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Science 19 January 2007:
Vol. 315. no. 5810, p. 297
DOI: 10.1126/science.315.5810.297o
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Litter decomposition is the primary source of fixed nitrogen for most terrestrial plants, but large-scale, long-term patterns of decomposition and nitrogen release are poorly understood. Using data from a 10-year global-scale experiment, Parton et al. (p. 361) present a simple model which shows that nitrogen release from leaf litter is mostly a function of initial concentration of nitrogen in the decomposing plant tissues and the mass of decaying matter remaining, regardless of climate, except in arid grasslands. This analysis suggests that fundamental physiological constraints on decomposers control the rate of nitrogen release regardless of climate or soil conditions, where decomposition is biologically mediated.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)