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Forests
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Advancements in the Dynamics of Forest Litter Decomposition
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Advancements in the Dynamics of Forest Litter Decomposition

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2024) | Viewed by 3020

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Zhenhong Hu

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Guest Editor
1. State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and Dryland Farming on the Loess Plateau, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
2. Institute of Soil and Water Conservation, CAS & MWR, 26 Xilong Rd., Yangling 712100, China
Interests: forest management; litter decomposition; soil microbial community; carbon cycling; soil fertility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Chengjie Ren

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Agronomy, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Interests: soil carbon cycle; soil microbial ecology; utilization of soil microbes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Forest litter decomposition is one of the cornerstones of ecosystems, crucial for nutrient cycling, soil health, and carbon sequestration. It serves as the natural recycling mechanism, converting organic matter back into essential nutrients that enrich the soil, thereby facilitating plant growth and maintaining forest health. Decomposition also regulates carbon flux, acting as a biological sink that either stores or releases carbon dioxide, thus influencing global climate patterns. In addition to these roles, litter decomposition is essential for water retention and quality, affecting both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems within and beyond forest boundaries. Despite its foundational importance, there are certain gaps in our understanding of this complex process.

Microbial communities, including bacteria and fungi, are instrumental in breaking down organic matter, but the intricacies of their roles and interactions are still under investigation. Similarly, climatic variables such as temperature, humidity, and seasonal fluctuations are known to have significant impacts on decomposition rates; yet, a unified model capturing these influences remains elusive. Forest management practices, such as selective logging, controlled fires, and even pesticide use, further complicate the decomposition landscape. These human interventions can have both short-term and long-term consequences on decomposition rates and nutrient cycles, affecting forest and adaptability to environmental changes. This Special Issue aims to deepen our understanding of the diverse elements and processes that govern the decomposition of forest litter.

Prof. Dr. Zhenhong Hu
Prof. Dr. Chengjie Ren
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • anthropogenic effects
  • carbon sequestration
  • chemical transformations
  • climatic variables
  • fauna
  • forest management
  • litter and deadwood decomposition
  • microbial communities
  • nutrient cycling
  • soil fertility

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 2787 KiB  
Article
Carbon (δ13C) and Nitrogen (δ15N) Isotope Dynamics during Decomposition of Norway Spruce and Scots Pine Litter
by Mukesh K. Gautam, Björn Berg and Kwang-Sik Lee
Forests 2024, 15(8), 1294; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15081294 - 24 Jul 2024
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Abstract
We studied the dynamics of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes in litter from Norway spruce (NSL) (Picea abies) and Scots pine (SPL) (Pinus silvestris) during in situ decomposition over a period of more [...] Read more.
We studied the dynamics of stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes in litter from Norway spruce (NSL) (Picea abies) and Scots pine (SPL) (Pinus silvestris) during in situ decomposition over a period of more than 4 years. Relative to initial values, δ13CNSL showed a weak enrichment (0.33‰), whereas δ13CSPL was depleted (−0.74‰) at the end of decomposition. Both litter types experienced a depletion in δ15N during decomposition; δ15NNSL decreased by −1.74‰ and δ15NSPL decreased by −1.99‰. The effect of the selective preservation of acid-unhydrolyzable residue (AUR) in lowering δ13C of the residual litter was evident only in SPL. In the NSL, only in the initial stage did C/N have a large effect on the δ13C values. In the later stages, there was a non-linear decrease in δ13CNSL with a simultaneous increase in AUR concentrations, but the effect size was large, suggesting the role of lignin in driving δ13C of residues in later stages. Depletion in 15N in the residual litters concomitant with the increase in N concentration suggests bacterial transformation of the litter over fungal components. A consistent decline in δ15N values further implies that bacterial dominance prompted this by immobilizing nitrate depleted in 15N in the residual litter. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in the Dynamics of Forest Litter Decomposition)
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15 pages, 4531 KiB  
Article
Investigating Water Storage Dynamics in the Litter Layer: The Impact of Mixing and Decay of Pine Needles and Oak Leaves
by Anna Ilek, Ewa Błońska, Kamil Miszewski, Adrian Kasztelan and Magdalena Zborowska
Forests 2024, 15(2), 350; https://doi.org/10.3390/f15020350 - 11 Feb 2024
Viewed by 1872
Abstract
Little is known about how the degree of mixing various forest-forming species affects forest floor hydrology. We evaluated the water storage capacity of the resulting litter layer by mixing the litterfall of Scots pine and sessile oak and studying their decomposition time. We [...] Read more.
Little is known about how the degree of mixing various forest-forming species affects forest floor hydrology. We evaluated the water storage capacity of the resulting litter layer by mixing the litterfall of Scots pine and sessile oak and studying their decomposition time. We prepared 90 artificial samples containing pure pine litter, pure oak litter, and mixed pine–oak litter with varying shares of pine needles. These samples were subjected to 15 months of decomposition in soil. After every three months of decay, some samples were removed from the soil, and their water storage capacity, bulk density, and C:N ratio were evaluated. Our findings indicate that samples with the greatest water storage capacity had a low C:N ratio and a predominant share of oak leaves. Conversely, samples with a high C:N ratio and a predominant share of pine needles had the lowest water storage capacity. After 12 and 15 months of decomposition, the water storage capacity increased by more than 52% compared to the initial water capacity of the samples. The highest increase in water storage capacity (>40%) was observed in samples with a predominant share of oak leaves, while the lowest (approximately 28%) was recorded in samples with 80 and 100% of pine needles. Our findings suggest that introducing mixed-species stands, with deciduous species as the predominant component, can yield several ecological benefits, such as an increased ability to store water in forest floor. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in the Dynamics of Forest Litter Decomposition)
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