Carbon and nitrogen dynamics were analyzed during the decomposition of litter and roots of the desert ephemeral pepperweed (Lepidium lasiocarpum). We treated litter bags with the insecticide chlordane ...

The afterlife of plant matter plays a significant role in ecosystems, as a key processor and provider of key nutrients. The rate of decomposition for leaf litter, among other plant matter, heavily ...

Aims It has been well demonstrated that several interacting endogenous and exogenous factors influence decomposition. However, teasing apart the direct and indirect effects of these factors to predict ...

When plants or parts of them die, billions of small creatures help to break down the organic material. Next to microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi, also some soil-living invertebrates seem to be ...

Two independent studies exploring how biodiversity impacts plant decay in forests worldwide could help predict the potential effect of species loss on ecosystems Scientists have provided new insights ...

Reviving floodplain wetlands slashes carbon emissions by 39% and restores critical ecosystem functions in one year—without the methane spike typically seen in restored peatlands, a new study has found ...

Researchers attempting to help predict how the wildfire hazard will change due to various factors over the next several decades have some good news, and some bad news. Good news is, wildfire ...

Achieving complete breakdown of plant biomass for energy conversion in industrialized bioreactors remains a complex challenge, but new research shows that termite fungus farmers solved this problem ...

Scientists have provided new insights on the relationship between plant diversity in forests and the diversity of organisms involved in their decay, such as bacteria and fungi. Scientists have ...