Beach waste and litter composition and evolution on popular urban (located in the main nucleus of the municipality) and urbanized (located in residential areas outside the main nucleus) beaches of the Costa Brava (Catalan coast) were assessed during the bathing season. Waste and litter production (amount and composition) were affected by urbanization and varied during the summer. Urban beaches ...

this study investigated the effect of season (wet and dry) on milk composition of the dromedary camel (camelus dromedarius). milk samples representing the wet and dry seasons were analyzed for total solids (ts), fat (f), solids-non-fat (snf), ash, crude protein (cp), nitrogen soluble at ph 4.6 (sn), mineral content (mc) and casein fraction (cnf). camel milk had higher (p<0.05) fat content in th...

The effects of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) addition on litter decomposition are poorly understood in Tibetan alpine meadows. Leaf litter was collected from plots within a factorial N × P addition experiment and allowed to decompose over 708 days in an unfertilized plot to determine the effects of N and/or P addition on litter decomposition. Results showed that nutrient addition significantl...

The fermentation characteristics of six specific types of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) were examined, with an emphasis on properties that are needed when designing plug-flow type anaerobic bioreactors. More specifically, the decomposition patterns of a vegetable (cabbage), fruits (banana and citrus peels), fresh leaf litter of bamboo and teak leaves, and paper (newsprin...

The widespread use of forest litter as animal bedding in central Europe for many centuries gave rise to the first litter manipulation studies, and their results demonstrated that litter and its decomposition are a vital part of ecosystem function. Litter plays two major roles in forest ecosystems: firstly, litterfall is an inherent part of nutrient and carbon cycling, and secondly, litter forms...

Amending poultry litter with Al sulfate (alum) has proven effective in reducing water-soluble P in the litter and in runoff from fields that have received litter applications. Although its effectiveness has been demonstrated on a macroscopic scale in the field or in the poultry houses, little is known about P speciation in either alum-amended or unamended litter. This knowledge is important for...

In high-latitude ecosystems climate change induced plant community shifts towards dominance of shrubs and trees will potentially have large consequences for soil carbon dynamics. Changes in the litter layer due to an altered quantity and quality of litter input, or by its indirect effect on microclimatic conditions, might affect the decomposer community. To be able to predict the effects of inc...

In the course of the biodiversity-ecosystem functioning debate, the issue of multifunctionality of species communities has recently become a major focus. Elemental stoichiometry is related to a variety of processes reflecting multiple plant responses to the biotic and abiotic environment. It can thus be expected that the diversity of a plant assemblage alters community level plant tissue chemis...

Bamboo, which has dense culms and root rhizome systems, can alter soil properties when it invades adjacent forests. Therefore, this study investigated whether bamboo invasions can cause changes in soil organic matter (SOM) composition and soil humification. We combined solid-state (13)C NMR spectroscopy and chemical analysis to examine the SOM in a Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and adja...