the flux of different forms of litter in the hb forest. In summary, we strongly recommend this book for all scientists concerned with the principles, measurement, and interpretation of plant litter decomposition, humus formation, and carbon sequestration. The microbial efficiencymatrix stabilization mems framework. In soil science, humus denominates the fraction of soil organic matter that is amorphous and. Plant litter also constitutes an important portion of the allochthonous inputs entering heterotrophic waters that run through mountain forests webster and.
Decomposition studies were carried out at sites throughout sweden, including the four integrated monitoring sites. The lignin to n ratio is a good general indicator of litter decomposition, but not of humus formation. This fully revised and updated 3 rd edition of plant litter reflects and discusses new findings and reevaluates earlier ones in light of recent research and with regard to current areas of investigation the availability of several longterm studies allows a more in. Direct evidence for microbialderived soil organic matter. Changing conditions of organic matter decomposition and humus formation strongly. A system is suggested for humus accumulation rates among forest systems, a system that may be a starting point for estimates of carbon sequestration in forest systems. Decomposition of plant roots and associated fungal mutualists is a dominant process in ecosystem carbon cycles, yet is woefully understudied compared with decomposition of leaf litter, particularly for the finest order roots that have the highest turnover. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration since the publication of the 2nd edition, there have been substantial. This fully revised and updated 3 rd edition of plant litter reflects and discusses new findings and reevaluates earlier ones in light of recent research and with regard to current areas of investigation. Furthermore, litter decomposition should also be examined at the ecosystem level. This fully revised and updated 2 nd edition of plant litter focuses on decomposition processes in natural terrestrial systems such as boreal and temperate forests. Plant litter second edition bjorn berg charles mcclaugherty second edition plant litter decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration dr.
Allocation of net primary production and humus system strategies o humus system as ecodevice. Formation of soil organic matter via biochemical and. The present book gives a modernized and comprehensive overview of the degradation of major litter components as well as the sum of processes when forest plant litter decomposes, releases nutrients and turns into humus. Furthermore, enhanced n availability may support c sequestration in forest ecosystems because the c. The availability of several longterm studies allows a more in. Leaching is often neglected in litter decomposition studies and few researchers have studied leaching ibrahima et al. Effects of light intensity on litter decomposition in a. Humus is the dark organic matter that forms in soil when dead plant and.
Degradation of lignin and cellulose during foliar litter. Plant litter, decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration. Humus has many nutrients that improve the health of soil, nitrogen being the most important. Exogenous nutrients and carbon resource change the. Because of therelativeease of accessto materialsandestablishment of experiments, a considerablenumber. Statistical methods annual decomposition rates k values were determined by species and throughfall treatment mass loss data were analyzed using a negative exponential decay model y100ekt olsen. Carbon and nitrogen in forest floor and mineral soil under. As the reverse process of photosynthesis, plant litter decomposition is one of the most important ecosystem processes in the biosphere because only a small fraction of the approximately 120 petagrams of organic carbon produced each year by terrestrial plants is annually sequestered battle et al. The authors of the volume plant litter present an uptodate and interesting contribution. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading plant litter.
Scots pine needle litterbag weight loss measurements over 3 or 5 years were determined at 26 sites and repeated up to 27 times, depending on the site. While much is known about how climate, litter quality, and decomposer community composition affect the rate of plant litter decomposition, little is known about the factors that control the proportion of litter c and n that is eventually incorporated into stable som prescott, 2010. The pool size depends on the balance between formation of soil organic matter from decomposition of plant litter and its mineralization. N ratio and 15 n content throughout specific horizons were estimated by comparing data from the horizons immediately above and below a subsample.
Successive decomposition of dead material and modified organic matter results in the formation of a more complex organic matter called humus juma, 1998. This barcode number lets you verify that youre getting exactly the right version or edition of a book. In addition, lignin does not appear to persist in soils. Our data set covered 41 years of humus inventories and mean humus layer thickness in 82 5 plots. Soil organic matter is formed through the partial decomposition of plant debris by microorganisms paul, 2007. Here, we consider the linked processes of plant litter decomposition and soil c sequestration at hb. In boreal forests, fungi play pivotal roles in the circulation of carbon c and nutrients. Litter decomposition is a fundamental process in ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling and an important source of organic and inorganic nutrients for plant growth in grassland ecosystems berg and mcclaugherty 2008. Plant litter decomposition is an essential process of terrestrial ecosystem swift et al. Earthworm abundance and functional group diversity.
Oct, 2018 the differences in litter decomposition rates, the amounts of litterfall and specific litter. Longterm monitoring of scots pine litter decomposition rates. Mechanisms of carbon sequestration in highly organic. Adapted from institute for radiological protection and nuclear safety irsn. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. The book is well arranged, relatively easy to read, contains fantastic graphics. They are characterized by cold climate, a long period of snow cover, slow decomposition of organic matter and poor plant nitrogen n supply persson, 1980.
Contrasting dynamics and trait controls in firstorder. Formation of soil organic matter via biochemical and physical. The availability of several longterm studies allows a more indepth approach to decomposition patterns and to the later stages of decomposition, as well as to humus formation and accumulation. The effects of substrate quality, climate, and their interactions on decomposition are presented as well as examples of litter types that break the basic pattern. To date, the overwhelming majority of previous studies have concentrated on singlespecies litter. Plant litter chemistry and microbial priming regulate the accrual. Bjorn berg dipartimento biologia strutturale e funzionale complesso universitario monte san angelo via cinthia i801 26 napoli italy. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration bjorn berg, charles mcclaugherty auth. Study type and plant litter identity modulating the.
Encyclopedia of applied plant sciences pdf free download. Management practices for c sequestration with agricultural productivity so dependent on soil organic carbon and carbon cycling, how can. This helps to indicate the most appropriate tree species for degraded land afforestation. This study explores 1 the effects of initial litter quality on abiotic leaching and 2 the effects of abiotic leaching and initial litter quality on decomposition rates of tundra plant litter from healy and toolik, ak. Soil organic matter is the largest terrestrial carbon pool 1. Decomposition of litter and soil organic mattercan we distinguish mechanism for soil organicmatter buildup. Study type and plant litter identity modulating the response. Advantages of mixed tree stands in restoration of upper soil. Oct 31, 2016 plant litter decomposition is a critical step in the mineralization of organic nutrients, and it influences the carbon c balance in terrestrial ecosystems berg and mcclaugherty 2014. Litter mixing significantly affects decomposition in the. Earthworm abundance and functional group diversity regulate.
Plant litter decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration kindle edition by berg, bjorn, mcclaugherty, charles. The carbon cycle and the interaction of plant, soil, and atmosphere. Longterm effects of experimental nitrogen additions on. In the second analysis, only litter 1 l1, litter 2 needles l2, fragmented litter f and humus 1 h1 samples were included. Exogenous nutrients and carbon resource change the responses. Since the publication of the 2 nd edition, there have been substantial developments in the field of litter decomposition.
In a field experiment, we compared decomposition of the finest, most distal roots and leaf litter among. Yet, research on litter decay and som formation has been largely uncoupled, failing to provide an effective nexus between these two fundamental processes for carbon c and nitrogen n. Introduction decomposition of foliar litter has long been recognized as an important process in forest ecosystems, both for nutrient recycling and humus formation e. This stable fraction is a critical determinant of long. Changes in highmolecular weight compounds during beech. Since the publication of the 2nd edition, there have been substantial developments in the field of litter decomposition. Nhbs bjorn berg, charles mcclaugherty, springer nature.
To determine sequestration rates of carbon dioxide co 2 we calculated the carbon c storage rate in humus layers of swedish forests with podsolic soils, which account for 14. The comparable relative differences in decomposition rates in these two stand types, between relatively decomposable and more recalcitrant litter types, indicates that the initial stage of soil fauna specialization plays a crucial role in litter decomposition processes e. May 05, 2009 to determine sequestration rates of carbon dioxide co 2 we calculated the carbon c storage rate in humus layers of swedish forests with podsolic soils, which account for 14. Anecics can accelerate plant litter decomposition by conditioning plant materials in middens a mixture of plant. In the decomposition process, different products are released. Covering mainly boreal and temperate forests, the book gives a synthesis of the different subprocesses on the basis that decomposition is microbially. Berg b, mcclaugherty c, desanto av, johansson mb, ekbohm g. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration 9783642388200. But they differ in the roles of plant litter fragmentation, conditioning of plant litter in cast and tunnel environment, priming effect on soc decomposition, and clay protection of soc crumsey et al. The relative contribution of animal residues as precursor of humus in soil is rather small wolters, 2000. Sequestration of carbon in the humus layer of swedish.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration find, read. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration. The authors can be congratulated for their impressive efforts in publishing this highly professional volume. The effects of light regime on synthesis have been studied extensively, whereas little information is available regarding the effect of light regimes on decomposition. Climate, leaf litter chemistry and leaf litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. Longterm monitoring of scots pine litter decomposition. Decomposition, humus formation, carbon sequestration this fully revised and updated 2nd edition of plant litter focuses on decomposition processes in natural. Humus is the dark organic matter that forms in soil when dead plant and animal matter decays. Sequestration of carbon in the humus layer of swedish forests.
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