Litter degradation constitutes an important aspect of nutrient cycling and energy transfer in most ecosystems. In this study, classic litter bag technique using beech and spruce litter was combined with RNA-based fingerprinting methods to get information about litter degradation on one hand and the corresponding active microbial communities on the other. The decay parameters for litter were shown to be soil site specific and plant species dependent. Detailed information about bacterial and fungal groups colonizing leaf litter was obtained from 16S and 18S rRNA clone libraries. New groups in addition to those reported in earlier studies were also observed as active colonizers. Ozone stress resulted in differences in both litter degradation rates and the colonizing microbial communities. Using two different plant species, four different soil sites and two time points, it could be shown that the diversity of the microbial colonizers are dependent on the site (soil type, vegetation, pH etc.). Litter quality resulted in the selection of specific microbial groups from the total diversity present in the soil site.
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Litter degradation constitutes an important aspect of nutrient cycling and energy transfer in most ecosystems. In this study, classic litter bag technique using beech and spruce litter was combined with RNA-based fingerprinting methods to get information about litter degradation on one hand and the corresponding active microbial communities on the other. The decay parameters for litter were shown to be soil site specific and plant species dependent. Detailed information about bacterial and funga...
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