Factors Controlling Dead Wood Decomposition in an Old-Growth Temperate Forest in Central Europe.

ABSTRACT: Dead wood represents an important pool of carbon and nitrogen in forest ecosystems. This source of soil organic matter has diverse ecosystem functions that include, among others, carbon and nitrogen cycling. However, information is limited on how deadwood properties such as chemical composition, decomposer abundance, community composition, and age correlate and affect decomposition rate. Here, we targeted coarse dead wood of beech, spruce, and fir, namely snags and tree trunks (logs) in an old-growth temperate forest in central Europe; measured their decomposition rate as CO₂ production in situ; and analyzed their relationships with other measured variables. Respiration rate of dead wood showed strong positive correlation with acid phosphatase activity and negative correlation w

SUBMITTER: Jomura M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9325057 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature