The Invasive Tradescantia zebrina Affects Litter Decomposition, but It Does Not Change the Lignocellulolytic Fungal Community in the Atlantic Forest, Brazil.

Invasive plants affect ecosystems across various scales. In particular, they affect the quality and quantity of litter, which influences the composition of decomposing (lignocellulolytic) fungal communities. However, the relationship among the quality of invasive litter, lignocellulolytic cultivated fungal community composition, and litter decomposition rates under invasive conditions is still unknown. We evaluated whether the invasive herbaceous Tradescantia zebrina affects the litter decomposition in the Atlantic Forest and the lignocellulolytic cultivated fungal community composition. We placed litter bags with litter from the invader and native plants in invaded and non-invaded areas, as well as under controlled conditions. We evaluated the lignocellulolytic fungal communities by culture method and molecular identification. Litter from T. zebrina decomposed faster than litter from native species. However, the invasion of T. zebrina did not alter decomposition rates of either litter type. Although the lignocellulolytic fungal community composition changed over decomposition time, neither the invasion of T. zebrina nor litter type influenced lignocellulolytic fungal communities. We believe that the high plant richness in the Atlantic Forest enables a highly diversified and stable decomposing biota formed in conditions of high plant diversity. This diversified fungal community is capable of interacting with different litter types under different environmental conditions.

Solar UV-A radiation and blue light enhance tree leaf litter decomposition in a temperate forest.

Sunlight can accelerate the decomposition process through an ensemble of direct and indirect processes known as photodegradation. Although photodegradation is widely studied in arid environments, there have been few studies in temperate regions. This experiment investigated how exposure to solar radiation, and specifically UV-B, UV-A, and blue light, affects leaf litter decomposition under a temperate forest canopy in France. For this purpose, we employed custom-made litterbags built using filters that attenuated different regions of the solar spectrum. Litter mass loss and carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio of three species: European ash (Fraxinus excelsior), European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and pedunculate oak (Quercus robur), differing in their leaf traits and decomposition rate, were analysed over a period of 7-10 months. Over the entire period, the effect of treatments attenuating blue light and solar UV radiation on leaf litter decomposition was similar to that of our dark treatment, where litter lost 20-30% less mass and had a lower C:N ratio than under the full-spectrum treatment. Moreover, decomposition was affected more by the filter treatment than mesh size, which controlled access by mesofauna. The effect of filter treatment differed among the three species and appeared to depend on litter quality (and especially C:N), producing the greatest effect in recalcitrant litter (F. sylvatica). Even under the reduced irradiance found in the understorey of a temperate forest, UV radiation and blue light remain important in accelerating surface litter decomposition.

Litter chemistry prevails over litter consumers in mediating effects of past steel industry activities on leaf litter decomposition.

Soil pollution has adverse effects on the performance and life history traits of microorganisms, plants, and animals, yet evidence indicates that even the most polluted sites can support structurally-complex and dynamic ecosystems. The present study aims at determining whether and how litter decomposition, one of the most important soil ecological processes leaf, is affected in a highly trace-metal polluted site. We postulated that past steel mill activities resulting in soil pollution and associated changes in soil characteristics would influence the rate of litter decomposition through two non-exclusive pathways: altered litter chemistry and responses of decomposers to lethal and sub-lethal toxic stress. We carried out a litter-bag experiment using Populus tremula L. leaf litter collected at, and allowed to decompose in, a trace metal polluted site and in three unpolluted sites used as controls. We designed a fully-factorial transplant experimental design to assess effects of litter origin and exposure site on the rate of litter decomposition. We further determined initial litter chemistry, fungal biomass, mesofauna abundance in litter bags, and the soil macrofauna community. Irrespective of the site of litter exposure, litter originating from the polluted site had a two-fold faster decomposition than litter from the unpolluted sites. Litter chemistry, notably the lignin content, seemed most important in explaining the degradation rate of the leaf litter. Abundance of meso and macro-detritivores was higher at the polluted site than at the unpolluted sites. However, litter decomposition proceeded at similar rates in polluted and unpolluted sites. Our results show that trace metal pollution and associated soil and litter changes do not necessarily weaken consumer control on litter decomposition through lethal and sub-lethal toxic stress.

Home advantage? Decomposition across the freshwater-estuarine transition zone varies with litter origin and local salinity.

Expected increases in the frequency and intensity of storm surges and river flooding may greatly affect the relative salinity of estuarine environments over the coming decades. In this experiment we used detritus from three contrasting environments (marine Fucus vesiculosus; estuarine Spartina anglica; terrestrial Quercus robur) to test the prediction that the decomposition of the different types of litter would be highest in the environment with which they are associated. Patterns of decomposition broadly fitted our prediction: Quercus detritus decomposed more rapidly in freshwater compared with saline conditions while Fucus showed the opposite trend; Spartina showed an intermediate response. Variation in macro-invertebrate assemblages was detected along the salinity gradient but with different patterns between estuaries, suggesting that breakdown rates may be linked in part to local invertebrate assemblages. Nonetheless, our results suggest that perturbation of salinity gradients through climate change could affect the process of litter decomposition and thus alter nutrient cycling in estuarine transition zones. Understanding the vulnerability of estuaries to changes in local abiotic conditions is important given the need to better integrate coastal proceses into a wider management framework at a time when coastlines are increasingly threatened by human activities.

PAHs in decaying Quercus ilex leaf litter: mutual effects on litter decomposition and PAH dynamics.

The investigation of the relationships between litter decomposition and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is important to shed light not only on the effects of these pollutants on fundamental ecosystem processes, such as litter decomposition, but also on the degradation of these pollutants by soil microbial community. This allows to understand the effect of atmospheric PAH contamination on soil PAH content via litterfall. At this aim, we studied mass and PAH dynamics of Quercus ilex leaf litters collected from urban, industrial and remote sites, incubated in mesocosms under controlled conditions for 361d. The results highlighted a litter decomposition rate of leaves sampled in urban>industrial>remote sites; the faster decomposition of litter of the urban site is also related to the low C/N ratio of the leaves. The PAHs showed concentrations at the beginning of the incubation of 887, 650 and 143 ng g(-1)d.w., respectively in leaf litters from urban, industrial and remote sites. The PAHs in litter decreased along the time, with the same trend observed for mass litter, showing the highest decrease at 361 d for the urban leaf litter. Anyway, PAH dynamics in all the litters exhibited two phases of loss, separated by a PAH increase observed at 246 d and mainly linked to benzo[e]pyrene.

Qualidade da água do rio das pedras, oeste do Paraná, utilizando macroinvertebrados bentônicos como bioindicadores / Water quality at rio das pedras, western Paraná, using benthic macroinvertebrates as indicators / Calidad de las aguas del rio das pedras, oeste del Paraná, utilizando macroinvertebrados bentónicos como bioindicadores

Os macroinvertebrados bentônicos são amplamente utilizados como bioindicadores de qualidade da água em todo o mundo, devido, as suas características fisiológicas e morfológicas. O objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a qualidade da água do rio das Pedras,no município de Matelândia, Oeste do Estado do Paraná, na estação seca, utilizando-se de macroinvertebrados bentônicos como bioindicador, e identificar o tempo ideal de incubação dos litter bags. Sessenta litter bags foram confeccionados com folhas de árvores nativas provenientes da floresta ripária e incubadosno rio das Pedras. Oito litter bags foram coletados nos intervalos de três, sete,14, 28, 35 e 42 dias. Os macroinvertebrados bentônicos foram identificados em nível de família e foi aplicado o índice Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System. Com este estudo concluiu-se que o rio das Pedras possui águas não poluídas, demonstrando que o sistema é perceptivelmente não alterado. O tempo de incubação dos litter bags para obtenção do resultado quanto à avaliação da qualidade de água pelo índice Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System foi de sete dias e para analisar a estrutura da comunidade de macroinvertebrados bentônicos foi de 28 dias.

Benthic macroinvertebrates are widely used as bioindicators of water quality due to their physiological and morphological characteristics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the water quality at Rio das Pedras, in the city of Matelândia, Western Paraná, in the dry season, using benthic macroinvertebrates as bioindicators, and to identify the optimal time for the incubation of litter bags. Sixty litter bags were prepared with leaves from native trees from the riparian forest and incubated in Rio das Pedras river. Eight litter bags were collected at intervals of 3, 7, 14, 28, 35 and 42 days. The benthic macroinvertebrates were identified at the family level and the Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System index was applied. With this study, it can be concluded that the Rio das Pedras river has unpolluted waters, demonstrating that the system has hardly been changed. The litter bag incubation period in order to obtain the results for evaluating the water quality index for the Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System was of seven days, and the period to analyze the structure of the benthic macroinvertebrate community was of 28 days.

Los macroinvertebrados bentónicos son ampliamente utilizados como bioindicadores de calidad del agua en todo el mundo, debido sus características fisiológicas y morfológicas. El objetivo de este estudio ha sido evaluar la calidad de las aguas del Rio das Pedras, en el municipio de Matelândia, oeste del Estado de Paraná, en la estación seca, utilizándose de macroinvertebrados bentónicos como bioindicador, e identificar el tiempo ideal de incubación de los litter bags. Sesenta litter bags han sido confeccionados con hojas de árboles nativas procedentes de la floresta ribera e incubados en el Rio das Pedras. Ocho litter bags fueron recogidos en intervalos de tres, siete, catorce, veintiocho, treinta y cinco y cuarenta y dos días. Los macroinvertebrados bentónicos fueron identificados en nivel de familia y aplicado el índice Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System. Con esta investigación se ha concluido que el Rio das Pedras no tiene aguas contaminadas, demostrando que el sistema no es alterado. El tiempo de incubación de los litter bags para obtención del resultado cuanto a la evaluación de la calidad del agua por el índice Biological Monitoring Working Party Score System fue de siete días, y para analizar la estructura de la comunidad de macroinvertebrados bentónicos fue de 28 días.

Fungal diversity of saprotrophic litter fungi in a Mediterranean maquis environment.

Monospecific and mixed-leaf litters from plant species of Mediterranean maquis (Quercus ilex, Phillyrea angustifolia, Pistacia lentiscus, Cistus spp.) in an undisturbed area in southern Italy were studied with respect to the structure and composition of their decomposer fungal community over an incubation period of 403 d. The data matrix structure was analyzed by means of detrended correspondence analysis (DCA), while indicator species analysis (ISA) was used to determine the preferential association of species with a substrate, a succession phase and monospecific/mixed experimental conditions. The ecological nature of the gradient expressed by the DCA axes was investigated by means of experimental and main chemical leaf-litter variables. The litter mixture had non-additive effects on the decomposition process even though the fungal species richness of the mixed litter was considerably higher than that of the monospecific litter. Our findings highlight the occurrence of shifts in the fungal community during decomposition in response to changes in the substrate, such as those related to the cellulose content and lignin/N ratio.

Descomposición de hojarasca y liberación de nutrientes en plantaciones de Acacia mangium (Mimosaceae) establecidas en suelos degradados de Colombia

Litter decomposition and nutrient release in Acacia mangium plantations established on degraded soils of Colombia. Several factors control the decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems such as humidity, temperature, quality of litter and microbial activity. We investigated the effects of rainfall and soil plowing prior to the establishment of Acacia mangium plantations, using the litterbag technique, during a six month period, in forests plantations in Bajo Cauca region, Colombia. The annual decomposition constants (k) of simple exponential model, oscillated between 1.24 and 1.80, meanwhile k1 y k2 decomposition constants of double exponential model were 0.88-1.81 and 0.58-7.01. At the end of the study, the mean residual dry matter (RDM) was 47% of the initial value for the three sites. We found a slow N, Ca and Mg release pattern from the A. mangium leaf litter, meanwhile, phosphorus (P) showed a dominant immobilization phase, suggesting its low availability in soils. Chemical leaf litter quality parameters (e.g. N and P concentrations, C/N, N/P ratios and phenols content) showed an important influence on decomposition rates. The results of this study indicated that rainfall plays an important role on the decomposition process, but not soil plowing. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (1): 113-128. Epub 2011 March 01.

La descomposición de hojarasca en los ecosistemas terrestres está regulada por varios factores, entre ellos, la humedad, temperatura, calidad de la hojarasca y la actividad de los microoganismos. Estudiamos el efecto de la precipitación y el tratamiento de subsolado del suelo previo establecimiento de plantaciones de Acacia mangium, usando la técnica de bolsas de descomposición durante seis meses en plantaciones del Bajo Cauca (Colombia). La constante de descomposición anual (k) del modelo simple exponencial, osciló entre 1.24 y 1.80. Las constantes k1 y k2 del modelo doble exponencial fluctuaron entre 0.88-1.81 y 0.58-7.01. Al final del experimento la materia seca residual promedio (MSR) fue del 47%. Las cantidades residuales de N, Ca y Mg en la hojarasca de A. mangium mostraron un patrón de liberación lento. La evolución del P en la MSR mostró un proceso dominante de inmovilización, dada su baja disponibilidad en el suelo. Algunos parámetros de calidad del sustrato (N, P, C/N, N/P y fenoles) fueron buenos predictores del proceso, así como la precipitación, situación contraria a la del tratamiento de subsolado.