What determines forest litter decomposition? Global trends and local variance

Quantitative Chemical Defense Traits, Litter Decomposition and Forest Ecosystem Functioning

Mixed litter decomposition in a managed Missouri Ozark forest ecosystem

We monitored the decomposition of mixed leaf litter (Quercus spp., Carya spp., and Pinus echinata) in a Missouri Ozark forest eight years after experimental harvest. Leaf littermass losses and changes in carbon chemistry (extractive, acid soluble, and acid insoluble fractions) were measured over 32 months in field incubations to determine the effects of litter composition and standmanipulation ...

Litter quantity and decomposition

The global terrestrial heterotrophic respiration is estimated at about 60 Gt C yr-1 (Schlesinger, 1991). Plant litter produced during senescence processes and plant residues left on site after harvest operations are the primary substrate for heterotrophic respiration in plant-soil ecosystems. They constitute both of aboveground and belowground plant parts. Substrate quality, together with the p...

Variance decomposition and global sensitivity for structural systems

This paper applies the Sobol’ decomposition of a function of many random variables to a problem in structural mechanics, namely the collapse of a two story two bay frame under gravity load. Prior to introduction of this example application, the Sobol’ decomposition itself is reviewed and extended to cover the case in which the input random variables have Gaussian distribution. Then, an illustra...

Nothofagus Litterfall and Litter Decomposition

South Chilean forest ecosystems represent one of the largest areas of old-growth temperate rainforests remaining in the Southern hemisphere and have a high ecological value, but suffer from deforestation, invasion by exotic species, fragmentation, and increasing atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition. To support sustainable forest management, more knowledge is required on nutrient cycling of these...