TERRESTRIAL

DECOMPOSITION
What is decomposition?
 It is the physical and chemical
breakdown of detritus (i.e., dead plants,
animal and microbial material)
 It is a consequence of interacting
physical and chemical processes
occuring inside and outside of living
organisms.
 Decomposition causes a decrease in
detrital mass, as materials are
converted from dead organic matter into
inorganic nutrients and CO2.
Decomposition results from 3
types of processes with different
controls and consequences:
 Leaching
 Fragmentation
 Chemical alteration
Leaching:
 Isthe physical process by which mineral ions
and small water-soluble organic compounds
dissolve in water and move through soil.

 Leaching by water transfers soluble

materials away from decomposing organic
matter into soil matter.

 Leaching is the rate-determining step for

mass loss of litter when it first falls to the
ground.
Fragmentation:
 Fragmentation creates fresh surfaces for
microbial colonization and increases the
proportion of the litter mass that is
accessible to microbial attack.

 Fragmentation by soil animals breaks large

pieces of organic matter into smaller ones,
which provide a food source for animals

 Animals,freeze-thaw and wetting-drying

cycles are agents pf litter fragmentation.
Chemical Alteration
 Primarily a consequence of bacteria and fungi
activity.

 Fungiare the main initial decomposers,

together with bacteria.

 Fungi
have networks of hypae, that enable
them to grow into new substrates

 Mycorrhizae are a symbiotic association

between plant roots and fungi.
 Bacteriahave small size and large
surface to volume ratio.

 Thisenables them to absorb soluble

substances rapidly and to grow and
divide quickly in substrate-rich ones.

 Bacteria are often present as biofilms.

 Bacteriausually dominate the

rhizosphere—the zone of soil directly
influenced by plant roots).
 Temporal and Spatial
Heterogeneity of Decomposition
 Temporal Pattern
o The predominant controls over
decomposition change with time

o As litter decomposes, its mass decreases

approximately exponentially with time.

o In seasonal environments, microbial

respiration often occurs over a longer
period.
Temporal and Spatial Heterogeneity
of Decomposition (Cont.)
 Spatial Pattern
o Most decomposition occurs near the soil surface,
where litter inputs are concentrated.

o Decomposition rate is spatially heterogeneous at

several scales

o The litter layer above the mineral soil shows

daily changes in temperature and moisture and
decomposition is dominated by fungi.
 Factors Controlling
Decomposition
 Decomposition is controlled by 3 types of
factors:

o The Physical Environment

o The Quality of Substrate Available to

Decomposers

o The Characteristics of the Microbial

Community
The Physical Environment
 Temperature
o Temperature affects decomposition
directly by promoting microbial activity
and indirectly by altering soil moisture
and the quantity and quality of organic
matter inputs to the soil.

o Rising temperature causes exponential

increase in microbial respiration.

o High temperature reduces soil moisture

by increasing evaporation and
transpiration
The Physical Environment
 Moisture
o Carbon accumulation is greatest in wet
soils because decomposition is more
restricted by high soil moisture than is
NPP.

o Decomposition is reduced at high soil

moisture contents.

o Decomposers are most productive under

warm moist conditions, provided sufficient
oxygen is available.
The Physical Environment
 Soil Properties
o Decomposition occurs more rapidly in
neutral than in acidic soils due to a
variety of interacting factors.

o Clay minerals reduce the decomposition

rate of soil organic matter, thereby
increasing soil organic content.

o Both the type and quality of clay influence

decomposition.
The Physical Environment
 Soil Disturbance

o Soil disturbance increases decomposition

by promoting aeration and exposing new
surfaces.

o Disturbance disrupts soil aggregates so

the organic matter contained within them
becomes more exposed to oxygen and
microbial colonization.
Substrate Quality and Quantity
 Litter
o Litterfall, plant litter, leaf litter, tree
litter, soil litter, or duff, is
dead plant material that have fallen to
the ground.

o Carbon quality of substrate may be the

predominant chemical control over
decomposition.

o Substrate quality—susceptibility of a
substrate to decomposition measured
under standardized conditions.
Substrate Quality and Quantity
 Soil Organic Matter (SOM)
o Both the age and initial quality of SOM
influence its rate of decomposition.

o As litter decomposes, its decomposition

rate declines because microbes first
consume the more labile substrates.

o Site differences in nutrient availability

influence SOM decomposition.
Microbial Community Composition and
Enzymatic Capacity

 Soilenzyme activity depends on

microbial community composition and
the nature of the soil matrix.

 Soilenzyme activity is also influenced

by the rates at which enzymes are
inactivated in soils (by degradation or
binding)
Cont…
 Ericoidand ectomycorrhizal fungi
produce enzymes (proteases and
peptidases) that break down proteins
into amino acids.

 Celluloseis the most abundant

chemical constituent of plant litter. It’s
breakdown requires 3 separate enzyme
systems:
o Endocellulases
o Exocellulases
o Cellobiase
 Endocellulases break down the
internal bonds to disrupt the crystalline
structure of cellulose

 Exocellulases then cleave of

disaccharide units from the ends of
chains, forming cellobiose, which is then
absorbed by microbes

 Andbroken down intracellularly to

glucose by cellobiase.
Long Term Storage of SOM
 In climates that are favorable for
decomposition, humus is the major
long-term reservoir of soil carbon.

 Soil humus decomposes slowly.

 Humification- formation of humus

through a combination of biotic and
abiotic processes.
Humus Formation:
 1.
Selective Preservation-
Decomposition selectively degrades labile
compounds in detritus, leaving behind
recalcitrant materials.

 2.
Microbial transformation- Enzymatic
breakdown of SOM produces low molecular
weight water-soluble products which
participate in humus formation.
Humus Formation:
 3.
Polyphenol formation- Soluble
phenolic compounds are important
reactants in humus formation.

 4.
Quinone formation- Polyphenol
compounds produced by fungi also
convert polyphenols into highly reactive
compounds called quinones.

 5.
Abiotic condensation- Quinones
spontaneously undergo condensation
reactions with many soil compounds.
 Humic acids- large, relatively insoluble
compounds with extensive networks or
aromatic rings and few side chains.

 Fulvic
acids- more water soluble
because of their extensive side chains
and many charged groups.

 Environmentallyprotected organic matter

accumulates in cold and wet
environments.
Decomposition at the Ecosystem
Scale

 Aerobic Heterotrophic Respiration

 Anaerobic Heterotrophic Respiration

Aerobic Heterotrophic Respiration
 Aerobic heterotrophic respiration is the
major avenue of carbon loss from
ecosystems.

 Heterotrophs- Microbes and animals

 The controls over stand-level

decomposition are similar to the controls
over GPP and NPP

 Decomposition and carbon inputs to soil

are seldom precisely in balance.
Aerobic Heterotrophic Respiration
 Stand-leveldecomposition shows little
relationship with the total quantity of
organic matter in soils.

 Theactivity of soil microbes is more

important than microbial biomass in
determining decomposition rate.
Anaerobic Heterotrophic Respiration
 Decompositionin anaerobic
environments occurs slowly and
produces energy inefficiently.

 Decomposition shifts to fermenters that

break down labile organic compounds to
acetate, other simple organic
compounds and hydrogen.

 Methaneemission from soils to the

atmosphere is of global concern.
Summary:
 Decomposition is the conversion of dead
organic matter into CO2 and inorganic
nutrients through leaching,
fragmentation, and chemical
alteration.
 Leaching- removes soluble materials
from decomposing organic matter.
 Fragmentation- soil animals break
large pieces of organic matter into
smaller ones that provide as food source
for soil animals.
 Chemical alteration- consequence of
the activity of bacteria and fungi.
Summary:
 Decomposition rate is regulated by
physical environment, substrate
quality, and the composition of the
microbial community.

 Decomposition rate declines with time.

 Soilanimals strongly influence

decomposition.
That would be all, Thank you!


 Members:
o Cebricus, Nina Eunice M.
o Bulahan, Rijilyn
o Gapate, Pearl Jade
o Agda, Gladys