Differential contribution of soil biota groups to plant litter decomposition as mediated by soil use
Plant decomposition is dependant on the activity of the soil biota and its interactions with climate, soil properties, and plant residue inputs. This work assessed the roles of different groups of the soil biota on litter decomposition, and the way they are modulated by soil use. Litterbags of diffe...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
PeerJ Inc.
2015-03-01
|
| Series: | PeerJ |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/826.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797413263178203136 |
|---|---|
| author | Ricardo A. Castro-Huerta Liliana B. Falco Rosana V. Sandler Carlos E. Coviella |
| author_facet | Ricardo A. Castro-Huerta Liliana B. Falco Rosana V. Sandler Carlos E. Coviella |
| author_sort | Ricardo A. Castro-Huerta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Plant decomposition is dependant on the activity of the soil biota and its interactions with climate, soil properties, and plant residue inputs. This work assessed the roles of different groups of the soil biota on litter decomposition, and the way they are modulated by soil use. Litterbags of different mesh sizes for the selective exclusion of soil fauna by size (macro, meso, and microfauna) were filled with standardized dried leaves and placed on the same soil under different use intensities: naturalized grasslands, recent agriculture, and intensive agriculture fields. During five months, litterbags of each mesh size were collected once a month per system with five replicates. The remaining mass was measured and decomposition rates calculated. Differences were found for the different biota groups, and they were dependant on soil use. Within systems, the results show that in the naturalized grasslands, the macrofauna had the highest contribution to decomposition. In the recent agricultural system it was the combined activity of the macro- and mesofauna, and in the intensive agricultural use it was the mesofauna activity. These results underscore the relative importance and activity of the different groups of the edaphic biota and the effects of different soil uses on soil biota activity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:15:20Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c449476acd754d4caaccaf515028cbcb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:15:20Z |
| publishDate | 2015-03-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-c449476acd754d4caaccaf515028cbcb2023-12-03T12:46:25ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592015-03-013e82610.7717/peerj.826826Differential contribution of soil biota groups to plant litter decomposition as mediated by soil useRicardo A. Castro-Huerta0Liliana B. Falco1Rosana V. Sandler2Carlos E. Coviella3Ecology Laboratory, Terrestrial Ecology Research Program, Basic Sciences Department—Ecology and Sustainable Development Institute, National University of Luján, Luján, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaEcology Laboratory, Terrestrial Ecology Research Program, Basic Sciences Department—Ecology and Sustainable Development Institute, National University of Luján, Luján, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaEcology Laboratory, Terrestrial Ecology Research Program, Basic Sciences Department—Ecology and Sustainable Development Institute, National University of Luján, Luján, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaEcology Laboratory, Terrestrial Ecology Research Program, Basic Sciences Department—Ecology and Sustainable Development Institute, National University of Luján, Luján, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaPlant decomposition is dependant on the activity of the soil biota and its interactions with climate, soil properties, and plant residue inputs. This work assessed the roles of different groups of the soil biota on litter decomposition, and the way they are modulated by soil use. Litterbags of different mesh sizes for the selective exclusion of soil fauna by size (macro, meso, and microfauna) were filled with standardized dried leaves and placed on the same soil under different use intensities: naturalized grasslands, recent agriculture, and intensive agriculture fields. During five months, litterbags of each mesh size were collected once a month per system with five replicates. The remaining mass was measured and decomposition rates calculated. Differences were found for the different biota groups, and they were dependant on soil use. Within systems, the results show that in the naturalized grasslands, the macrofauna had the highest contribution to decomposition. In the recent agricultural system it was the combined activity of the macro- and mesofauna, and in the intensive agricultural use it was the mesofauna activity. These results underscore the relative importance and activity of the different groups of the edaphic biota and the effects of different soil uses on soil biota activity.https://peerj.com/articles/826.pdfLitterbagsOrganic matter turnoverSoil useSoil faunaAgroecosystemSoil sustainability |
| spellingShingle | Ricardo A. Castro-Huerta Liliana B. Falco Rosana V. Sandler Carlos E. Coviella Differential contribution of soil biota groups to plant litter decomposition as mediated by soil use PeerJ Litterbags Organic matter turnover Soil use Soil fauna Agroecosystem Soil sustainability |
| title | Differential contribution of soil biota groups to plant litter decomposition as mediated by soil use |
| title_full | Differential contribution of soil biota groups to plant litter decomposition as mediated by soil use |
| title_fullStr | Differential contribution of soil biota groups to plant litter decomposition as mediated by soil use |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differential contribution of soil biota groups to plant litter decomposition as mediated by soil use |
| title_short | Differential contribution of soil biota groups to plant litter decomposition as mediated by soil use |
| title_sort | differential contribution of soil biota groups to plant litter decomposition as mediated by soil use |
| topic | Litterbags Organic matter turnover Soil use Soil fauna Agroecosystem Soil sustainability |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/826.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ricardoacastrohuerta differentialcontributionofsoilbiotagroupstoplantlitterdecompositionasmediatedbysoiluse AT lilianabfalco differentialcontributionofsoilbiotagroupstoplantlitterdecompositionasmediatedbysoiluse AT rosanavsandler differentialcontributionofsoilbiotagroupstoplantlitterdecompositionasmediatedbysoiluse AT carlosecoviella differentialcontributionofsoilbiotagroupstoplantlitterdecompositionasmediatedbysoiluse |