Decomposition of detritus

During the last decades, there have been a number of studies on the degradation of mangrove litter by use of litter-bags (Wafar etal., 1997 Ashton etal., 1999). These have shown rapid initial decomposition followed by low rates and accumulation of refractory compounds. The detritus is often enriched by nitrogen during the decomposition (Wafar etal., 1997 Holmer Olsen, 2002), and recent results also show enrichment with phosphorus (Nielsen Andersen, 2003). 

The rate of decomposition of mangrove leaves varies among species. Avicennia leaves decompose at a faster rate than those of other species, 

---

IJA is the rate of decomposition of detritus in environment A kA is the kinematical coefficient of vertical diffusion is the velocity of nutrient assimilation by the photosynthetic process per unit of phytoplankton production ef is the proportional part of the eth radionuclide that is chemically analogous to B6 A on substrate A H is the rate of input flow of the eth radionuclide 7) is the rate of exchange with the environment p is that part of biomass losses due to exchange that transforms into nutrients (Legendre and Legendre, 1998) and f3v is upwelling velocity. Equation (6.1) is the basic element of block NM. 

Rice, D.L., and Tenore, K.R. (1981) Dynamics of carbon and nitrogen during the decomposition of detritus derived from estuarine macrophytes. Estuar. Coastal Shelf Sci. 13, 681-690. 

Humus The dark organic material in soils, produced by the decomposition of soils. The matter that remains after the bulk of detritus has beenconsumed (leaves, roots). Humus mixes with top layers of soil (rock particles), supplies some of the nutrients needed by plants -increases acidity of soil inorganic nutrients more soluble under acidic conditions, become more available, EX. wheat grows best at pH 5.5-7.0. Humus modifies soil texture, creates loose, crumbly texture, that allows water to soak in and nutrients retained permits air to be incorporated into soil. 

The turnover time of carbon in biota in the ocean surface water is 3 x 10 /(4 + 36) x lO yr 1 month. The turnover time with respect to settling of detritus to deeper layers is considerably longer 9 months. Faster removal processes in this case must determine the turnover time respiration and decomposition. 

Organically bound matter (OM). Heavy metals/trace elements may be bound in living organisms, detritus, and organic matter of the soil. The organically bound trace elements or heavy metals are affected by the production and decomposition of organic matter. 

In order to clarify the mechanism of microbiological decomposition of organic carbon and nitrogen of detritus in the lake water, the gaseous and nitrogenous components as well as the other chemical characteristics were determined in Lake Kizaki-ko, September 7-8, 1963 and October 28-31, 1963 when stagnation had greatly advanced in the lake. 

Fenchel, T., 1970. Studies on decomposition of organic detritus derived from the turtle grass Thalassia testudinum. Limnol. Oceanogr., 15 14-20. 

Fenchel, T. and Harrison, P., 1976. The significance of bacterial grazing and mineral cycling for the decomposition of particulate detritus. In 3.M. Anderson and A. Macfadyen (eds), The Role of Terrestrial and Aquatic Organisms in Decomposition Processes. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford, pp. 285-299. 

Hargrave, B.T., 1972. Aerobic decomposition of sediment and detritus as a function of particle surface area and organic content. Limnol. Oceanogr., 17 583-596. 

However, if the transition time of organic matter particles from one layer to another is short compared with Ds, then it is better to take H%iy = AjCa(, H e,i = A4C/,jI. In addition to these fluxes we should take into account the fluxes of detritus decomposition, solution of bottom sediments, and carbon consumption in the process of photosynthesis ... 

Decomposition decay phase the heterotrophic breakdown of detritus by microbes and metazoans (e.g., detritivores and deposit feeders). 

Aneiso, A.M., Abreu, B.A., and Biddanda, B.A. (2003) The role of free and attached microorganisms in the decomposition of estuarine macrophyte detritus. Estuar. Coastal Shelf Sci. 56, 197-201. 

Thraustochytrid and fungal component of marine detritus IV. Laboratory studies on decomposition of leaves of the mangrove Rhizophora apiculata Blume. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 183, 113-31. 

I would like to make a comment from the point of view of my time in the Inter. Bureau of Forestry at Hamburg. The difference between the forest in the tropical zones and in the temperate zones is mainly that the lowest content of organic matter in the Tropics is in the living part of the ecosystem and not in the detritus or in the humus. So if you cut the most living part of the ecosystem, you at once lose the main part of the nutrient contents, i.e., the main part of the organic matter. Secondly, the decomposition of the rest of the... 

Enriquez, S., Duarte, C. M., and Sand-Jensen, K. (1993). Patterns of decomposition rates among photosynthetic organisms Importance of detritus C N P content. Oecologia 94, 457—471. 

During winter months, v/hen the lake was well mixed, humic substances were uniformly distributed throughout the water column (Fig. 14). As the season of thermal stratification proceeded, however, the concentrations became different. The concentrations at a 5 m depth declined to about 1.5 mg/L and remained at this level throughout the summer the concentrations at 14 m increased to reach maxima of 3 mg/L. The maximum values could be due to iron oxide precipitation or to anaerobic decomposition of settled particulate detritus. 

---