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The contribution of abiotic processes to buried litter decomposition in the northern Chihuahuan desert.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Moorhead, DL; Reynolds, JF
Published in: Oecologia
April 1989

Creosobebush (Larrea tridentata) fine litter was treated with either the general biocide HgCl2 and CuSO4 or water (controls) and buried 5 cm beneath the soil surface in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. The treated litter showed significantly less mass loss than controls during the three month summer-autumn field study; controls lost about 20% of the original mass while treated litter lost less than 2%. In addition, the total nitrogen content of the control litter increased from an initial concentration of about 14.08 g kg-1 to 17.62 g kg-1 dry weight by the end of the study, while treated litter nitrogen content decreased to 13.30 g kg-1. Results suggest abiotic processes other than leaching have little effect on the decomposition of buried litter in this environment.

Duke Scholars

Published In

Oecologia

DOI

EISSN

1432-1939

ISSN

0029-8549

Publication Date

April 1989

Volume

79

Issue

1

Start / End Page

133 / 135

Related Subject Headings

  • Ecology
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3104 Evolutionary biology
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 0602 Ecology
 

Citation

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MLA
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Moorhead, D. L., & Reynolds, J. F. (1989). The contribution of abiotic processes to buried litter decomposition in the northern Chihuahuan desert. Oecologia, 79(1), 133–135. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00378250
Moorhead, Daryl L., and James F. Reynolds. “The contribution of abiotic processes to buried litter decomposition in the northern Chihuahuan desert.Oecologia 79, no. 1 (April 1989): 133–35. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00378250.
Moorhead, Daryl L., and James F. Reynolds. “The contribution of abiotic processes to buried litter decomposition in the northern Chihuahuan desert.Oecologia, vol. 79, no. 1, Apr. 1989, pp. 133–35. Epmc, doi:10.1007/bf00378250.
Journal cover image

Published In

Oecologia

DOI

EISSN

1432-1939

ISSN

0029-8549

Publication Date

April 1989

Volume

79

Issue

1

Start / End Page

133 / 135

Related Subject Headings

  • Ecology
  • 3109 Zoology
  • 3104 Evolutionary biology
  • 3103 Ecology
  • 0602 Ecology