Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Streuabbau in Laubwäldern

Untersuchungen in kalk- und sauerhumusbuchenwäldern

  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

In the “Solling-Projekt” (IBP) of the “Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft” the decomposition of different qualities of leaves in acid soil (Solling) and in lime soil (Göttinger Wald) was studied under various conditions (October 1973–October 1974).

Plastic rings were used as litter bags in the following way: on the bottom side they were covered with gauze of different mesh sizes (50, 1120, or 6000 μm), after they had been filled with leaves the upper sides were closed by a gauze with an equal mesh size (about 1200 μm). The effects of abiotic factors, microorganisms, meso- and macrofauna, phytophagous-excrements, and leaf-powder are shown by the following results:

  1. 1.

    In lime soil the decomposition was higher than in acid soil.

  2. 2.

    The decomposition effected by microorganisms alone was less than that by microorganisms and mesofauna; this, however, was less than the one by microorganisms, meso- and macrofauna.

  3. 3.

    Shade-leaves were decomposed more than sun-leaves and these more than leaves 1 year old.

  4. 4.

    In acid soil phytophagous-excrements effected a very high decomposition while in lime soil an effect was not to be found.

  5. 5.

    Leaf-powder effected a very high decomposition of sun-leaves and leaves 1 year old in both forests, of shade-leaves, however, in acid soil only.

  6. 6.

    In the Solling (acid soil) and in the Göttinger Wald (lime soil) shadeleaves from the Solling as well as from the Göttinger Wald were decomposed equally.

  7. 7.

    In the Solling the decomposition of leaves with phytophagous-excrements or leaf-powder compared with the decomposition in the Göttinger Wald without phytophagous-excrements or leaf-powder was nearly the same if mesofauna was allowed to enter, but the decomposition was highly significantly smaller if macrofauna was allowed to enter, which was rather scarce.

  8. 8.

    In the winter half-year the decomposition was smaller than in the summer half-year. The decomposition in the winter- and the summer half-year together (October 1973–April 1974 and April 1974–October 1974) was considerably higher than the decomposition of that litter which had been exposed for a whole year without interruption.

  9. 9.

    Some of the leaves sprayed with Toluol were partly destroyed more than those sprayed with Naphthalin.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Literatur

  • Anderson, J.M.: The breakdown and decomposition of sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) and beech (Fagus silvatica L.) leaf litter in two deciduous woodland soils. I. Breakdown, leaching and decomposition. Oecologia (Berl.) 12, 251–274 (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  • Bocock, K.L., Gilbert, O.J.W.: The disappearance of leaf litter under different woodland conditions. Plant and Soil IX, no. 2, 179–185 (1957)

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Drift, J., Witkamp, M.: The significance of the breakdown of oak litter by Enoicyla pusilla Burm. Arch. Neerland. Zool. 13, 486–492 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunger, W.: Untersuchungen über Laubstreuzersetzung durch Collembolen. Zool. Jahrb. Syst. 84, 75–98 (1956)

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunger, W.: Über die Zersetzung der Laubstreu durch die Boden-Makrofauna im Auenwald. Zool. Jahrb. Syst 86, 139–180 (1958)

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, C.A., Heath, G.W.: The role of soil animals in breakdown of leaf material. In: Soil organisms (J. Doeksen, J. van der Drift, eds.), pp. 76–84. Amsterdam: North-Holland 1963

    Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, C.A., Reichle, D.E., Crossley, D.A., Jr.: The role of soil invertebrates in turnover of organic matter and nutrients. Ecol. Studies 1, 147–172 (1972)

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellenberg, H.: Integrated experimental ecology, Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Funke, W.: Energieumsatz von Tierpopulationen in Land-Ökosystemen. Verh. Deut. Zool. Ges. Helgoland 1971, 65. Jahresversammlung, S. 95–106, Jena: Fischer 1972

    Google Scholar 

  • Funke, W.: Rolle der Tiere in Wald-Ökosystemen des Solling. In: Ökosystemforschung (H. Ellenberg, Hrsg.), S. 143–164. Berlin-Heidelberg-New York: Springer 1973

    Google Scholar 

  • Gere, G.: Über einige Faktoren des Streuabbaus. In: Soil organisms (J. Doeksen, J. van der Drift, eds.), pp. 67–75. Amsterdam: North-Holland 1963

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerlach, A., Krause, A., Meisel, K., Speidel, B., Trautmann, W.: Vegetationsuntersuchungen im Solling. Schriftenr. Vegetationsk. 5, 75–78 (1970)

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, G.W., Arnold, M.K.: Studies in leaf-litter breakdown. II. Breakdown rate of “sun” and “shade” leaves. Pedobiol. 6, 238–243 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, G.W., Arnold, M.K., Edwards, C.A.: Studies in leaf-litter breakdown. I. Breakdown rates of leaves of different species. Pedobiol. 6, 1–12 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Heath, G.W., Edwards, C.A., Arnold, M.K.: Some methods for assessing the activity of soil animals in the breakdown of leaves. Pedobiol. 4, 80–87 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  • King, H.C., Heath, G.W.: The chemical analysis of small samples of leaf material and the relationship between the disappearance and composition of leaves. Pedobiol. 7, 192–197 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurcheva, G.F.: The role of invertebrates in the decomposition of the oak leaf fall [in Russ.]. Pocvovedenie 4, 16–23 (1960)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurcheva, G.F.: Wirbellose Tiere als Faktor der Zersetzung von Waldstreu. Pedobiol. 4, 7–30 (1964)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kurcheva, G.F.: The influence of the increased abundance and the moistening on the rate of the oak litter decomposition [in Russ.]. Pedobiol. 7, 228–238 (1967)

    Google Scholar 

  • Mudra, A.: Statistische Methoden für landwirtschaftliche Versuche. Berlin: Parey 1958

    Google Scholar 

  • Runge, F.: die Pflanzengesellschaften Deutschlands unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Pflanzengesellschaften der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Münster: Aschendorff 1969

    Google Scholar 

  • Satchell, J.E., Lowe, D.G.: Selection of leaf litter by Lumbricus terrestris. In: Progress in soil biology (O. Graff, J.E. Satchell, eds.), pp. 102–120. Amsterdam: Braunschweig 1967

    Google Scholar 

  • Winter, K.: Zum Energieumsatz phytophager Insekten im Buchenwald. Untersuchungen an Lepidopterenpopulationen. Dissertation, Göttingen (1972)

  • Witkamp, M.: Decomposition of leaf litter in relation to environment microflora, and microbial respiration. Ecology 47, 194–201 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Witkamp, M., Crossley, D.A., Jr.: The role of arthropods and microflora in breakdown of white oak litter. Pedobiol. 6, 293–303 (1966)

    Google Scholar 

  • Witkamp, M., Olson, J.S.: Breakdown of confined and nonconfined oak litter. Oikos 14, 138–147 (1963)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittich, W.: Untersuchungen über den Verlauf der Streuzersetzung auf einem Boden mit Mullzustand. II. Forstarchiv 19, 1–18 (1943)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wittich, W.: Untersuchungen über den Verlauf der Streuzersetzung auf einem Boden mit starker Regenwurmtätigkeit. Schriftenr. Forstl.Fak. Göttingen 9, 1–33 (1953)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zachariae, G.: Spuren tierischer Tätigkeit im Boden des Buchenwaldes. Forstwiss. Forsch., H. 20 (1965)

  • Zlotin, R.I.: Die massenhafte Vermehrung des grünen Eichenwicklers als Stimulator der biologischen Kreislaufes in Eichenwäldern. In: Struktur und funktions-bio-geo-zönotische Rolle der lebenden Tierbevölkerung des Bodens [in Russ.]. Moskau: MOIP 1967

    Google Scholar 

  • Zlotin, R.I.: Invertebrate animals as a factor of the biological turnover. IV. Colloq. Intern. de la Fauna du Sol. Dijon, 1970. Paris: Institut nationale de la recherche agronomique 1971

    Google Scholar 

  • Zlotin, R.I., Khodashova, K.S.: Die Rolle der Lebewesen im biologischen Kreislauf der Waldsteppenökosysteme [in Russ.]. Moskau: Nauka 1974

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abteilung Ökologie und Morphologie der Tiere der Universität Ulm, Oberer Eselsberg, D-7900, Ulm/Donau, Bundesrepublik Deutschland

    Rotraud Herlitzius & Hans Herlitzius

Authors
  1. Rotraud Herlitzius
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hans Herlitzius
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

Ergebnisse des “Solling-Projekts” der DFG (IBP), Mitteilung Nr. 198

Herrn Prof. Dr. W. Funke danken wir für Themenstellung, fördernde Diskussionen und Betreuung, Herrn Prof. Dr. G. Kobabe, Göttingen, für großzügige Hilfen bei der statistischen Bearbeitung der Ergebnisse

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Herlitzius, R., Herlitzius, H. Streuabbau in Laubwäldern. Oecologia 30, 147–171 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00345418

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00345418

Search

Navigation