Decomposition Of Detritus Research Articles

Decomposition of Sargassum detritus varies with exposure to different plastic types.

Plastic pollution and ocean warming threaten crucial ecosystem processes, including detrital decomposition. We carried out a manipulative experiment using 20 outdoor raceways to test hypotheses about the influence of macroplastics (polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and biodegradable (BIO)) and ocean warming (as 3°C above ambient sea surface temperatures) on the decomposition of Sargassum vestitum. All types of plastic significantly decreased rates of S. vestitum decomposition compared to controls. LDPE was associated with the greatest decrease in detrital decomposition (41%), followed closely by BIO (28%), whilst HDPE had the least influence (12%) during our 40-day experiment. Treatments with LDPE and PET retained more carbon (%) in S. vestitum than the control treatment. However, plastics neither affected nitrogen (%), nor C/N ratio of the decomposing detritus. Ocean warming significantly increased the decomposition of S. vestitum, but did not affect relative carbon or nitrogen, nor C/N of the remaining detritus, nor did temperature interact with plastic treatments. As detrital decomposition significantly contributes to marine biogeochemical cycling, food-web connectivity, and secondary production, our multiple stressor experiment demonstrates the value of management strategies that simultaneously address the impacts of ocean warming and plastic pollution in nearshore environments.

Review of the protist Labyrinhula spp. and its relationship to seagrass disease under the influence of anthropogenic activities.

Anthropogenic activities are driving significant changes in coastal ecological environments, increasingly spotlighting microorganisms associated with seagrass bed ecosystems. Labyrinthula is primarily recognized as a saprophytic protist associated with marine detritus, and it also acts as an opportunistic pathogen affecting marine algae, terrestrial plants and mollusks, especially in coastal environments. The genus plays a key role in the decomposition of marine detritus, facilitated by its interactions with diatoms and through the utilization of a diverse array of carbohydrate-active enzymes to decompose seagrass cell walls. However, human activities have significantly influenced the prevalence and severity of seagrass wasting disease (SWD) through factors such as climate warming, increased salinity and ocean acidification. The rise in temperature and salinity, exacerbated by human-induced climate change, has been shown to increase the susceptibility of seagrass to Labyrinthula, highlighting the adaptability of pathogen to environmental stressors. Moreover, the role of seagrass in regulating pathogen load and their immune response to Labyrinthula underscore the complex dynamics within these marine ecosystems. Importantly, the genotype diversity of seagrass hosts, environmental stress factors and the presence of marine organisms such as oysters, can influence the interaction mechanisms between seagrass and Labyrinthula. Besides, these organisms have the potential to both mitigate and facilitate pathogen transmission. The complexity of these interactions and their impacts driven by human activities calls for the development of comprehensive multi-factor models to better understand and manage the conservation and restoration of seagrass beds.

Evolution of Life Cycles of Nematodes Parasitizing Woody Plants As a Result of Ecological and Phylogenetic Co-Adaptations with Hosts and Vectors.

Fundamental aspects in the evolution of nematodes parasitizing woody plants are reviewed. (1)Nematode faunal lists of natural refugia are useful to predict the risks of opportunistic pathogens becoming true pathogens in the forest and park communities. (2) Nematode composition in natural refugia gives a chance to identify nematode antagonists of insect vectors of dangerous fungal and nematode infections, which can be potentially used as the biological agents for woody plants' protection. (3) Dauers in the ancestors of wood-inhabiting nematodes played a role as a survival stage in the detritus decomposition succession, and they later acquired the functions of dispersal and adaptations for transmission using insect vectors. (4)When inspecting wilted trees, it is necessary to use dauers for diagnostics, as sexually mature nematodes may be absent in tree tissues. (5) Plant parasitic nematodes originated from members of the detritus food web and retained a detritivorous phase in the life cycle as a part of the propagative generation. (6) Vectors in the life cycles of plant parasitic nematodes are inherited from the ancestral detritivorous nematode associations, rather than inserted in the dixenic life cycle of the 'nematode-fungus-plant' association. (7) Despite the significant difference in the duration of the nematode-tree and nematode-vector phases of the life cycle, the actual parasitic nematode specificity is dual: firstly to the vector and secondly to the natural host plant (as demonstrated in phytotests excluding a vector).

A transition from arbuscular to ectomycorrhizal forests halts soil carbon sequestration during subtropical forest rewilding

Ecological succession and restoration rapidly promote multiple dimensions of ecosystem functions and mitigate global climate change. However, the factors governing the limited capacity to sequester soil organic carbon (SOC) in old forests are poorly understood. Ecological theory predicts that plants and microorganisms jointly evolve into a more mutualistic relationship to accelerate detritus decomposition and nutrient regeneration in old than young forests, likely explaining the changes in C sinks across forest succession or rewilding. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a field experiment of root-mycorrhizal exclusion in successional subtropical forests to investigate plant-decomposer interactions and their effects on SOC sequestration. Our results showed that SOC accrual rate at the 0–10 cm soil layer was 1.26 mg g−1 yr−1 in early-successional arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) forests, which was higher than that in the late-successional ectomycorrhizal (EcM) forests with non-significant change. A transition from early-successional AM to late-successional EcM forests increase fungal diversity, especially EcM fungi. In the late-successional forests, the presence of ectomycorrhizal hyphae promotes SOC decomposition and nutrient cycle by increasing soil nitrogen and phosphorus degrading enzyme activity as well as saprotrophic microbial richness. Across early- to late-successional forests, mycorrhizal priming effects on SOC decomposition explain a slow-down in the capacity of older forests to sequester soil C. Our findings suggest that a transition from AM to EcM forests supporting greater C decomposition can halt the capacity of forests to provide nature-based global climate change solutions.

Above and below-ground bacterial communities shift in seagrass beds with warmer temperatures

Current rates of ocean warming are predicted to exacerbate ongoing declines in seagrass populations. Above-ground responses of seagrass to increasing temperatures have been studied from a direct physiological perspective while indirect effects, including changes to microbially-mediated below-ground processes, remain poorly understood. To test potential effects of increased temperature on seagrass growth and associated microbial communities, we sampled seagrass beds experiencing ambient and elevated water temperatures at Lake Macquarie, Australia. Sites with warmer water were associated with a plume from a power station discharge channel with temperatures analogous to conditions predicted by 2100 under current rates of ocean warming (+3°C). The microbial community composition in both sediments and leaf tissues varied significantly between warm and ambient water temperatures with higher relative abundances of putative sulphate-reducing bacteria such as Desulfocapsaceae, Desulfobulbaceae and Desulfosarcinaceae in sedimentary communities in warm water. Above-ground biomass and seagrass growth rates were greater at warm sites while below-ground biomass and detrital decomposition rates showed no difference suggesting potential buffering of temperature effects below-ground. These findings suggest a 3°C rise in temperate regions is unlikely to induce mortality in seagrass however, it may shift microbial communities towards more homogenous structure and composition.

Trophic cascades within and across ecosystems: The role of anti-predatory defences, predator type and detritus quality.

Species in one ecosystem can indirectly affect multiple biodiversity components and ecosystem functions of adjacent ecosystems. The magnitude of these cross-ecosystem effects depends on the attributes of the organisms involved in the interactions, including traits of the predator, prey and basal resource. However, it is unclear how predators with cross-ecosystem habitat interact with predators with single-ecosystem habitat to affect their shared ecosystem. Also, unknown is how such complex top-down effects may be mediated by the anti-predatory traits of prey and quality of the basal resource. We used the aquatic invertebrate food webs in tank bromeliads as a model system to investigate these questions. We manipulated the presence of a strictly aquatic predator (damselfly larvae) and a predator with both terrestrial and aquatic habitats (spider), and examined effects on survival of prey (detritivores grouped by anti-predator defence), detrital decomposition (of two plant species differing in litter quality), nitrogen flux and host plant growth. To evaluate the direct and indirect effects each predator type on multiple detritivore groups and ultimately on multiple ecosystem processes, we used piecewise structural equation models. For each response variable, we isolated the contribution of different detritivore groups to overall effects by comparing alternate model formulations. Alone, damselfly larvae and spiders each directly decreased survival of detritivores and caused multiple indirect negative effects on detritus decomposition, nutrient cycling and host plant growth. However, when predators co-occurred, the spider caused a negative non-consumptive effect on the damselfly larva, diminishing the net direct and indirect top-down effects on the aquatic detritivore community and ecosystem functioning. Both detritivore traits and detritus quality modulated the strength and mechanism of these trophic cascades. Predator interference was mediated by undefended or partially defended detritivores as detritivores with anti-predatory defences evaded consumption by damselfly larvae but not spiders. Predators and detritivores affected ecosystem decomposition and nutrient cycling only in the presence of high-quality detritus, as the low-quality detritus was consumed more by microbes than invertebrates. The complex responses of this system to predators from both recipient and adjacent ecosystems highlight the critical role of maintaining biodiversity components across multiple ecosystems.

Evolution of life cycles of nematodes parasitizing woody plants as a result of ecological and phylogenetic co-adaptations with hosts and vectors

Fundamental aspects in the evolution of nematodes parasitizing woody plants are reviewed. 1) Nematode faunal lists of natural refigia are useful to predict the risks of opportunistic pathogens becoming true pathogens in the forest and park communities. 2) Nematode composition in natural refugia gives a chance to identify nematode antagonists of insect vectors of dangerous fungal and nematode infections, which can be potentially used as of the biological agents for woody plants’ protection. 3) Dauers of the ancestors of wood-inhabiting nematodes played a role as a survival stage in the detritus decomposition succession, and they later acquired the functions of dispersion and adaptations for transmission using insect vectors. 4) When inspecting wilted trees, it is necessary to use dauers for diagnostics, as sexually mature nematodes may absent in tree tissues. 5) Plant parasitic nematodes originated from members of the detritus food web and retained a detritivorous phase in the life cycle as a part of the propagative generation. 6) Vectors in the life cycles of plant parasitic nematodes are inherited from the ancestral detritivorous nematode associations, rather than inserted in the dixenic life cycle of the ‘nematode-fungus-plant’ association. 7) Despite the significant difference in the duration of the nematode-tree and nematode-vector phases of the life cycle, the actual parasitic nematode specificity is twofold: firstly to the vector and secondly to the natural host plant (as demonstrated in phytotests excluding a vector).

Seasonal and spatial patterns of surface water quality in large-scale treatment wetlands with different vegetation communities

The Everglades Stormwater Treatment Areas (STAs), a network of large, constructed wetlands, were built to reduce phosphorus (P) in water discharged into downstream oligotrophic Everglades ecosystem. These wetlands are colonized by two main types of macrophyte communities: emergent aquatic vegetation (EAV) and submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). The objective of this study was to compare the seasonal and spatial patterns of surface water quality within two flow-ways (FWs) in STA-2 (FW1 dominated by EAV and FW3 a mixed marsh with both EAV and SAV) and assess how surface water quality was affected by extreme storm events. Surface water samples were collected from three stations (near the inflow, middle of the FW, and near the outflow) along the flowpath of each FW four times from 2016 to 2018. Total P and its fractions generally decreased along the flowpath in both FWs while other elements did not show a consistent trend between seasons. Surface water quality in FW1 had more evident seasonal patterns and was less affected by 2017 storm events compared to that of FW3. The changes and patterns of water quality indicate that the processes (e.g., plant nutrient uptake, microbial assimilation, detritus decomposition and particle settling, etc.), which take the primary role of removing nutrients from the water column in FW1, vary not only due to the differences in plant growth but also to variations of hydraulic and nutrient loadings over wet and dry seasons. In FW3, on the contrary, our results indicate that the occlusion process facilitated by underwater photosynthesis of SAV likely enhanced the capacity of removing P and associated elements from water column and attenuated the seasonal differences. The SAV in FW3 also was susceptible to extreme events, with both short- and long-term adverse effects of storm events on surface water quality.

Nutrient and stoichiometric time series measurements of decomposing coarse detritus in freshwaters.

Decomposition of coarse detritus (e.g., dead organic matter larger than ~1 mm such as leaf litter or animal carcasses) in freshwater ecosystems is well described in terms of mass loss, particularly as rates that compress mass loss into one number (e.g., a first-order decay coefficient, or breakdown rate, 'k'); less described are temporal changes in elemental composition of these materials during decomposition, with important implications for elemental cycling from microbes to ecosystems. This stands in contrast to work in the terrestrial realm, where a focus on detrital elemental cycling has provided a sharper mechanistic understanding of decomposition, especially with specific processes such as immobilization and mineralization. Notably, freshwater ecologists often measure carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P), and their stoichiometric ratios in decomposing coarse materials, including carcasses, wood, leaf litter, and more, but these measurements remain piecemeal. These detrital nutrients are measurements of the entire detrital-microbial complex and are integrative of numerous processes, especially nutrient immobilization and mineralization, and associated microbial growth and death. Thus, data relevant to an elemental, mechanistically-focused decomposition ecology are available in freshwaters, but have not been fully applied to that purpose. We synthesized published detrital nutrient and stoichiometry measurements at a global scale, yielding 4038 observations comprising 810 decomposition time series (i.e., measurements within a defined cohort of decomposing material through time) to build a basis for understanding the temporality of elemental content in freshwater detritus. Specifically, the dataset focuses on temporally and ontogenetically (mass loss)-explicit measurements of N, P, and stoichiometry (C:N, C:P, N:P). We also collected ancillary data, including detrital characteristics (e.g., species, lignin content), water physiochemistry, geographic location, incubation system type, and methodological variables (e.g., bag mesh size). These measurements are important to unlocking mechanistic insights into detrital ontogeny (the temporal trajectory of decomposing materials) that can provide a deeper understanding of heterotroph driven C and nutrient cycling in freshwaters. Moreover, these data can help bridge aquatic and terrestrial decomposition ecology, across plant or animal origin. By focusing on temporal trajectories of elements, this dataset facilitates cross-ecosystem comparison of fundamental decomposition controls on elemental fluxes and provides a strong starting point (e.g., via modeling efforts) for comparing processes such as immobilization and mineralization that are understudied in freshwaters. Time series from decomposing leaf litter, particularly in streams, are common in the dataset, but we also synthesized ontogenies of animal-based detritus, which tend to decompose rapidly compared to plant-based detritus which contains high concentrations of structural compounds such as lignin and cellulose. Although animal-based data were rare, comprising only three time series, their inclusion in this dataset underscores opportunities to develop an understanding of decomposition that encompasses all detrital types, from carrion to leaf litter. There are no copyright or proprietary restrictions on the dataset; please cite this data paper when reusing these materials.

Impact of Wood Age on Termite Microbial Assemblages.

The decomposition of wood and detritus is challenging to most macroscopic organisms due to the recalcitrant nature of lignocellulose. Moreover, woody plants often protect themselves by synthesizing toxic or nocent compounds which infuse their tissues. Termites are essential wood decomposers in warmer terrestrial ecosystems and, as such, they have to cope with high concentrations of plant toxins in wood. In this paper, we evaluated the influence of wood age on the gut microbial (bacterial and fungal) communities associated with the termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae) (Kollar, 1837) and Microcerotermes biroi (Termitidae) (Desneux, 1905). We confirmed that the secondary metabolite concentration decreased with wood age. We identified a core microbial consortium maintained in the gut of R. flavipes and M. biroi and found that its diversity and composition were not altered by the wood age. Therefore, the concentration of secondary metabolites had no effect on the termite gut microbiome. We also found that both termite feeding activities and wood age affect the wood microbiome. Whether the increasing relative abundance of microbes with termite activities is beneficial to the termites is unknown and remains to be investigated. IMPORTANCE Termites can feed on wood thanks to their association with their gut microbes. However, the current understanding of termites as holobiont is limited. To our knowledge, no studies comprehensively reveal the influence of wood age on the termite-associated microbial assemblage. The wood of many tree species contains high concentrations of plant toxins that can vary with their age and may influence microbes. Here, we studied the impact of Norway spruce wood of varying ages and terpene concentrations on the microbial communities associated with the termites Reticulitermes flavipes (Rhinotermitidae) and Microcerotermes biroi (Termitidae). We performed a bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ITS2 metabarcoding study to reveal the microbial communities associated with R. flavipes and M. biroi and their impact on shaping the wood microbiome. We noted that a stable core microbiome in the termites was unaltered by the feeding substrate, while termite activities influenced the wood microbiome, suggesting that plant secondary metabolites have negligible effects on the termite gut microbiome. Hence, our study shed new insights into the termite-associated microbial assemblage under the influence of varying amounts of terpene content in wood and provides a groundwork for future investigations for developing symbiont-mediated termite control measures.

The Mycelial Component of Eutrophic Peat Soils in the Zone of Active Organic Detritus Decomposition

The analysis of structural indicators (abundance, diversity) of fungal and actinomycete complexes of eutrophic peat soils in the zone of active organic detritus decomposition, represented by litter (layers L and F) and eutrophic peat horizon (TE) was carried out. Samples were taken in swamp forests (black alder forest, pine forest, birch forest, mixed forest) of Tver and Tomsk regions (Russia) in the summer period of 2021.The abundance of mycelial organisms was analyzed by fluorescent-microscopic and plate methods. Species identification of culturable representatives was conducted basing on their phenotypic features. In the litter, the length of fungal mycelium (by 2‒10 times), the number of culturable fungi (by 2‒3 orders), and actinomycetes (by 1‒2 orders) were higher than in the eutrophic peat horizon. The litter enzymatic layer (F) was characterized by the maximum carbon content of the mycelial component (3‒10 mgC/g). The stocks of actinomycete biomass in the zone of active organic detritus decomposition varied from 23 to 60 kg/ha, fungal biomass from 1593 to 3718 kg/ha. The share of litter in the profile stock of mycelial biomass was greater in deciduous forests. Culturable fungi by 70 species of 43 genera and actinomycetes by 42 species from 12 series and 4 sections were isolated from the zone of active organic detritus decomposition. Representatives of genera Penicillium, T-alaromyces, and Trichoderma dominated in the fungal complex, and Streptomyces dominated in the actinomycete complex. The litter was not inferior to the eutrophic-peat horizon in terms of species diversity of fungi and actinomycetes. The species similarity of fungi complexes of the litter and TE horizon was 0.68, and that of actinomycetes was 0.27.

Effect of increased inundation time on intertidal ecosystem functions of South West Atlantic soft-bottom environments

Soft-bottom intertidal systems are valuable due to the ecosystem services they provide. Although these systems are normally subjected to highly variable environmental conditions, disturbances have become more frequent due to increases in anthropogenic pressure. Sea level rise (SLR) may generate changes in the ecosystem functioning of intertidal systems and in the ecosystem services they provide. In the Argentinean coast (SW Atlantic), SLR analysis shows trends similar to the global ones. It is not known how disturbances may affect the activity of benthic communities and the associated ecosystem functions. Therefore, through a field experiment at the marsh-mudflat edge in northeastern Argentina, we evaluated the effect of increased inundation time on bioturbation intensity, detritus decomposition and microphytobenthic primary production. Sediment physicochemical parameters (pH, temperature, water content and organic matter) were also measured. The results showed that increased inundation time had no effect on microphytobenthic primary production or bioturbation intensity in summer. Nevertheless, inundation time increased the burrowing activity of the intertidal crabNeohelice granulatain winter and spring and greatly decreased the variability inSpartina densifloradecomposition and organic matter content. In the context of a changing world due to global climate change, reduced variability in ecosystem functioning could indicate a decline in ecosystem resilience. As a consequence, vital ecosystem functions could be altered or lost, thus impacting the ecosystem services they deliver.

Kelp carbon sink potential decreases with warming due to accelerating decomposition.

Cycling of organic carbon in the ocean has the potential to mitigate or exacerbate global climate change, but major questions remain about the environmental controls on organic carbon flux in the coastal zone. Here, we used a field experiment distributed across 28° of latitude, and the entire range of 2 dominant kelp species in the northern hemisphere, to measure decomposition rates of kelp detritus on the seafloor in relation to local environmental factors. Detritus decomposition in both species were strongly related to ocean temperature and initial carbon content, with higher rates of biomass loss at lower latitudes with warmer temperatures. Our experiment showed slow overall decomposition and turnover of kelp detritus and modeling of coastal residence times at our study sites revealed that a significant portion of this production can remain intact long enough to reach deep marine sinks. The results suggest that decomposition of these kelp species could accelerate with ocean warming and that low-latitude kelp forests could experience the greatest increase in remineralization with a 9% to 42% reduced potential for transport to long-term ocean sinks under short-term (RCP4.5) and long-term (RCP8.5) warming scenarios. However, slow decomposition at high latitudes, where kelp abundance is predicted to expand, indicates potential for increasing kelp-carbon sinks in cooler (northern) regions. Our findings reveal an important latitudinal gradient in coastal ecosystem function that provides an improved capacity to predict the implications of ocean warming on carbon cycling. Broad-scale patterns in organic carbon decomposition revealed here can be used to identify hotspots of carbon sequestration potential and resolve relationships between carbon cycling processes and ocean climate at a global scale.

Effects of soil mitigation on lawn-dwelling invertebrates following residential development

Abstract Residential areas are the most rapidly expanding land use type in the southeastern USA. Residential development impairs soil functions primarily through compaction and the removal or burial of topsoil and natural vegetation, which reduces water infiltration and retention, root penetration, and plant establishment. Plant stress reduces plant-derived ecosystem services and increases vulnerability to pests, often leading to supplemental management inputs in the form of irrigation, fertilizers, pesticides and labor. Soil-dwelling invertebrates, including detritivores and natural enemies of pests, drive valuable ecosystem functions that facilitate plant establishment and reduce maintenance inputs. Although poorly understood, soil disturbance during residential development likely disturbs these communities and reduces the services provided by soil-dwelling invertebrates. Here, we compare the effects of two soil compaction mitigation techniques, tillage with and without compost incorporation, on invertebrate communities and the services they provide over 2 years following residential development. We focus on the relationships between detritivores and detritus decomposition rates, entomopathogenic nematodes and the activity density of a key turfgrass pest and other arthropod herbivores and predators. We found that soil mitigation had no detectable benefit for epigeal arthropods within 1 year after disturbance, but that compost-amended soils supported greater arthropod richness and predator activity density than unmitigated soils in the second year after disturbance. In contrast, we found reduced insect-parasitic nematode activity associated with compost amendment. All taxa increased in abundance with time after development. These results can inform more sustainable residential development and landscape maintenance practices for more biodiverse and functional urban and residential ecosystems.

Mathematical model of shallow water self-purification process

The paper covers the model of shallow water self-purification processes. The proposed mathematical model of biological kinetics is based on a system of non-stationary convection-diffusion-reaction equations with nonlinear terms, taking into account the water flow movement, gravitational sedimentation of impurities, microturbulent diffusion, and the detritus decomposition as a result of activity the aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Discretization is performed on the basis of a linear combination of central and Upwind Leapfrog difference schemes, which makes it possible to increase the solution accuracy of biological kinetics problem at large values of the grid Péclet number (Peh > 2). To solve high-dimensional SLAEs, a modified alternating-triangular method was used.

Functional Feeding Groups of Macrofauna and Detritus Decomposition along a Gradient of Glacial Meltwater Influence in Tropical High-Andean Streams

Tropical Andean glaciers are retreating rapidly, with possible consequences for trophic structure and ecosystem processes in high Andean meltwater streams. Here, we measured the environmental characteristics, quantified pools of particulate organic matter (POM) and periphyton (Chl. a), sampled benthic macroinvertebrates, determined functional feeding groups (FFG), and performed mesh bag decomposition experiments with Calamagrostis grass detritus at 17 stream sites along a gradient of glacial influence (GI) with 0–23% glacier cover in the catchment at 4050–4200 m a.s.l. in the Andes of Ecuador. POM was unrelated to GI while Chl. a. showed a weak (non-significant) negative relationship to GI. The macrofauna abundance decreased while taxon richness and the number of FFGs per site showed a hump-shaped relationship with increasing GI. Taxa with an opportunistic and generalist feeding mode generally dominated benthic assemblages and were related to high GI levels and low Chl. a. Only shredders were negatively related to GI, but unrelated to POM. Decomposition rates were comparable to those found in temperate alpine streams, and for both fine (0.0010–0.0065; median 0.0028 d−1) and coarse (0.0019–0.0088; median 0.0048 d−1) mesh bags, peaked at intermediate GI values, while the difference between bag types was small and almost constant along the GI gradient. This indicates an overall minor effect of macroinvertebrate shredders compared to that of microbes, in particular at high GI. It also suggests that the relatively high average temperature of these high-altitude equatorial streams (7–10 °C) does not produce higher decomposition rates than those in comparable but colder streams at temperate latitudes. The results suggest that, at the lower end of glacier cover, tropical glacier loss will not change the dominant microbial role in detritus decomposition, but that part of the physical abrasion could be partially replaced by biological shredding.

The influence of light and temperature on detritus degradation rates for kelp species with contrasting thermal affinities

Kelp detritus fuels coastal food webs and may play an important role as a source of organic matter for natural carbon sequestration. Here, we conducted ex situ and in situ manipulations to evaluate the role of temperature and light availability in the breakdown of detrital material. We examined degradation rates of two North Atlantic species with contrasting thermal affinities: the ‘warm water’ kelp Laminaria ochroleuca and the ‘cool water’ Laminaria hyperborea. Detrital fragments were exposed to different temperatures in controlled conditions and across an in situ gradient of depth, corresponding to light availability. Overall, degradation rates (i.e. changes in Fv/Fm and biomass) were faster under lower light conditions and at higher temperatures, although responses were highly variable between plants and fragments. Crucially, as L. ochroleuca degraded faster than L. hyperborea under some conditions, a climate-driven substitution of the ‘cool’ for the ‘warm’ kelp, which has been observed at some locations, will likely increase detritus turnover rates and alter detrital pathways in certain environments. More importantly, ocean warming combined with decreased coastal water quality will likely accelerate kelp detritus decomposition, with potential implications for coastal food webs and carbon cycles.

Формування відпаду дерев у насадженнях парку-пам’ятки садово-паркового мистецтва загальнодержавного значення «Феофанія»

Tree stand mortality in urban ecosystems indicates the influence level of biotic and abiotic factors primarily on their life state. The significance of these processes lies in the knowledge of the forest stands patterns development and their use for forecasting and assessing ecosystem services. The territories of the nature reserve fund have been taken as research sites, as significant indicators of anthropogenically altered territories. The structure of biomass and forest stands species composition was found to be associated with the growth and development of living trees and the formation of dead trees. Biotic and abiotic factors, intraspecific competition and peculiarities of local formation condition and stands growth are determined to affect the life state of the main forest-forming species directly and indirectly. It was revealed that in the medieval oak plantation, the loss of trees during the research period (2016-2020) prevailed over the increase in the stand ground phytomass. It was found that the carbon deposited amount in the forest stands aboveground phytomass reflects the unusual dynamics for the overwhelming number of territory indicators. The litter formation caused the changes in the deposited carbon structure of the research stands phytomass by tree species. It also led to an increase in the deadwood carbon pool and the onset of carbon emissions from the detritus decomposition.

Drivers of litter mass loss and faunal composition of detritus patches change over time.

Decomposition of vegetal detritus is one of the most fundamental ecosystem processes. In complex landscapes, the fate of litter of terrestrial plants may depend on whether it ends up decomposing in terrestrial or aquatic conditions. However, (1) to what extent decomposition rates are controlled by environmental conditions or by detritus type, and (2) how important the composition of the detritivorous fauna is in mediating decomposition in different habitats, remain as unanswered questions. We incubated two contrasting detritus types in three distinct habitat types in Coastal Georgia, USA, to test the hypotheses that (1) the litter fauna composition depends on the habitat and the litter type available, and (2) litter mass loss (as a proxy for decomposition) depends on environmental conditions (habitat) and the litter type. We found that the abundance of most taxa of the litter fauna depends primarily on habitat. Litter type became a stronger driver for some taxa over time, but the overall faunal composition was only weakly affected by litter type. Decomposition also depends strongly on habitat, with up to ca. 80% of the initial detrital mass lost over 25 months in the marsh and forest habitats, but less than 50% lost in the creek bank habitat. Mass loss rates of oak versus pine litter differed initially but converged within habitat types within 12 months. We conclude that, although the habitat type is the principle driver of the community composition of the litter fauna, litter type is a significant driver of litter mass loss in the early stages of the decomposition process. With time, however, litter types become more and more similar, and habitat becomes the dominating factor in determining decomposition of older litter. Thus, the major driver of litter mass loss changes over time from being the litter type in the early stages to the habitat (environmental conditions) in later stages.

Climate change affects detritus decomposition rates by modifying arthropod performance and species interactions.

Climate change can indirectly affect ecosystem functions including detritus decomposition by modifying physiological traits, feeding behavior, and species interactions (including consumptive and non-consumptive top-down cascading effects) of decomposing arthropods. It is known that the effect of climate change on decomposition can be negative, neutral, or positive, and that it is highly context-dependent, depending on detritus quality, species identity, species interactions, and ecosystem type. Thus, ongoing climate change will undoubtedly influence the effects of arthropods on decomposition rates. More comprehensive studies are urgently needed to elucidate the effect of climate change on arthropod-detritus decomposers, particularly in the context of the decomposition of animal droppings and carrion.