Loss of organic matter, elements, and organic fractions in decomposing Eucalyptus microcarpa leaf litter

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (12) ◽  
pp. 2601-2606 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Maheswaran ◽  
P. M. Attiwill
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Organic Fraction ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Simple Method ◽  
Organic Fractions

The losses of organic matter, elements and organic fractions during the decomposition of Eucalyptus microcarpa Maiden leaf litter were measured in litterbags. The concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus in litter increased for most of the decomposition period. At the end of 15 months the amounts of elements lost were in the order K > Na > Mg > P > N >Ca. A simple method to determine the different organic fractions according to the degree of decomposability and using a small quantity of litter (0.1 – 0.5 g) was developed. The mass loss during the initial 3 months was most closely related to the amount of light organic fraction in the litter, while during the final 12 months the mass loss was most closely related to the harder organic fractions in the litter.

Copper Partitioning Among Mineral and Organic Fractions in Biosolids

2006 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 48 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. W. Oliver ◽  
G. Merrington ◽  
M. J. McLaughlin
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Sorption Capacity ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Land Application ◽  
Organic Fraction ◽  
Potential Threat ◽  
Mineral Fraction ◽  
Organic Fractions ◽  
Over Time

Environmental Context.Only a portion of the total amount of heavy metals present in sewage biosolids is accessible to organisms, including plants, and therefore only that portion presents any possible toxicity threat. However, metals such as copper, which are commonly associated to a large degree with the organic fraction, may become more accessible over time as organic components degrade. Determining the extent of partitioning of Cu between the organic and inorganic fractions may provide an indication of any long-term risks associated with utilisation of biosolids in agriculture. Abstract.Metal partitioning between organic and mineral fractions in biosolids may provide an indication of the long-term risks associated with land application of the material. For example, metals found to partition into the organic phase may pose a potential threat when the organic matter is decomposed, whereas metals bound in the mineral fraction would be expected to remain stable over time (given no changes in other environmental conditions) owing to the stability of mineral components. Therefore the question of which components bind copper in biosolids, and whether the sorption capacity is maintained over time, was addressed in the present study. Biosolids incubated for 21 months and non-incubated controls were examined. The solid–solution distribution coefficient (Kd) for Cu was measured in whole biosolids and in biosolid organic and mineral fractions via batch experiments employing the radioactive isotope 64Cu. The mineral fraction was isolated by NaOCl oxidation, whereas the organic fraction was isolated using HF. Results found the relative importance of mineral and organic fractions to Cu sorption varies between biosolids, and in some cases can vary over time. Reduction in sorption capacity caused by losses of organic matter in some biosolids suggests the possibility of increased availability of biosolid metals over time.

CHARACTERISTICS OF ORGANIC MATTER IN DEGRADING CHERNOZEMIC SURFACE SOILS

1963 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Sawyer ◽  
S. Pawluk
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Humic Acid ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Humic Acids ◽  
Acid Content ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Total Acidity ◽  
Organic Fraction ◽  
Organic Debris ◽  
Organic Fractions

Humic acids, polysaccharides, and polyuronides were extracted from samples representative of the organic and mineral A horizons of two Dark Grey Wooded soils. These organic fractions were characterized in order to determine the alterations, if any, which may be evident in some of the organic constituents present at varying depths in the organic and mineral A horizons as a result of progressive podzolic degradation.Humic acid content in the organic fraction was found to decrease with depth in the mineral A horizon. Methoxyl content of the purified humic acids averaged 0.26 me./g. and decreased with depth while the total acidity (phenolic and carboxyl acidity) averaged 7.6 me./g. and increased with depth. Nitrogen content of the purified humic acids averaged 2.6 per cent and was relatively constant throughout the organic and mineral A horizons. The humic acid content of the undecomposed and semi-decomposed organic debris was found to be only slightly lower than that of the Ah horizon. This was probably at least partially due to hydrolyses of organic matter during the harsh extraction of humic acids with warm 1.0 N NaOH.Total polysaccharide and polyuronide content of these soils decreased rapidly with depth; however, this decrease paralleled the decrease in total organic carbon content.

Influence of moisture, nutrients, and distance from stream on early-stage mass loss of western red cedar leaf litter in headwater riparian forests

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 1391-1398
Author(s):  
Tonya L. Ramey ◽  
Cindy E. Prescott ◽  
John S. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Pacific Northwest ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Red Cedar ◽  
Nutrient Additions ◽  
Western Red Cedar ◽  
One Year

Western red cedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D.Don) is a dominant species in forests of the Pacific Northwest in North America, but little is known about its decomposition in riparian habitat. We experimentally tested how early-stage mass loss of cedar leaf litter varied with distance from the stream (five distances from 1 to 40 m away) and responded to nutrient and water additions near four headwater streams in southwestern British Columbia. We ran three coarse-mesh litterbag trials in durations between five months to one year from January 2013 and January 2014. Litterbags were either untreated or given the following treatments: water additions during dry summer months, nitrogen and phosphorus additions, or additions of both. Control litterbags lost 21% initial mass over 12 months (January 2013 – January 2014), 20% over five months (January 2013 – June 2013), and 15% over eight months (June 2013 – January 2014). Rates of mass loss did not increase with water in any trial but did increase with nutrients in the 12-month trial. Litter located 40 m from the stream lost 7% more mass than that located 1 m away in this same trial. Our study indicates that cedar leaf litter mass loss responded primarily to nutrient additions.

scholarly journals Photodegradation alleviates the lignin bottleneck for carbon turnover in terrestrial ecosystems

2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (16) ◽  
pp. 4392-4397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy T. Austin ◽  
M. Soledad Méndez ◽  
Carlos L. Ballaré
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Mass Loss ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Uv Radiation ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Human Impacts ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Cell Wall Polysaccharides ◽  
Wide Range

A mechanistic understanding of the controls on carbon storage and losses is essential for our capacity to predict and mitigate human impacts on the global carbon cycle. Plant litter decomposition is an important first step for carbon and nutrient turnover, and litter inputs and losses are essential in determining soil organic matter pools and the carbon balance in terrestrial ecosystems. Photodegradation, the photochemical mineralization of organic matter, has been recently identified as a mechanism for previously unexplained high rates of litter mass loss in arid lands; however, the global significance of this process as a control on carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems is not known. Here we show that, across a wide range of plant species, photodegradation enhanced subsequent biotic degradation of leaf litter. Moreover, we demonstrate that the mechanism for this enhancement involves increased accessibility to plant litter carbohydrates for microbial enzymes. Photodegradation of plant litter, driven by UV radiation, and especially visible (blue–green) light, reduced the structural and chemical bottleneck imposed by lignin in secondary cell walls. In leaf litter from woody species, specific interactions with UV radiation obscured facilitative effects of solar radiation on biotic decomposition. The generalized effect of sunlight exposure on subsequent microbial activity, mediated by increased accessibility to cell wall polysaccharides, suggests that photodegradation is quantitatively important in determining rates of mass loss, nutrient release, and the carbon balance in a broad range of terrestrial ecosystems.

Fish farming in Denmark: environmental impact of regulative legislation

1995 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 73-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. M. Iversen
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Aquatic Environment ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Fish Farming ◽  
Fish Farms ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Local Impact ◽  
The Impact

The main environmental problems associated with fish farming in Denmark are attributable to the dam, the “dead reach” and nutrient and organic matter discharge. The environmental regulation of fish farming in Denmark started with the Environmental Protection Act of 1974, the Statutory Order of 1985 forbidding wet feed, and the Action Plan on the Aquatic Environment of 1987. In the case of freshwater fish farms, the latter was implemented through the measures stipulated in the 1989 Statutory Order on Fish Farms. The impact of Danish legislative measures to reduce and regulate the environmental effects of freshwater fish farms can be summarized as follows: - the number of fish farms has been reduced from about 800 in 1974 to about 500 at present; - production has tripled since 1974 and has been stable since 1989; - a change from wet to dry feed has reduced the environmental impact of the farms; - the national goals of the Action Plan on the Aquatic Environment of 1987 for reducing fish farm discharges of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus have been fulfilled. The main remaining problems are that: - the local impact of fish farms on downstream stream quality is still much too high in about 15% of cases; - the problem of the passage of migrating invertebrates and fish is still unsolved at some farms; - the problems posed by “dead reaches” are still unsolved. It is concluded that sustainable fish farming is possible in Denmark, but with the present technology production will have to be significantly reduced.

Ants accelerate litter decomposition in a Costa Rican lowland tropical rain forest

2012 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 437-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrence P. McGlynn ◽  
Evan K. Poirson
Keyword(s):  
Mass Loss ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Litter Decomposition ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Tropical Rain Forests ◽  
Rain Forests ◽  
Food Web Structure ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Lowland Rain Forest

Abstract:The decomposition of leaf litter is governed, in part, by litter invertebrates. In tropical rain forests, ants are dominant predators in the leaf litter and may alter litter decomposition through the action of a top-down control of food web structure. The role of ants in litter decomposition was investigated in a Costa Rican lowland rain forest with two experiments. In a mesocosm experiment, we manipulated ant presence in 50 ambient leaf-litter mesocosms. In a litterbag gradient experiment, Cecropia obtusifolia litter was used to measure decomposition rate constants across gradients in nutrients, ant density and richness, with 27 separate litterbag treatments for total arthropod exclusion or partial arthropod exclusion. After 2 mo, mass loss in mesocosms containing ants was 30.9%, significantly greater than the 23.5% mass loss in mesocosms without ants. In the litter bags with all arthropods excluded, decomposition was best accounted by the carbon: phosphorus content of soil (r2 = 0.41). In litter bags permitting smaller arthropods but excluding ants, decomposition was best explained by the local biomass of ants in the vicinity of the litter bags (r2 = 0.50). Once the microarthropod prey of ants are permitted to enter litterbags, the biomass of ants near the litterbags overtakes soil chemistry as the regulator of decomposition. In concert, these results support a working hypothesis that litter-dwelling ants are responsible for accelerating litter decomposition in lowland tropical rain forests.

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