Question

1) The decomposition of litter and the subsequent release of nutrients in plant-available forms are essential to maintaining healthy forest ecosystems. Thus, knowledge of factors affecting decomposition rate becomes extremely important in forest management and conservation.

a.) Would you expect decomposition rates to be the same throughout an area (e.g. extending from a coastal habitat, through the mountains, to interior habitats). Why?

b.) Under the same environmental circumstances (e.g. for trees found in the same geographic area), would you expect broadleaf (foliar) litter and pine needle litter to decompose at similar rates? Explain your answer.

Answer 1

Answer-

(a)the decomposition rate is not same in through an area because many factors affect decomposition of leaf litter like

1.biological activity

2.oxygen lavel

3.moisture level

4soil pH

5.temprature

(b)under the same environment circumstances broadleaf litter and pine needles litter to different rates of decomposition because-

Decomposition of broad leaves more rapidly than pine needle decomposition because the surface area of broad leaf more than pine needles so these type leaves easily decomposed,there was either no effect of suppression of decomposition when litter we're mixed.

The main enfluence of broadleaves was more rapidly decomposition in broadleaf floors,which does not appear to be simply an effect of litter quality or litter mixing.