Methods to Study Litter Decomposition (eBook)

The primary objective of this book is to provide students and laboratory instructors at universities and professional ecologists with a broad range of established methods to study plant litter decomposition. Detailed protocols for direct use in the field or laboratory are presented in an easy to follow step-by-step format. A short introduction to each protocol reviews the ecological significance and principles of the technique and points to key references.

Felix Bärlocher is a Research Professor at Mt. Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada. He retired from teaching in 2016. He has pioneered and published landmark studies on the ecology of aquatic hyphomycetes, a polyphyletic group of fungi that dominate the decomposition of riparian tree leaves in streams. Additional central research interests are the taxonomy and evolution of aquatic hyphomycetes, molecular approaches to characterize these fungi and trophic interactions with litter-consuming invertebrates. 

Mark O. Gessner is Department Head at the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB) and Professor at the Berlin Institute of Technology (TU Berlin) in Germany. Trained as an aquatic ecosystem scientist, he is widely recognized for his work over 30 years on ecosystem processes, particularly many facets of the decomposition of plant litter in freshwaters, including the role of fungi, bacteria and detritivorous invertebrates, as well as the importance of changing environmental conditions, biodiversity and human activities in controlling decomposition rates.

Manuel A.S. Graça is a Researcher at MARE (Marine & Environmental Sciences Centre) and Professor at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. His extensive work for more than 30 years in Mediterranean and tropical climates has focused on shaded headwater streams, where he investigates particularly the trilogy of leaf litter - microbial decomposers - litter-consuming detritivores and their role in detrital food webs. Studies on anthropogenic impacts on streams and benthic stream invertebrates are also a major long-standing research interest.