Litter decomposition : a guide to carbon and nutrient turnover

Litter Decomposition describes one of the most important processes in the biosphere - the decay of organic matter. It focuses on the decomposition process of foliar litter in the terrestrial systems of boreal and temperate forests due to the greater amount of data from those biomes. The availability of several long-term studies from these forest types allows a more in-depth approach to the later stages of decomposition and humus formation. Differences between the decay of woody matter and foliar litter is discussed in detail and a different pattern for decomposition is introduced.

While teachers and students in more general subjects will find the most basic information on decomposition processes in this book, scientists and graduate students working on decomposition processes will be entirely satisfied with the more detailed information and the overview of the latest publications on the topic as well as the methodological chapter where practical information on methods useful in decomposition studies can be found. Abundant data sets will serve as an excellent aid in teaching process and will be also of interest to researchers specializing in this field as no thorough database exists at the moment.

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

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