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Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent nutrients are added to the top layer of soil, commonly known as the litter layer or O horizon ("O ...
Detritus occurs in a variety of terrestrial habitats including forest, chaparral and grassland. In forests, the detritus is typically dominated by leaf, twig, and bacteria litter as measured by biomass dominance. This plant litter provides important cover for seedling protection as well as cover for a variety of arthropods, reptiles [4] and ...
White threads of fungal mycelium are sometimes visible underneath leaf litter in a forest floor. A mycorrhizal network (also known as a common mycorrhizal network or CMN) is an underground network found in forests and other plant communities, created by the hyphae of mycorrhizal fungi joining with plant roots. This network connects individual ...
The terms detritivore and decomposer are often used interchangeably, but they describe different organisms. Detritivores are usually arthropods and help in the process of remineralization. Detritivores perform the first stage of remineralization, by fragmenting the dead plant matter, allowing decomposers to perform the second stage of ...
In some cases the hyphae may also penetrate the plant cells, in which case the mycorrhiza is called an endomycorrhiza. Outside the root, ectomycorrhizal extramatrical mycelium forms an extensive network within the soil and leaf litter. Other forms of mycorrhizae, including arbuscular, ericoid, arbutoid, monotropoid, and orchid mycorrhizas, are ...
It has been used to study the processes involved in the decomposition of leaf litter, circadian rhythms, circaseptan (weekly) rhythms, the palatability and nutritious value of different plant residues and species of fungi, the effects on ageing of different environmental conditions, population dynamics and behaviour. Strains have been kept ...
Tetracladium spp. can be found in a wide range of environments, including freshwater and terrestrial ecosystems. [4] They are often associated with decaying organic matter such as submerged wood, leaf litter, and other plant debris. [5]
Herbivorous and detritivorous species fragment biological material present in soil and leaf litter, supporting decomposition and increasing the availability of nutrients for various species of microbes and fungi. [32] Carnivorous species maintain populations of small invertebrates such as nematodes, rotifers, and other collembolan species.