Björn Berg

University of Helsinki, Department of Forest Sciences, Department Member

Followers

Following

Co-authors

Mentions

Public Views

Plant litter decomposition and humus storage. Nutrient release from decomposing litter

less

InterestsView All (17)

Uploads

Papers by Björn Berg

Dynamics of nitrogen (15N) in decomposing Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) needle litter. Long-term decomposition in a Scots pine forest. VI

Canadian Journal of Botany, 1988

Labelled (15N) Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needle litter was incubated in one laboratory and... more Labelled (15N) Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) needle litter was incubated in one laboratory and two field experiments and the nitrogen dynamics was followed during the decomposition process. Release of the litter's original nitrogen began immediately after the start of the decomposition process. Simultaneously an immobilization of nitrogen to the litter took place. Very little of the actual turnover of nitrogen in the litter, which was considerable, was reflected by the dynamics of total nitrogen. The dynamics of nitrogen in the lignin fraction (acid-insoluble substance) was partly different from that of whole litter. The dynamics of total nitrogen coincided so that a net loss of total nitrogen started simultaneously both in whole litter and in the acid-insoluble fraction. As the amount of acid-insoluble substance increased in the early stage, the amount of 15N associated to this fraction increased and when a net disappearance of acid-insoluble substance started, a net release...

Long-Term Effects of Climate and Litter Chemistry on Rates and Stable Fractions of Decomposing Scots Pine and Norway Spruce Needle Litter—A Synthesis

Forests, Jan 16, 2022

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more

Download

Dynamics of trace and rare earth elements during long-term (over four years) decomposition in Scots pine and Norway

The temporal dynamics of 33 major, trace and rare earth elements (REEs) was studied in the Swedis... more The temporal dynamics of 33 major, trace and rare earth elements (REEs) was studied in the Swedish Norway spruce-NSL (Picea abies) and Scots pine-SPL (Pinus sylvestris) litters with the aim to assess their release and accumulation dynamics. Litter bags (8×8cm) were incubated in paired monoculture stands of both the species for upto five years from 1979-1984 according to a randomized block design comprising 25 blocks (1×1 m) within an area of 625 m2. Decomposition rate was slightly higher for SPL (k = 0.315) compared to that of NSL (k= 0.217). During litter decomposition, until ~70% accumulated mass loss (AML), concentration of trace elements increased >50% in both litter types relative to initial concentrations. The pattern of concentration change was non-linear, and polynomial quadratic regression between concentration change and AML resulted in a significant relationships (adj R2= 0.20–0.97; P = 0.15–<0.0001). The changes in concentration and amount of trace elements resulte...

Download

Decomposition rate and chemical changes of Scots pine needle litter. II. Influence of chemical composition

Ecological Bulletins, 1980

... litter-bag, mineralization, plant nutrient. Introduction Decomposition rates of litters are f... more

Increased atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> and litter quality

Environmental Reviews, 1998

Dynamics of Multielements During Long-Term Decomposition in Scots Pine and Norway Spruce Forest Stands, Southern Sweden

Social Science Research Network, 2022

Spatial distribution of elements in the soil, vegetation and litter in a cool temperate ecosystem, South Korea

Chemosphere, 2019

Spatial distribution of elements in the soil, vegetation and litter in a cool temperate ecosystem... more

Summary chapter: turnover of nutrients in ecosystems

Leaf habit of tree species does not strongly predict leaf litter decomposition but alters climate-decomposition relationships

Plant and Soil, Jul 25, 2017

Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer Internatio... more Your article is protected by copyright and all rights are held exclusively by Springer International Publishing AG. This e-offprint is for personal use only and shall not be selfarchived in electronic repositories. If you wish to self-archive your article, please use the accepted manuscript version for posting on your own website. You may further deposit the accepted manuscript version in any repository, provided it is only made publicly available 12 months after official publication or later and provided acknowledgement is given to the original source of publication and a link is inserted to the published article on Springer's website. The link must be accompanied by the following text: "The final publication is available at link.springer.com".

Download

Climatic effects on decomposing litter and substrate chemistry along climatological gradients

Climatic effects on decomposing litter and substrate chemistry along climatological gradients.

Download

The influence of experimental acidification on nutrient release and decomposition rates of needle and root litter in the forest floor

Forest Ecology and Management, Jul 1, 1986

Berg, B., 1986. The influence of experimental acidification on nutrient release and decomposition... more Berg, B., 1986. The influence of experimental acidification on nutrient release and decomposition rates of needle and root litter in the forest floor. For. Ecol. Manage., 15: 195-213. The influence of experimental acidification (diluted H=SO 4) on mass-loss rates of needle and root litters was investigated in forests of Scots pine, lodgepole pine, Norway spruce and white birch located in a climatic transect through Sweden. Of the two dosages given (32 and 96 kg S ha-l), significant effects on mass-loss rates were observed mainly with the higher dose. When comparing the effect of acid on mass-loss rate of needle litter on all sites together for the whole 3-year period, no effect was seen. By distinguishing the different types of forest and understorey we found a significant general decrease in rate for needle litter of about 8% for the pine forest sites (n = 10). For the spruce sites (n = 8) and the birch sites (n ffi 2) no significant effects were seen. When considering single sites after 1 year of decomposition, significant effects (rate decrease) were also found for the birch forests. At some spruce sites significant differences in mass-loss rate were seen (both rate increase and rate decrease). When a significant effect was seen its magnitude was found to be dependent on the decomposition rate (soil biological activity) of that site. For root litter the results were less clear. No significance was seen when comparing all sites together or sites of one type of forest. Significant decreases in mass-loss rate after acid treatment were, however, noted for some of the sites after different incubation periods. The patterns of dynamics of the nutrients N, P, S, K and Ca were not affected whereas those of Mg and Mn were and significantly higher release rates were found for these nutrients after acid treatment. The release rates of the nutrients N, P, S, K and Ca from litter were proportional to litter mass-loss and for the Scots pine stands this meant a decreased release rate for these nutrients.

Download

Decomposition of moss litter in a mature Scots pine forest

Pedobiologia, Sep 1, 1984

Leaching of plant nutrients and total phenolic substances from some foliage litters – a laboratory study. Swedish Coniferous Forest Project Barrskogslandskapets Ekologi

Predominant contributions through lichen and fine litter to litterfall mercury deposition in a subalpine forest

Environmental Research, Jul 1, 2023

Practicalities of estimating carbon sequestration - boreal coniferous forests

Cab Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources, 2008

We have reviewed literature on the topic 'carbon sequestration in forest soils'. We revie... more We have reviewed literature on the topic 'carbon sequestration in forest soils'. We review a theory/model for the sequestration process based on pine ( Pinus ) needle litter that is transformed into stable matter during decomposition. The decomposition process is divided into two phases with lignified tissue in the latter developing a recalcitrance with a calculable limit value for decomposition. This is just one of several possible models, this one developed for boreal forests. It appears likely that part of the stabilization process is related to oxygen limitation for micro-organisms, high concentrations of heavy metals developed during decomposition and/or allelopathic effects that suppress the decomposition process and allow an accumulation of organic matter. We divide the concept into primary sequestration and secondary sequestration . Primary sequestration occurs in an organic layer, e.g. a humus layer, and is a process that encompasses the stabilization of decomposing plant litter remains and their accumulation. This layer is vulnerable to e.g. fire and other disturbances. Secondary sequestration occurs in the mineral soil, where the buildup of sequestered carbon is a slower process. This carbon material was leached from the organic layers and has become adsorbed to mineral particles and thus stabilized. We may consider the concept stability as a very relative one. Stability appears to be related to a set of conditions on e.g. environment and micro-organisms. It may also be related to nutrients in the litter and/or environment. The review is based on available data and has its focus on coniferous boreal and northern temperate forests.

Erratum: The effect of lignin and nitrogen on the decomposition of litter in nutrient-poor ecosystems: a theoretical approach

Canadian journal of botany, Feb 1, 1988

On page 11 16, the last sentence of the English abstract should read "When nitrogen limits microb... more On page 11 16, the last sentence of the English abstract should read "When nitrogen limits microbial growth, the model predicts a positive linear relationship between rate of mass loss and initial nitrogen concentration." On page 11 16, the last sentence of the French abstract should read "Lonque l'azote limite la croissance des microbes, le modde pddit une relation positive linCaire en* le t.aux de perte de masse des substrats et la teneur initiale en azote."

Download

Nitrogen Immobilization in Decomposing Needle Litter at Variable Carbon: Nitrogen Ratios

Ecology, Feb 1, 1983

The nitrogen dynamics in decomposing needle litter incubated in a clear—cut area were seen to be ... more The nitrogen dynamics in decomposing needle litter incubated in a clear—cut area were seen to be very different from those of the same types of litter incubated in a mature forest. In each stand 10 different sets of Scots pine needle litter with different initial nitrogen concentrations were incubated. A nonlinear regression model of loss and nitrogen dynamics estimates that the C/N ratio above which net immobilization and below which net mineralization takes place differs significantly between the systems (109 in the mature forest and °63 in the clear—cut area).