Summary
Nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), calcium (Ca) and soluble carbohydrates (CHO) were each added at three levels to a moorland podzol, and the decomposition of three constrasting untreated substrates (Calluna vulgaris stems,Molinia caerulea leaves, and cotton strips) compared between treated and untreated plots. All soil treatments increased decay rates of all three substrates, except for the highest levels of P and CHO, which appeared to inhibit decomposition of cotton andMolinia. The results generally indicated use by the decomposers of nutrients or energy sources from the soil to aid decomposition of untreated substrates. With all additives (N, P, Ca, CHO) maximum degree of change was inversely related to substrate quality. All responses were nonlinear. Optimal levels of N and Ca were in the same order as substrate quality, i.e. optimum forCalluna<cotton<Molinia, but this was not so with P and CHO. The patterns of change in decomposition rates with soil treatments could not be explained entirely by edaphic and substrate quality effects; it was also necessary to consider selection of decomposer organisms, both by substrate and by treatment. More generally, there were no simple ‘limiting factors’. Rather, decay rates were controlled by the combined ‘availability’ of a number of resources (including availability of suitable decomposer organisms). The consequences of this, especially the importance of indirect and interactive effects, are discussed.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Allen SE, Grimshaw HM, Parkinson JA, Quarmby C (1974) Chemical analysis of ecological materials. Blackwell, Oxford, 565 pp
Berg B, Kärenlampi L, Veum AK (1975) Comparison of decomposition rates measured by means of cellulose. In: Weigolaski FE (ed) Fennoscandian tundra ecosystems, Part 1, Plants and microorganisms. Springer, Berlin (Ecological studies 16, pp 261–267)
Bunnell FL, Tait DEN, Flanagan PW, Van Cleve K (1977) Microbial respiration and substrate weight loss — I: A general model of the influences of abiotic variables. Soil Biol Biochem 9:33–40
Chatterjee SK, Nandi B (1981) Biodegradation of wheat stubbles by micro-organisms, and the role of the products on soil fertility. Plant Soil 59
French DD (1984) The problem of “cementation” when using cotton strips as a measure of cellulose decay in soils. Int Biodeterior 20:169–172
French DD (1988a) Patterns of decomposition assessed by litter bag and cotton strip measures on fertilized and unfertilized heather moor in Scotland. In: Harrison AF, Latter PM, Walton DWH (eds) Cotton strip assay: an index of decomposition in soils (ITE symposium 24). ITE, Grange-over-sands
French DD (1988b) The problem of cementation. In: Harrison AF, Latter PM, Walton DWH (eds) Cotton strip assay: an index of decomposition in soils (ITE symposium 24). ITE, Grange-over-sands
French DD (1988c) Seasonal patterns in cotton strip TS losses. In: Harrison AF, Latter PM, Walton DWH (eds) Cotton strip assay: an index of decomposition in soils (ITE symposium 24). ITE, Grange-over-sands
French DD, Howson G (1982) Cellulose decay rates measured by a modified cotton strip method. Soil Biol Biochem 14:311–312
French DD, Smith VR (1986) Bacterial populations in soils of a subantarctic island. Polar Biol 6:75–82
Garrett SD (1976) Influence of nitrogen on cellulolysis rate and saprophytic survival of some cereal foot-rot fungi. Soil Biol Biochem 8:229–234
Harrison AF, Latter PM, Walton DWH (eds) (1988) Cotton strip assay: an index of decomposition in soils. (ITE symposium 24). ITE, Grange-over-Sands
Heal OW, French DD (1974) Decomposition of organic matter in Tundra. In: Holding AJ, Heal OW, Maclean SF Jr, Flanagan PW (eds) Soil organisms and decomposition in Tundra. Tundra Biome Steering Committee, Stockholm, pp 279–310
Heal OW, Howson G, French DD, Jeffers JNR (1974) Decomposition of cotton strips in Tundra. In: Holding AJ, Heal OW, Maclean SF Jr, Flanagan PW (eds) Soil organisms and decomposition in Tundra. Tundra Biome Steering Committee, Stockholm, pp 341–362
Heal OW, Latter PM, Howson G (1978) A study of the rates of decomposition of organic matter. In: Heal OW, Perkins DF (eds) The ecology of some British moors and montane grasslands. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York (Ecological studies 27, pp 136–159)
Heal OW, Flanagan PW, French DD, Maclean SF Jr (1981) Decomposition and accumulation of organic matter in tundra. In: Bliss LC, Heal OW, Moore JJ (eds) Tundra ecosystems: a comparative analysis. (IBP 25) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 587–643
Hill MO, Latter PM, Bancroft G (1985) A standard curve for intersite comparison of cellulose degradation using the cotton strip method. Can J Soil Sci 65:609–619
Hodgson JM (ed) (1974) Soil survey field handbook. Technical monograph No. 5. Soil Survey, Harpenden, England
Holding AJ (1981) The microflora of tundra. In: Bliss LC, Heal OW, Moore JJ (eds) Tundra ecosystems: a comparative analysis. (IBP 25) Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 561–586
Hurlbert SH (1984) Pseudoreplication and the design of field experiments. Ecol Monogr 54:187–211
Jonckheere AR (1954) A distribution-free k-sample test against ordered alternatives. Biometrika 41:33–45
Kong KT, Dommergues Y (1970) Limitation de la cellulolyse dans les sols organiques. I. Etude respirometrique. Rev Ecol Biol Sol 7:441–456
Latter PM, Howson G (1977) The use of cotton strips to indicate cellulose decomposition in the field. Pedobiologia 17:145–155
Miles J (1973) Natural recolonisation of experimentally bared soil in Callunetum in north-east Scotland. J Ecol 61:399–412
Moore TR (1981) Controls on the decomposition of organic matter in subarctic spruce-lichen woodland soils. Soil Sci 131:107–113
Rosswall T, Veum AK, Kärenlampi L (1975) Plant litter decomposition at Fennoscandian tundra sites. In: Weigolaski FE (ed) Fennoscandian tundra ecosystems, Part 1, Plants and microorganisms. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York (Ecological studies 16, pp 268–278)
smith OL (1980) Application of a model of the decomposition of soil organic matter. Soil Biol Biochem 11:607–618
Walton DWH, Allsopp D. (1977) A new test cloth for soil burial trials and other studies on cellulose decomposition. Int Biodeterior Bull 13:112–115
Widden P, Howson G, French DD (1986) Use of cotton strips to relate fungal community structure to cellulose decomposition in the field. Soil Biol Biochem 18:335–337
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
French, D.D. Some effects of changing soil chemistry on decomposition of plant litters and cellulose on a Scottish moor. Oecologia 75, 608–618 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00776427
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00776427