Table of Contents

Introduction.- Decomposition as a process.- Decomposer organisms.- Initial litter chemical composition.- Changes in substrate composition during decomposition.- Chemical constituents as rate-regulating: initial variation and changes during decomposition.- Climatic environment.- Influence of soil and plant community factors.- Decomposition of fine root and woody litter.- Models that describe litter decomposition.- Decomposition and ecosystem function.- Human activities that influence decomposition.- Estimating carbon sequestration rates on a regional scale.- Appendix I. Glossary.- Appendix II. Scientific names of vascular plants.- Appendix III. Site descriptions.- Appendix IV. A data base for litter chemical composition, and limit values for decomposition - Delila.-

Reviews

From the reviews: "The authors of the volume 'Plant Litter' present an up-to-date and interesting contribution ... . The book is well arranged, relatively easy to read, contains fantastic graphics ... . this fundamental and rather detailed book is an absolutely necessary resource about transformation and decomposition of plant litter ... . In summary, we strongly recommend this book for all scientists concerned with ... plant litter ... . The authors can be congratulated for their impressive efforts in publishing this highly professional volume." (Oliver Bens, Reinhard F. Huttl, Journal of Plant Physiology, Vol. 161, 2004) "The work of Berg and Mc Claugerthy resumes the state of the art concerning litter decomposition mainly in boreal forests but also in a few temperate situations. ... this book is a remarkable synthesis of the current knowledge about the decomposition of plant residues in forest ecosystems. ... This book is well structured and gives a comprehensive overview about the process of litter decompositions and it is a well written synthesis of the enormous work done by B.Berg during the last two decades." (Bernd Zeller, Annals of Forest Science, Issue 2, 2004)