Plant litter decomposition in a semi-arid ecosystem controlled by photodegradation

By A. Austin, Lucía Vivanco. Nature, 2006

803 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Subfields: Global and Planetary Change, Soil Science

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/f82e2d1f35939fafefaac36f951ec80ab08206b2

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Citations in the corpus

Plant traits and wood fates across the globe: rotted, burned, or consumed? (2009, positive): “UV light striking lignin-rich organic matter can create highly reactive free radicals, a process called photodegradation (Zabel & Morrell, 1992; Austin & Vivanco, 2006; Henry et al., 2008).”
Forest dynamics following eastern hemlock mortality in the southern Appalachians (2012, background): “Controls on decomposition also differ between a grass- and a non-grass structured arid system (Austin and Vivanco 2006); and controls on nitrogen cycling differ between forests with shrub layers dominated by ericaceous species compared to those without an ericaceous shrub layer (Wurzburger and Hendr”
Natural variation in immersion and emersion affects breakdown and invertebrate colonization of leaf litter in a temporary river (2011, background): “Solar photochemical mineralization may also contribute to leaf litter decomposition during emersed periods ( Austin and Vivanco 2006 ).”
Plant functional traits and soil carbon sequestration in contrasting biomes. (2008, positive): “However, carbon loss through abiotic mineralization (on the surface or often still attached to the plants) driven by solar radiation and mechanical forces (e.g. sand storms) is considerable (Austin & Vivanco 2006).”
Global resorption efficiencies and concentrations of carbon and nutrients in leaves of terrestrial plants (2012, background): “Photochemical mineralization of organic material can cause the loss of up to 60% of mass in high-irradiance water-limited ecosystems (Austin and Vivanco 2006, Austin and Ballaré 2010).”
Tree species identity alters forest litter decomposition through long‐term plant and soil interactions in Patagonia, Argentina (2008, background): “Plant species identity effects on decomposition have been widely studied and have contributed greatly to our knowledge of the control of litter quality on carbon and nutrient cycling in terrestrial ecosystems (Hobbie 1992; Cornelissen 1996; Cornelissen & Thompson 1997; Vivanco & Austin 2006).”
Microbial control over carbon cycling in soil (2012, background): “For example, in dry and sunny ecosystems, photodegradation of aboveground litter can potentially oxidize plant-C all the way to CO2 (Austin and Vivanco, 2006).”
Soil biota accelerate decomposition in high‐elevation forests by specializing in the breakdown of litter produced by the plant species above them (2009, background): “…variety of other factors influence litter decomposition to a lesser degree, including the composition of the soil community (Heemsbergen et al. 2004; Wall et al. 2008; Strickland et al. 2009a), interactions among litter types (Hättenschwiler & Gasser 2005) and UV radiation (Austin & Vivanco 2006).”
New handbook for standardised measurement of plant functional traits worldwide (2013, methodology): “(2004); Austin and Vivanco (2006); Parton et al. (2007); Adair et al. (2008); Cornwell et al. (2008); Fortunel et al. (2009); Freschet et al. (2012). More on methods: Taylor and Parkinson (1988); Cornelissen (1996); Robertson et al.”