Leaf Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Dynamics in Four Southern Forested Floodplain Communities

Baker, Thomas; Lockaby, B. Graeme; Conner, William H.; Meier, Carine; Stanturf, John A.; Burke, Marianne K.

doi:10.2136/sssaj2001.6541334x

Cited by 93 publications

(55 citation statements)

References 44 publications

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“…This could be attributed to the presence of high levels of labile materials that are susceptible to microbial degradation during the initial phase of incubation and accumulation of recalcitrant substances in the later phases of incubation that are resistant to microbial breakdown. Baker et al (2001) and Jacob et al (2010) reported that litter decomposes faster at initial phase due to its good biochemical quality and slows down with time due to accumulation of recalcitrant compounds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decomposition and Nutrient Release of Selected Cereal and Legume Crop Residues

Anguria¹,

Chemining’wa²,

Onwonga³

et al. 2017

JAS

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Crop residues have the potential to enhance soil fertility, but this is dependent on their biochemical quality. A study was conducted at the National Semi-Arid Resources Research Institute-Serere, Uganda to determine the chemical composition, nutrient release patterns and rates of selected crop residues. The design used was randomized complete block design with four replications. The treatments comprised of 20g of finger millet, sorghum, cowpea and groundnut crop residues. Finger millet had the highest initial C (36.28%) and N (3.46%), cowpea had the highest initial P (0.60%) and Ca (0.30%) and groundnut shells had significantly the highest initial K (1.01%). Finger millet husks with the lowest carbon/nitrogen ratio, had significantly the highest rate of dry matter disappearance and nutrient release, while groundnut shells with the highest carbon/nitrogen and carbon/phosphorus ratios had significantly the lowest nutrient release and dry matter disappearance rates. At the end of incubation, finger millet husks had significantly the lowest N (0.29%) and C (10.22%), while cowpea husks had the lowest P (0.27%), K (0.18%) and Ca (0.27%). Nutrient release and dry matter disappearance rates of crop residues occurred in the order of N > K > P > Ca and finger millet husks > cowpea husks > sorghum husks > groundnut shells, respectively. This study has demonstrated that finger millet husks released nutrients faster and this is beneficial for early planted crops, while groundnut shells released nutrients slowly which is appropriate for long term availability of plant nutrients.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Decomposition and Nutrient Release of Selected Cereal and Legume Crop Residues

Anguria¹,

Chemining’wa²,

Onwonga³

et al. 2017

JAS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Leaves that were not intact and any material other than brookside alder leaves were discarded. To minimize differences in litter quality, each species was collected from only one area in a single wetland (Aerts & de Caluwe 1997;Baker III et al 2001;Fennessy et al 2008). All litter was air-dried for a minimum of one week before being weighed and bagged.…”

Section: Decomposition Proceduresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of environmental parameters on litter decomposition in wetlands in West Virginia, USA

Gingerich

Merovich

Anderson

2014

Journal of Freshwater Ecology

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Plant litter decomposition varies by species and environmental conditions. To study environmental controls of decomposition, we measured plant litter decomposition rates in six wetlands located in West Virginia, USA. Four common wetland litter species were used: broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia L.), common rush (Juncus effusus L.), brookside alder (Alnus serrulata (Ait.) Willd.), and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.). A fifth litter type was created from a mix of common rush, brookside alder, and reed canary grass. Litter bags were collected over two years, from December 2007 to December 2009, and environmental variables near litter bags were measured every two weeks. Nine environmental parameters and one study parameter were then used to construct and test the ability of 22 a-priori models to predict the decomposition rate of each litter type. The environmental variables that most influenced and, therefore, best predicted decomposition rate varied among litter types. Brookside alder decomposition rate was best predicted by soil temperature (ST), water pH (WPH), and the number of transitions between flooded and exposed conditions (FET); reed canary grass decomposition rate was best predicted by air temperature (AT), WPH, and ST; common rush decomposition rates were best predicted by AT; broadleaf cattail decomposition rate was best predicted by hydroperiod (HP) and FET; and the mixed litter decomposition rate was best predicted by AT and WPH. Overall, AT, ST, and WPH were directly related to decomposition rate, while HP was inversely related. The FET was directly related to decomposition rates of common rush and broadleaf cattail and inversely related to the decomposition rate of brookside alder. The study of litter decomposition helps reveal the link between environmental conditions and wetland function.

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“…Total soil phosphorus is typically between 6 and 100 times more concentrated in tree islands than in surrounding marshes (Jayachandran et al 2004). Also, decomposition rates are generally higher within their more oxidized soils, resulting in increased nutrient availability for woody growth (Baker et al 2001). Hydroperiods in the Everglades are co-influenced by climatic drivers and operations of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD), which controls more than 2,500 km of canals and levees in addition to hundreds of water control structures.…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Across-scale patterning of plant-soil–water interactions surrounding tree islands in Southern Everglades landscapes

Hanan

Ross

2009

Landscape Ecol

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The freshwater Everglades is a complex system containing thousands of tree islands embedded within a marsh-grassland matrix. The tree islandmarsh mosaic is shaped and maintained by hydrologic, edaphic and biological mechanisms that interact across multiple scales. Preserving tree islands requires a more integrated understanding of how scale-dependent phenomena interact in the larger freshwater system. The hierarchical patch dynamics paradigm provides a conceptual framework for exploring multiscale interactions within complex systems. We used a three-tiered approach to examine the spatial variability and patterning of nutrients in relation to site parameters within and between two hydrologically defined Everglades landscapes: the freshwater Marl Prairie and the Ridge and Slough. Results were scaledependent and complexly interrelated. Total carbon and nitrogen patterning were correlated with organic matter accumulation, driven by hydrologic conditions at the system scale. Total and bioavailable phosphorus were most strongly related to woody plant patterning within landscapes, and were found to be 3 to 11 times more concentrated in tree island soils compared to surrounding marshes. Below canopy resource islands in the slough were elongated in a downstream direction, indicating soil resource directional drift. Combined multi-scale results suggest that hydrology plays a significant role in landscape patterning and also the development and maintenance of tree islands. Once developed, tree islands appear to exert influence over the spatial distribution of nutrients, which can reciprocally affect other ecological processes.

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Leaf Litter Decomposition and Nutrient Dynamics in Four Southern Forested Floodplain Communities

Cited by 93 publications

References 44 publications

Decomposition and Nutrient Release of Selected Cereal and Legume Crop Residues

Decomposition and Nutrient Release of Selected Cereal and Legume Crop Residues

Influence of environmental parameters on litter decomposition in wetlands in West Virginia, USA

Across-scale patterning of plant-soil–water interactions surrounding tree islands in Southern Everglades landscapes

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