Key recent developments in litter decomposition research are reviewed. Long-term inter-site
experiments indicate that temperature and moisture influence early rates of litter …

Although soil microorganisms play a central role in the soil processes that determine nutrient
availability and productivity of forest ecosystems, we are only beginning to understand how …

Almost half of the total organic carbon (C) in terrestrial ecosystems is stored in forest soils. By
altering rates of input or release of C from soils, forest management activities can influence …

Rates of key soil processes involved in recycling of nutrients in forests are governed by
temperature and moisture conditions and by the chemical and physical nature of the litter. The …

The understanding of nitrogen (N) cycling in forest ecosystems has undergone a major shift
in the past decade as molecular methods are being used to link microorganisms to key …

Microbial communities in litter and soil are the functional link through which the tree species
occupying a site may alter rates of soil processes fundamental to nutrient cycling and carbon …

Results of several long-term studies of non-woody litter decomposition in forests indicate that
we need to rethink why and how we measure rates of litter decomposition. Effects on litter …

Organic matter is of primary importance to the sustainability of long-term site productivity in
forest ecosystems. In boreal forests, organic matter accumulates at the surface as mor humus. …

Plant growth is usually constrained by the availability of nutrients, water, or temperature,
rather than photosynthetic carbon (C) fixation. Under these conditions leaf growth is curtailed …

We compare forest floor microbial communities in pure plots of four tree species (Thuja
plicata, Tsuga heterophylla, Pseudotsuga menziesii, and Picea sitchensis) replicated at three …