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Tree species diversity of forested ecosystems control the diversity of leaf litter inputs to the soil, with cascading effects on the microbial communities colonizing decomposing litter. However, the extent to which bacterial and fungal communities inhabiti ...
The fate of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is partly determined by its availability to microbial degradation. Organisms at upper trophic levels could influence the bioavailability of DOC via cascading effects on primary producers and bacteria. Here we expe ...
Natural soil is characterized as a complex habitat with patchy hydrated islands and spatially variable nutrients that is in a constant state of change due to wetting-drying dynamics. Soil microbial activity is often concentrated in sparsely distributed hot ...
Phototrophic biofilms are ubiquitous in freshwater and marine environments where they are critical for biogeochemical cycling, food webs and in industrial applications. In streams, phototrophic biofilms dominate benthic microbial life and harbour an immens ...
Drought is predicted to increase in many areas of the world with consequences for soil carbon (C) dynamics. Plant litter, root exudates and microbial biomass can be used as C substrates to form organo-mineral complexes. Drought effects on plants and microb ...
Collembola is an abundant group of soil organisms playing a major role on litter decomposition process and nutrient cycling in forest ecosystems. Habitat structure strongly influences Collembola assemblages as plant litter physical characteristics and quan ...
Freshwater fungi are a diverse group of organisms and fulfill important functions in the food web dynamics of surface water ecosystems. Ascomycetic and basidiomycetic hyphomycetes play key roles in leaf litter breakdown in rivers and creeks, while parasiti ...
Questions: Californian grasslands have a long history of invasion, starting with the introduction of exotic forage species a century ago, and followed by newer waves of invaders. Both exotic and invasive species produce large amounts of litter, but the imp ...
Although aquatic ecologists and biogeochemists are well aware of the crucial importance of ecosystem functions, i.e., how biota drive biogeochemical processes and vice-versa, linking these fields in conceptual models is still uncommon. Attempts to explain ...
Low-intensity livestock grazing is a widespread management tool in order to maintain habitat diversity in mountain pasture-woodlands for nature conservation purposes. Historical photographs indicate that forest disturbance significantly contributed to fore ...
