In the context of a recent massive increase in research on plant root functions and their
impact on the environment, root ecologists currently face many important challenges to keep …

Publisher Summary Coarse woody debris (CWD) is an important component of temperate
stream and forest ecosystems. This chapter reviews the rates at which CWD is added and …

Changes in the balance between soil carbon storage and release can significantly amplify
or attenuate global warming. Although a lot of progress has been made in determining …

Fundamentals of Soil Ecology, 3rd Edition, offers a holistic approach to soil biology and
ecosystem function, providing students and ecosystem researchers with a greater …

When starting our work on this book we intended to summarize and synthesize the new
information that had developed in the last 20-30 years in the field of plant litter …

For decomposing foliar litter in forest systems the pattern for accumulated mass loss vs time
varies among litter species and environments. Thus, decomposition may be complete (100 …

Litter decomposition is an important component of the global carbon budget. Due to the
strong climatic control of litter decomposition, climate change may significantly affect this …

The structure of the rotary motor was described in Chapter 9 (Fig. 9.3) and its assembly was
discussed in Chapter 10. Here, I will say more about function. Given that the diameter of the …

That major flows of energy occur along detrital pathways in all ecosystems is a recent
recognition. In freshwater ecosystems, detritus or dead organic matter (217) has two …

Aims We aim to construct a comprehensive global database of litter decomposition rate (k
value) estimated by surface floor litterbags, and investigate the direct and indirect effects of …