scholarly journals Effect of Detritus Manipulation on Different Organic Matter Decompositions in Temperate Deciduous Forest Soils

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zsolt Kotroczó ◽  
Katalin Juhos ◽  
Borbála Biró ◽  
Tamás Kocsis ◽  
Sándor Attila Pabar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Turnover Time ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forest ◽  
Litter Bags ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Control Factors ◽  
Rooibos Tea ◽  
Litter Degradation

Soil organic matter supply is mainly derived from plant litter. The early stages of litter degradation is a very dynamic process. Thus, its study is important for understanding litter degradation and the control factors of different biomes and ecosystems. In the frame of the Síkfőkút DIRT (Detritus Input and Removal Treatments) Project, the effect of organic matter treatment was studied on the rate of decomposition of organic matter by applying different kinds of organic materials (leaf and wood litter, green and rooibos tea material, and cellulose cotton wool). During long-term experiments, we intended to investigate how the different organic matter manipulations changed by the soil microbial community and how it affects the degradation of different quality organic matter in the soil. The important main purpose of the research was to investigate litter degradation and its main regulators, contributing to both current and future climate scenarios. According to our results, in the case of litter-doubling treatments, we experienced a greater loss of organic matter compared to the weight of the litter bags placed in the soil of organic matter-withdrawal treatments. Furthermore, based on our results, we found that the decomposition rate is influenced by litter quality (leaf and cellulose wool) that is to be decomposed and by the applied litter treatments depending on the time allowed for decomposition. A drier climate by slowing down the degradation processes and by increasing the proportion of recalcitrant molecules in the detritus may increase the turnover time, which may lead to an increase in soil organic carbon (SOC).

scholarly journals Soil microbial functions are affected by organic matter removal in temperate deciduous forest

2019 ◽  
Vol 133 ◽  
pp. 28-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
François Maillard ◽  
Valentin Leduc ◽  
Cyrille Bach ◽  
Arnaud Reichard ◽  
Laure Fauchery ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forest ◽  
Organic Matter Removal ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Temperate Deciduous

scholarly journals Belowground carbon pools and dynamics in China's warm temperate and sub-tropical deciduous forests

2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 6339-6369
Author(s):  
C. W. Xiao ◽  
I. A. Janssens ◽  
W. G. Sang ◽  
R. Z. Wang ◽  
Z. Q. Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Biomass ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Plant Litter ◽  
Deciduous Forests ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Degradation Rates ◽  
Soil Carbon Stocks ◽  
Belowground Carbon ◽  
Warm Temperate

Abstract. We report the first estimates of pools and dynamics of microbes, roots, plant litter and soil organic carbon (SOC) in three dominant types of China's vast deciduous forest area: Betula platyphylla, Quercus liaotungensis, and Quercus aliena varacuteserrata. Organic matter degradation rates overshadowed litter inputs as the main determinant of the soil carbon stocks. Across the three forests, rates of litter decomposition were also indicative for turnover rates of SOC. Litter and SOC decay was faster in the sub-tropical than in the warm-temperate forests. Among the latter, SOC turnover was highest in the forest producing the higher-quality litter. Microbial biomass was, as expected, correlated with SOC content. Microbial activity, in contrast, was highest at the sub-tropical forest, despite the lower SOC availability, lower fraction of labile SOC, and lower soil microbial biomass. These results may contribute to increased understanding of controls over belowground carbon cycling in deciduous forests.

Tea Bag Index as potential indicator for soil microbial activity.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gera Van Os ◽  
Karin Pepers ◽  
Jaap Bloem ◽  
Joeke Postma ◽  
Johnny Visser
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Biological Activity ◽  
Microbial Activity ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Soil Management ◽  
Soil Microbial Activity ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Rooibos Tea ◽  
Tea Bag Index

<p>Worldwide there is an enormous interest in microbial indicators for soil quality, since this reflects the potential capacity for soil ecosystem functions i.e. nutrient cycles, carbon storage, biodiversity and resilience to climate change. Farmers are anxious to measure the effects of different soil management practices in order to improve soil quality and attain sustainable food production. Despite the rapid developments in (molecular) measurement techniques, adequately validated and affordable methods for field measurements on soil microbial activity are still lacking. Nowadays, farmers participate in campaigns to bury cotton undies in order to measure biological activity in their fields (Soil your undies).  If there’s not much left of the undies after a couple of months, this supposedly indicates good soil health. Of course this is by no means a quantitative nor validated indicator.</p><p>An elegant, cheap and simple method to measure biological activity in soil is the Tea Bag Index (TBI). This method was developed to determine the global variation in decomposition rate of organic matter by the soil microflora as influenced by abiotic circumstances. The TBI consists of two parameters describing decomposition and stabilization of organic matter by measuring weight loss of green tea and rooibos tea bags that have been buried in the soil for three months. The method is designed to discriminate contrasting ecosystems and, within ecosystems, differences in factors such as soil temperature and moisture content (Keuskamp et al. 2013, doi: 10.1111/2041-210X.12097).</p><p>Our research aimed to assess the possibility to use the TBI as an indicator for soil microbial activity, considering its sensitivity and robustness to discriminate between agricultural soil management practices that are known to have a significant impact on soil microbial diversity and activity. The responsiveness to soil pasteurization and organic amendments was investigated under both controlled and field conditions. The TBI decomposition rate differed significantly between both tea varieties (green tea > rooibos tea). Organic amendments had little or no effect. The TBI-results were plotted against some more established biochemical indicators which are sensitive to soil management and often related to microbial biomass, i.e. hot water extractable carbon, potentially mineralizable nitrogen and fungal biomass. Results are discussed, as well as factors which complicate the interpretation of TBI data with respect to soil microbial activity.</p>

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