The project was carried out to compare the performance of molted layers by aluminium oxide supplementation in cages and on litter floor system. Seventy two Single Comb White Leghorn commercial layers (60 weeks old) were divided into six experimental units of 12 layers each. These experimental units were randomly divided into two groups, each consisting of three experimental units, one group was...

Peat bogs have historically represented exceptional carbon (C) sinks because of their extremely low decomposition rates and consequent accumulation of plant remnants as peat. Among the factors favoring that peat accumulation, a major role is played by the chemical quality of plant litter itself, which is poor in nutrients and characterized by polyphenols with a strong inhibitory effect on micro...

There is increasing attention on the effects of seasonal snowpack on wintertime litter decomposition, as well as the processes following it, in cold biomes. However, little information is available on how litter nitrogen (N) dynamics vary with snowpack variations created by tree crown canopies in alpine forests. Therefore, to understand the effects of seasonal snowpack on litter N dynamics duri...

Rates of ecosystem processes such as decomposition are likely to change as a result of human impacts on the environment. In southern California, climate change and nitrogen (N) deposition in particular may alter biological communities and ecosystem processes. These drivers may affect decomposition directly, through changes in abiotic conditions, and indirectly through changes in plant and decom...

The potential excessive nutrient and/or microbial loading from mismanaged land application of organic fertilizers is forcing changes in animal waste management. Currently, it is not clear to what extent different rates of poultry litter impact soil microbial communities, which control nutrient availability, organic matter quality and quantity, and soil degradation potential. From 2002 to 2004, ...

As atmospheric CO2 concentration increases, many experiments have been carried out to study effects of CO2 enrichment on litter decomposition and nutrient release. However, the result is still uncertain. Meanwhile, the impact of CO2 enrichment on nutrients other than N and P are far less studied. Using open-top chambers, we examined effects of elevated CO2 and N addition on leaf litter decompos...

Boreal forests are characterized by spatially heterogeneous soils with low N availability. The decomposition of coniferous litter in these systems is primarily performed by basidiomycete fungi, which often form large mycelia with a well-developed capacity to reallocate resources spatially- an advantageous trait in heterogeneous environments. In axenic microcosm systems we tested whether fungi i...

We analysed data on mass loss after five years of decomposition in the field from both fine root and leaf litters from two highly contrasting trees, Drypetes glattca, a tropical hardwood tree from Puerto Rico, and pine species from North America as part of the Long-Term lntersite Decomposition Experiment (LIDEn. L1DET is a reciprocal litterbag study involving the transplanting of litter from 27...

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in the global carbon cycle. However, it remains largely unknown how plant litter inputs impact magnitude, composition and source configuration of the SOC stocks over long term through microbial catabolism and anabolism, mostly due to uncoupled research on litter decomposition and SOC formation. This limits our ability to predict soil system resp...

carbon sequestration in soil, leaf and litter of three tree species, viz. eucalyptuscamaldulensis, prosopisjuliflora and ziziphus spina-christi, plantation was investigated in the dehloran city, iran. results showed that the amount of sequestered c in leaf, litter and soil was significantly different among these species. the highest amount of sequestrated c was in leaf and the lowest amount in ...