Decomposition of fine root and woody litter

Abstract

Most studies of litter decomposition in forests have focused on foliar litters because of their large amounts and relatively high nutrient contents. Foliar litter provides an important transfer of organic matter and nutrients to the soil, and the patterns of its deposition are temporally regular and spatially rather uniform. Woody and fine (small diameter) root litter can also contribute large amounts of organic matter to forest soils. Fine root litter inputs are highly variable across ecosystems, but in at least some ecosystems, they represent a transfer of organic matter and nutrients to the soil of the same magnitude as foliar litter. Woody litter is deposited sporadically in time and space. Its deposition may be trivial in managed forests.