Search results for "Decomposer"

Defoliation and the availability of currently assimilated carbon in the Phleum pratense rhizosphere

2002

Abstract It has been hypothesised that defoliation and aboveground herbivory increase the availability of currently assimilated C to organisms living in plant rhizospheres. We established a growth chamber experiment consisting of Phleum pratense individuals growing in sand culture to examine the short- and long-term effects of defoliation on the availability of current C assimilates in the P. pratense rhizosphere. Using 14CO2 pulse labelling, we followed partitioning of currently assimilated C between shoots, roots and rhizosphere-derived organic matter (RDOM). The experiment constituted of two treatments, defoliation history and recent defoliation, in a fully factorial design. Defoliation …

Linking food webs to ecosystem processes: Piecewise linear models of soil microcosms

2008

Abstract A piecewise linear approach to link decomposer biomass and soil nitrogen dynamics is proposed. Dynamics of a detritus–fungus–nematode food chain were studied in a microcosm experiment and modelled to evaluate the role of fungal-feeding nematodes in N mineralization. The nematode dynamics switched from exponential growth to a resource-limited phase. At the same time the amount of ammonium nitrogen in soil started to increase, following an initial immobilization phase. Both nematode and ammonium dynamics could be described by two-phase linear equations. Two nitrogen models were compared. A model in which the nematode accounted for all mineralization could be fitted to the ammonium da…

Short-term responses of decomposers and vegetation to stump removal

2011

Polypore communities in broadleaved boreal forests

2012

The cover and extent of boreal broadleaved forests have been decreasing due to modern forest management practices and fire suppression. As decomposers of woody material, polypores are ecologically important ecosystem engineers. The ecology and conservation biology of polypores have been studied intensively in boreal coniferous forests. However, only a few studies have focused on the species living on broadleaved trees. To increase knowledge on this species group we conducted polypore surveys in 27 broadleaved forests and 303 forest compartments (539 ha) on the southern boreal zone in Finland and measured dead wood and forest characteristics. We detected altogether 98 polypore species, of wh…