Decomposition studies on New Zealand and antarctic lichens
Abstract The decomposition of ground, dead (oven-dried) lichens has been studied in laboratory experiments that aimed to simulate decomposition in nature. Enzymes, common in soil animal guts and soil microbes, solubilized 29% of the lichen weight and 25% of lichen nitrogen. Approximately 9% of liche...
| Published in: | The Lichenologist |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1993
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/lich.1993.1014 http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0024-2829(83)71014-5?httpAccept=text/xml http://api.elsevier.com/content/article/PII:S0024-2829(83)71014-5?httpAccept=text/plain https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0024282993000088 |
| Summary: | Abstract The decomposition of ground, dead (oven-dried) lichens has been studied in laboratory experiments that aimed to simulate decomposition in nature. Enzymes, common in soil animal guts and soil microbes, solubilized 29% of the lichen weight and 25% of lichen nitrogen. Approximately 9% of lichen nitrogen was mobilized to mineral forms during 97 days' incubation in soil or sand. Low moisture levels reduced the amount of nitrogen mobilized. In short-term (30 days) incubation studies, lichens at optimum moisture but low temperature lost 9% of their initial dry weight due to microbial metabolism. In contrast, lichens incubated for 30 and 135 days at similar moisture levels but higher temperatures lost 19% and 30% respectively of their initial dry weight due to microbial metabolism. |
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