Litter Mixtures Research Articles

Nitrogen dynamics within and between decomposing leaves, bark and branches in Eucalyptus planted forests

Nitrogen transfer between litter components is often presented as a key mechanism responsible for the synergistic effect of litter mixtures on decomposition rates. The litter cover is a heterogeneous environment stemming from the input of chemically distinct materials and the transfer of nutrients in this patchy environment is likely to fulfil the specific needs of microbial communities in each micro-environment. Our study aimed to gain insight into the factors controlling N dynamics within and between leaves and woody components in the litter cover. We used 15N labelling to discriminate endogenous and exogenous N and to measure N transfers between three types of litter components, viz. leaves and twigs (L + T), bark and branches, in 162 litter bags for more than 2 years in two Congolese Eucalyptus forests with contrasting N status (low-N vs high-N litter). Large quantities of N were released from N-rich L + T at the end of the study while early release of leachable N was only observed for the high-N L + T. Exogenous N was only incorporated in N-poor litter components (bark and branches) and a net increase in N compared to the initial quantities only occurred in the low-N bark. The bi-directional N transfers observed between litter components were most likely microbially-mediated rather than driven by abiotic leaching. Nitrogen transfers were controlled by the N status of both source and sink litter components, contrary to the diffusion theory based on concentration gradient. For a given source, more N was transferred to N-rich than to N-poor sink components. Our results suggested that the microbial community might control both the quantity of N available to be transferred to other microsites and the quantity that is actually transferred, presumably because the potential for N immobilization may be limited in N-poor litter components. Interactions among micro-environments can favor chemical convergence from distinct litter components to humified organic matter along the decay continuum.

Mixing litter from deciduous and evergreen trees enhances decomposition in a subtropical karst forest in southwestern China

In the karst region of southwestern China, mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest is typical vegetation, differing remarkably from the evergreen broad-leaved forest developed in non-karst regions in the same latitudinal zone. Litter input from deciduous trees influences the characteristics of the litter layer, which could affect decomposition dynamics. We evaluated the role of deciduous trees in regulating the decomposition of mixed leaf litter in a karst forest. Four species richness treatments (one, two, four and six species) were designed to evaluate the decomposition rates of litter mixtures for two years. The ratio of deciduous to evergreen species numbers was 1:1 in all mixtures. Litter mass loss was positively correlated with initial nitrogen concentrations and negatively correlated with carbon:nitrogen ratios, suggesting that mass loss was controlled by nitrogen concentration of the litter mixture. Litter mixing accelerated the mass loss by 5.0% and enhanced nutrient release by 4.8%–26.2% for different elements. Synergistic effects in the four-species mixture were usually strongest and increased over time. Although individual litter species within the mixtures showed idiosyncratic responses to litter species richness, mixing effects enhanced decomposition of evergreen litter species more than deciduous species. This study suggests that species composition was more important than species richness in driving non-additive effects on decomposition in this forest. Deciduous trees in karst ecosystems significantly contribute to nutrient cycling, through enhancing the decomposition of evergreen leaf litter.

Correction: Wang, J.S., et al. Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Leaf Decomposition of Single-Species and Litter Mixture in Pinus tabulaeformis Forests. Forests, 2015, 6, 4462–4476

We discovered typographical errors in two sentences and, therefore, changes are needed to our published manuscript [1].[...]

Exotic or not, leaf trait dissimilarity modulates the effect of dominant species on mixed litter decomposition

Summary It has long been recognized that leaf traits exert a crucial control on litter decomposition, a key process for nutrient cycling, and that invading species can greatly alter such soil processes via changes in mixed litter trait composition. Trait effects on ecosystem processes are hypothesized to operate via changes in either dominant trait values in the community (often calculated as community‐weighted mean trait values; CWM) or trait functional diversity (dissimilarity between species trait values; FD). Few have studied the effects of these community trait components in tandem due to their interdependence. We studied litter mixture decomposition using three exotic and six native European tree species with a range in litter decomposability, to disentangle the unique and combined roles of CWM and FD in explaining net litter mixture mass loss. We showed that while CWM exerted the strongest effect on mass loss, FD modulated its effects, increasing mass loss in mixtures with low mean decomposability and decreasing mass loss in mixtures with high mean decomposability. Litter species identity and native/exotic status explained relatively little additional variation in mass loss after accounting for CWM and FD. We further showed that alterations to CWM and FD were more important than the replacement of a native species with an exotic counterpart in predicting mass loss. Synthesis: Our results indicate that the effect of adding an exotic or losing a native species on litter decomposition rate can be predicted from how a species alters both CWM and FD trait values. This supports the idea that the repercussions of exotic species on ecosystem processes depends on the extent that introduced species bear novel traits or trait values and so on how functionally dissimilar a species is compared to the existing species in the community.

Biotic and abiotic variables influencing plant litter breakdown in streams: a global study.

Plant litter breakdown is a key ecological process in terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. Streams and rivers, in particular, contribute substantially to global carbon fluxes. However, there is little information available on the relative roles of different drivers of plant litter breakdown in fresh waters, particularly at large scales. We present a global-scale study of litter breakdown in streams to compare the roles of biotic, climatic and other environmental factors on breakdown rates. We conducted an experiment in 24 streams encompassing latitudes from 47.8° N to 42.8° S, using litter mixtures of local species differing in quality and phylogenetic diversity (PD), and alder (Alnus glutinosa) to control for variation in litter traits. Our models revealed that breakdown of alder was driven by climate, with some influence of pH, whereas variation in breakdown of litter mixtures was explained mainly by litter quality and PD. Effects of litter quality and PD and stream pH were more positive at higher temperatures, indicating that different mechanisms may operate at different latitudes. These results reflect global variability caused by multiple factors, but unexplained variance points to the need for expanded global-scale comparisons.

Soil effects of six different two-species litter mixtures that include Ulmus pumila

ABSTRACTThe tree species that contribute to decomposed leaf litter can have important effects on soil properties and thus nutrient cycling and interactions between tree species. We examined ground leaf litter and soil mixtures consisting of leaves from Ulmus pumila (Up) combined individually with leaves from one of six other species: Betula platyphylla (Bp), Quercus liaotungensis (Ql), Salix matsudana (Sm), Hippophae rhamnoides (Hr), Caragana microphylla (Cm), and Amorpha fruticosa (Af). The soil–litter mixtures were incubated for 120 days to analyse the effects of their decomposition on soil properties and to determine the interactions between the different types of litter within each mixture. The decomposed litter mixtures were composed of Up combined with Sm- or Hr-improved soil fertility relative to the pure Up mixture, but the decomposed litter mixtures were composed of Up combined with Cm-, Af-, or Ql-diminished soil properties. Three leaf mixture treatments, namely Up × Bp, Up × Sm, and Up × Hr, exhibited synergistic effects on soil properties (i.e. soil properties exceeding the predicted values); however, three other treatments, namely Up × Ql, Up × Cm, and Up × Af, exhibited antagonistic effects (i.e. properties below the predicted values). Therefore, litter from Bp, Sm, or Hr should be mixed with Up to improve soil fertility and production in plantations.

Is it worth hyperaccumulating Ni on non-serpentine soils? Decomposition dynamics of mixed-species litters containing hyperaccumulated Ni across serpentine and non-serpentine environments.

Nickel (Ni)-hyperaccumulating species produce high-Ni litters and may potentially influence important ecosystem processes such as decomposition. Although litters resembling the natural community conditions are essential in order to predict decomposition dynamics, decomposition of mixed-species litters containing hyperaccumulated Ni has never been studied. This study aims to test the effect of different litter mixtures containing hyperaccumulated Ni on decomposition and Ni release across serpentine and non-serpentine soils. Three different litter mixtures were prepared based on the relative abundance of the dominant species in three serpentine soils in the island of Lesbos, Greece where the Ni-hyperaccumulator Alyssum lesbiacum is present. Each litter mixture decomposed on its original serpentine habitat and on an adjacent non-serpentine habitat, in order to investigate whether the decomposition rates differ across the contrasted soils. In order to make comparisons across litter mixtures and to investigate whether additive or non-additive patterns of mass loss occur, a control non-serpentine site was used. Mass loss and Ni release were measured after 90, 180 and 270 d of field exposure. The decomposition rates and Ni release had higher values on serpentine soils after all periods of field exposure. The recorded rapid release of hyperaccumulated Ni is positively related to the initial litter Ni concentration. No differences were found in the decomposition of the three different litter mixtures at the control non-serpentine site, while their patterns of mass loss were additive. Our results: (1) demonstrate the rapid decomposition of litters containing hyperaccumulated Ni on serpentine soils, indicating the presence of metal-tolerant decomposers; and (2) imply the selective decomposition of low-Ni parts of litters by the decomposers on non-serpentine soils. This study provides support for the elemental allelopathy hypothesis of hyperaccumulation, presenting the potential selective advantages acquired by metal-hyperaccumulating plants through litter decomposition on serpentine soils.

Effects of whole-stream nitrogen enrichment and litter species mixing on litter decomposition and associated fungi

Nutrient enrichment and changes in riparian tree species composition affect many streams worldwide but their combined effects on decomposers and litter decomposition have been rarely assessed. In this study we assessed the effects of experimental nitrogen (N) enrichment of a small forest stream on the decomposition of three leaf litter species differing in initial chemical composition [alder (Alnus glutinosa), chestnut (Castanea sativa) and poplar (Populus nigra)], incubated individually and in 2-species mixtures during late spring-early summer. To better understand the effects of litter mixing on litter decomposition, component litter species were processed individually for remaining mass and fungal reproductive activity. Litter decomposition rates were high. Nitrogen enrichment significantly stimulated litter decomposition only for alder incubated individually. Differences among litter treatments were found only at the N enriched site where the nutrient rich alder litter decomposed faster than all other litter treatments; only at this site was there a significant relationship between litter decomposition and initial litter N concentration. Decomposition rates of all litter mixtures were lower than those expected from the decomposition rates of the component litter species incubated individually, at the N enriched and reference sites, suggesting antagonistic effects of litter mixing. Conidial production by aquatic hyphomycetes for each sampling date was not affected by nutrient enrichment, litter species or mixing. Aquatic hyphomycetes species richness for each sampling date was higher at the N enriched site than at the reference site and higher for alder litter than for chestnut and poplar, but no effect of mixing was found. Aquatic hyphomycetes communities were structured by litter identity and to a lesser extent by N enrichment, with no effect of mixing. This study suggests that nutrient enrichment and litter quality may not have such strong effects on decomposers and litter decomposition in warmer seasons contrary to what has been reported for autumn-winter. Changes in the composition of the riparian vegetation may have unpredictable effects on litter decomposition independently of streams trophic state.

Compostagem e vermicompostagem de dejetos líquidos de bovinos leiteiros e cama aviária

O confinamento de animais proporciona uma maior produção de resíduos orgânicos, o que acaba causando mudanças físicas, químicas e biológicas no meio ambiente, quando disposto no solo sem um tratamento adequado. Tecnologias como a compostagem e a vermicompostagem podem ser medidas mitigadoras do impacto ambiental causados pela produção em confinamento. Objetivou-se avaliar a compostagem, a vermicompostagem e a combinação entre os dois processos no tratamento da mistura de dejetos líquidos de bovinos leiteiros e cama aviária. Na compostagem pelo método aeração passiva foi utilizada uma estrutura nas dimensões de 12 m de comprimento, 2 m de largura e 1,80 m de altura, coberta com filme de polietileno de baixa densidade e aberta nas late­rais, que comportou três caixas de plástico reforçado com fibra de vidro. A compostagem pelo método aeração ativa caracterizou-se pela formação de pilha e por revolvimentos intermitentes. Na vermicompostagem foram utilizados 12 caixas de madeira, que receberam 200 minhocas da espécie Eisenia fetida. Conclui-se que a compostagem pelos métodos aeração passiva e ativa não é eficiente para promover a estabilização da mistura de dejetos líquidos de bovinos leiteiros e cama aviária. O processo de vermicompostagem promove a bioestabilização da mistura de dejetos líquidos de bovinos leiteiros e cama aviária em um período de 60 dias.

Micropropagation of Cymbidium aloifolium (L.) SW., A Medicinal Orchid by Artificial Seeds Technology

Artificial seed technology is a rapidly growing area of research in plant cell and tissue culture. Application of this technology opens an alternative route for mass scale production, efficient delivery of cloned plantlets and fulfils the increasing demand of local growers. An attempt was made to produce artificial seeds and their subsequent regeneration of a highly valuable medicinal orchid of Nepal i.e. Cymbidium aloifolium. Artificial seeds were obtained through encapsulation of protocorms in calcium alginate beads. Protocorms were encapsulated by using 3% sodium alginate and 0.2 M calcium chloride solution. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium (1962) was used as the basal medium for in vitro germination and seedling development of artificial seed. In Cymbidium aloifolium, 20-25 days old in vitro grown protocorms were used for production of artificial seeds. Artificial seeds were inoculated on two different culture conditions of MS medium i.e. MS solid & MS liquid with four different treatments i.e. strength of 1.0, ½, ¼ and MS media supplemented with plant growth regulators viz. BAP (0.5 mg/l) and NAA (0.5 mg/l). Highest percentage of germination (100%) and plantlet conversion was found on hormone free full strength (1.0 MS) of MS liquid medium after 13-14 weeks of culture. Plantlets regenerated from artificial seeds with well developed shoot and root systems were successfully acclimatized in potting mixture of cocopeat, litter and sphagnum moss in a ratio 2:1:1.J. Nat. Hist. Mus. Vol. 28, 2014: 42-48

Effects of Nitrogen Addition on Leaf Decomposition of Single-Species and Litter Mixture in Pinus tabulaeformis Forests

The litter decomposition process is closely correlated with nutrient cycling and the maintenance of soil fertility in the forest ecosystem. In particular, the intense environmental concern about atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition requires a better understanding of its influence on the litter decomposition process. This study examines the responses of single-species litter and litter mixture decomposition processes to N addition in Chinese pine (Pinus tabulaeformis Carr.) ecosystems. Chinese pine litter, Mongolian oak (Quercus mongolica Fisch. ex Ledeb.) litter, and a pine–oak mixture were selected from a plantation and a natural forest of Chinese pine. Four N addition treatments, i.e., control (N0: 0 kg N ha−1·year−1), low-N (N1: 5 kg N ha−1·year−1), medium-N (N2: 10 kg N ha−1·year−1), and high-N (N3: 15 kg N ha−1·year−1), were applied starting May 2010. In the plantation, N addition significantly stimulated the decomposition of the Chinese pine litter. In the natural forest, N addition had variable effects on the decomposition of single-species litter and the litter mixture. A stimulatory effect of the high-N treatment on the Chinese pine litter decomposition could be attributed to a decrease in the substrate C:N ratio. However, an opposite effect was found for the Mongolian oak litter decomposition. The stimulating effect of N addition on the Chinese pine litter may offset the suppressive effect on the Mongolian oak litter, resulting in a neutral effect on the litter mixture. These results suggest that the different responses in decomposition of single-species litter and the litter mixture to N addition are mainly attributed to litter chemical composition. Further investigations are required to characterize the effect of long-term high-level N addition on the litter decomposition as N deposition is likely to increase rapidly in the region where this study was conducted.

Decomposition Characteristics and Interaction of Mixed Leaf Litter Mixtures of Pinus koraiensis and Quercus mongolica in Original Broadleaved-Korean Pine Forest.

Decomposition Characteristics and Interaction of Mixed Leaf Litter Mixtures of Pinus koraiensis and Quercus mongolica in Original Broadleaved-Korean Pine Forest.

Impact of species diversity, stand age and environmental factors on leaf litter decomposition in subtropical forests in China

Background and aims Tree diversity is considered to influence decomposition either by changing environmental conditions or by non-additive litter mixture effects. Thus, we examined the influence of tree species richness, forest age and environmental factors on single-species decomposition, and tested the hypothesis that high litter species diversity induces predominantly positive non-additive mixture effects on decomposition processes.

Non-additive effects of water availability and litter quality on decomposition of litter mixtures

Non-additive (synergistic or antagonistic) effect, a common phenomenon for the decomposition of mixed litter in nature, is usually regulated by litter quality and environmental factors. In this study, we investigated decomposition rates and nutrient (C, N, and P) dynamics in response to water availability in six litter treatments using plant material from Dongting Lake, China. Three single-litter treatments (leaves of Carex brevicuspis, leaves of Miscanthus sacchariflorus, and stems of M. sacchariflorus) and three mixed-litter treatments (1:1 mixtures of single litters) were incubated at three levels of water availability (20%, 46%, and 100% saturation) for 120 days in a mesocosm experiment. Decomposition rates for single-litter treatments were ranked: M. sacchariflorus leaves > C. brevicuspis leaves > M. sacchariflorus stems. Decomposition rates generally increased with increasing water availability. Antagonistic or additive interactions occurred in the M. sacchariflorus leaves + M. sacchariflorus stems treatment, and synergistic interactions occurred in the other two mixed-litter treatments. N content and lignin loss rate of M. sacchariflorus leaves and M. sacchariflorus stems were increased by mixing with C. brevicuspis leaves. The magnitude of synergistic interactions increased with increasing water availability and the opposite was true for antagonistic interactions. These data suggest that the direction of non-additive effects is dependent on litter quality, while the magnitude is regulated by water availability.

Stoichiometric imbalances between detritus and detritivores are related to shifts in ecosystem functioning

How are resource consumption and growth rates of litter‐consuming detritivores affected by imbalances between consumer and litter C:N:P ratios? To address this question, we offered leaf litter as food to three aquatic detritivore species, which represent a gradient of increasing body N:P ratios: a crustacean, a caddisfly and a stonefly. The detritivores were placed in microcosms and submerged in a natural stream. Four contrasting leaf species were offered, both singly and in two‐species mixtures, to obtain different levels of stoichiometric imbalance between the resources and their consumers. The results suggest that detritivore growth was constrained by N rather than C or P, even though 1) the N:P ratios of the consumers’ body tissue was relatively low and 2) microbial leaf conditioning during the experiment reduced the N:P imbalance between detritivores and leaf litter. This surprisingly consistent N limitation may be a consequence of cumulative N‐demand arising from the production of N‐rich chitin in the exoskeletons of all three consumer species, which is lost during regular moults, in addition to N‐demand for silk production by the caddisfly. These N requirements are not commonly quantified in stoichiometric analyses of arthropod consumers. There was no evidence for compensatory feeding, but when offered mixed‐species litter varying in C:N:P ratios, detritivores consumed more of the litter species showing the highest N:P and lowest C:N ratio, accelerating the mass loss of the preferred leaf species in the litter mixture. These results show that imbalances in consumer–resource stoichiometry can have contrasting effects on coupled processes, highlighting a challenge in developing a mechanistic understanding of the role of stoichiometry in regulating ecosystem processes such as leaf litter decomposition.

Stoichiometric linkages between plant litter, trophic interactions and nitrogen mineralization across the litter–soil interface

The common notion for describing N mineralization in models is that it results from decomposer organisms trying to meet their stoichiometric demands based on their own elemental composition and that of the resource. However, in addition to influencing C and nutrient availability, plant litter also influences the composition of both the litter and mineral soil community – importantly not in the same manner – resulting in altered trophic interactions. Since decomposer groups and their consumers vary in their elemental composition and demands, a change in composition and abundance of soil functional groups may result in a change in the stoichiometry of the whole soil food web, thus altering their stoichiometric relations with the available resource with potential functional consequences. We use experimental data and quantitative food web modeling to investigate the impact of the changes in the litter and soil food webs brought about by the differing stoichiometry of plant litter on (a) N mineralization, (b) the contribution of different functional groups to mineralization, and (c) the stoichiometric flexibility of the system, assessed as the ability to mineralize materials with different stoichiometry. Our simulations suggested that the effects of litter stoichiometry on trophic interactions, their impacts on N mineralization and the relative contribution of functional groups may not behave as a continuum across the litter and soil interface. Further, changes in food webs associated with variation in plant stoichiometric traits can influence the relative importance of functional groups, which given their particular stoichiometric demands may affect ecosystem-level N cycling. Our results suggested that litter materials of intermediate N contents, or litter mixtures encompassing materials with different nutrient contents and thus resulting in mixtures of intermediate stoichiometry, may promote food webs that are better suited to deal with changing substrate stoichiometry.

Incorporation of carbon and nitrogen from leaf litter differing in structural compounds into soil microarthropods of a deciduous forest

Detritivorous soil invertebrates process large quantities of leaf litter material. Focusing on decomposer (Oribatida) and predatory mites (Mesostigmata) we investigated the incorporation of resources from leaf litter rich (European beech, Fagus sylvatica) and poor (European ash, Fraxinus excelsior) in structural compounds using stable isotopes. Using litter mixtures we investigated if soil mites preferentially incorporate carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) derived from beech or ash leaf litter. Using the rotated-core method we established treatments with and without mycorrhiza as interactions between mycorrhiza and saprotrophic microorganisms may alter the availability of litter resources to soil invertebrates. Conform to our expectations primary decomposers incorporated more C and N than secondary decomposers or predators, but the contribution to body tissue element concentration was low suggesting that they predominantly rely on other resources than litter from the previous year. Generally, soil mites incorporated more C and N from ash than from beech litter, but this was less pronounced after 10 as compared to after 5 months, presumably due to fast decomposition of ash litter. In contrast to our expectations the use of litter resources by soil mites was little affected by mycorrhiza. Overall, the results underline that, at least during the first year of litter decay, leaf litter resources are of minor importance for soil mite nutrition, and this is particularly true for litter rich in structural compounds such as beech.

Effects of Enriched Biochars Containing Magnetic Iron Nanoparticles on Mycorrhizal Colonisation, Plant Growth, Nutrient Uptake and Soil Quality Improvement

At present, there is little commercial sale of biochar, since farmers find they can not gain a return on their investment in this amendment in the first few years after its application, because of the high cost associated with large application rates. To overcome this constraint, development of artificially aged enriched biochar-mineral complexes (BMCs), having a higher mineral content, surface functionality, exchangeable cations, high concentration of magnetic iron (Fe) nanoparticles, and higher water-extractable organic compounds has been undertaken by a combined team of researchers and a commercial company. Two biochars produced under different pyrolysis conditions were activated with a phosphoric acid treatment. A mixture of clay, chicken litter, and minerals were added to the biochar, and then this composite was torrefied at either 180 or 220 °C. In this study a pot experiment was carried out in glasshouse conditions to determine the effects of four different BMCs, with different formulations applied at rates of 100 and 200 kg ha−1, on the mycorrhizal colonisation, wheat growth and nutrient uptake, and soil quality improvement. It was found that the phosphorus (P) and nitrogen uptake in wheat shoots were significantly greater for a low application rate of BMCs (100 kg ha−1). The present formulation of BMC was effective in enhancing growth of wheat at low application rate (100 kg ha−1). The increase in growth appeared due to an increase in P uptake in the plants that could be partly attributed to an increase in mycorrhizal colonisation and partly due to the properties of the BMC.

Ecological stoichiometry quantitatively predicts responses of tadpoles to a food quality gradient

Ecological stoichiometry (ES) uses elemental ratios and mass balance to explain organismal growth, an important parameter in ecological systems. In this study, we tested quantitative predictions of the ES "minimal model" for the growth rates of two tadpole species (wood frogs, Lithobates sylvaticus and American toads, Anaxyrus americanus), by manipulating light and the quality of a leaf litter mixture in a seminatural mesocosm experiment. We predicted that wood frogs, which consume leaf litter as a resource, would respond more strongly to leaf litter quality than toads, which forage on periphyton and algae. The ES minimal model, parameterized from literature values, provided strikingly accurate quantitative predictions of nonlinear wood frog growth patterns across gradients of leaf litter quality, both in this experiment and when applied to previously published data on wood frog growth responses to various leaf litter species. In contrast, toad growth was best explained by the biomass of periphyton, which was driven primarily by light availability and only indirectly influenced by litter-derived soluble polyphenols. This study demonstrates the power of ES to predict organism growth rates, and highlights potential applications of this theory to predicting population- and community-level responses to changing forest environments.

English

Poultry litter is being produced in large quantities due to the accelerating growth of the broiler industry in recent years, which implies a greater energy dependence and cost of these systems. This study seeks to evaluate the capacity of an anaerobic batch biodigester to produce biogas from poultry litter. To this end, three tests were conducted: 1st: Poultry Litter + Water - [PL + W]1, 2nd: Poultry Litter + Water - [PL + W]2. 3rd: Description of treatments: Period of implementation: September 2013 to March 2014. T1 - Poultry Litter + Biofertilizer + Water, (PL+B+W) - of which: 28.25 kg of water + 28.25 kg of biofertilizer + 3.5 kg of litter. T2 - Poultry Litter + Biofertilizer (PL+B) - of which: 56.5 kg of biofertilizer + 3.5 kg of litter. T3 - Poultry Litter + Water (PL+W) - of which: 56.5 kg of water + 3.5 kg of litter. The results showed that the anaerobic biodigestion process was efficient in producing biogas in test 3, and that the three evaluated treatments produced different volumes of biogas, with the best treatment being the one that used a poultry litter associated with biofertilizer (T2 - PL+B), suggesting that the biofertilizer acted as a system that enabled the process, followed by the treatment that used poultry litter associated with biofertilizer and water (T1 - PL+B+W). The lowest values were observed in the third treatment, which used a mixture of poultry litter and water (T3 - PL+W). Key words: Biogas, poultry, waste, biomass.