Why is leaf litter decomposition?
Why is leaf litter decomposition?
As Table 1 shows, litter production and its decomposition processes have a direct and indirect effect in the functioning of the forest ecosystem. Litter decomposition provides readily available nutrients to plants because it incorporates organic carbon into soil through nutrient cycling processes.
How does plant litter affect decomposition?
Litter decomposition supplies nutrients to the soil solution, which renders them available for plant and soil microbial uptake. In addition to litter quality, other factors affect decomposition including moisture, temperature, soil nutrient availability, and particle size.
How does litter decompose?
Litter decomposition is defined as the process through which dead organic material is broken down into particles of progressively smaller size, until the structure can no longer be recognized, and organic molecules are mineralized to their prime constituents: H2O, CO2 and mineral components.
How does a leaf decompose?
In the springtime, leaves soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, converting the gas into organic carbon compounds. Come autumn, trees shed their leaves, leaving them to decompose in the soil as they are eaten by microbes. Over time, decaying leaves release carbon back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.
How does litter quality affect decomposition?
The litter quality also affects the degradation process, as it generally reduces throughout the decomposition due to the loss of readily accessible carbon and the accumulation of recalcitrant compounds (Dilly and Munch 2001; Rosenbrock et al. 1995).
How is leaf litter measured?
Leaf litter density was determined by dividing litter mass per unit area at a sample point by the litter depth at the same point to obtain mass per unit volume (g/cm3). Species composition of the litter was determined by sampling at 10 random intervals along each transect, for a total of 30 samples per stand.
What does leaf litter contain?
The leaf litter microhabitat is heterogeneous and relatively complex, both chemically (containing various soluble substances, cellulose, and lignin) and structurally (consisting of a mixture of different types of decaying plant detritus, such as leaves, fruits, flowers, seeds, bark fragments, and twigs).
How does leaf litter increase soil fertility?
Further, soil temperature is generally higher under a layer of plant litter (Sharratt, 2002), because the build-up of litter on the ground surface affects the transfer of heat between the soil and the atmosphere, which in turn can lead to increased seed germination rates (Paul et al., 2004).
How long does a leaf take to decompose?
How long for leaves to decompose? It takes 3-6 months for leaves to decompose in a compost bin, ready to be used for your yard. If you dump them somewhere on a pile, without turning them over or creating a moist environment, it takes about one year, or longer.
