Advancements in the Dynamics of Forest Litter Decomposition
A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Soil".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 April 2024) | Viewed by 1066
Special Issue Editors
Interests: forest management; litter decomposition; soil microbial community; carbon cycling; soil fertility
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: soil carbon cycle; soil microbial ecology; utilization of soil microbes
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Forest litter decomposition is one of the cornerstones of ecosystems, crucial for nutrient cycling, soil health, and carbon sequestration. It serves as the natural recycling mechanism, converting organic matter back into essential nutrients that enrich the soil, thereby facilitating plant growth and maintaining forest health. Decomposition also regulates carbon flux, acting as a biological sink that either stores or releases carbon dioxide, thus influencing global climate patterns. In addition to these roles, litter decomposition is essential for water retention and quality, affecting both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems within and beyond forest boundaries. Despite its foundational importance, there are certain gaps in our understanding of this complex process.
Microbial communities, including bacteria and fungi, are instrumental in breaking down organic matter, but the intricacies of their roles and interactions are still under investigation. Similarly, climatic variables such as temperature, humidity, and seasonal fluctuations are known to have significant impacts on decomposition rates; yet, a unified model capturing these influences remains elusive. Forest management practices, such as selective logging, controlled fires, and even pesticide use, further complicate the decomposition landscape. These human interventions can have both short-term and long-term consequences on decomposition rates and nutrient cycles, affecting forest and adaptability to environmental changes. This Special Issue aims to deepen our understanding of the diverse elements and processes that govern the decomposition of forest litter.
Prof. Dr. Zhenhong Hu
Prof. Dr. Chengjie Ren
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- anthropogenic effects
- carbon sequestration
- chemical transformations
- climatic variables
- fauna
- forest management
- litter and deadwood decomposition
- microbial communities
- nutrient cycling
- soil fertility
