Study On The Function Of Soil Fauna In Abies Nephrolepis Litter Decomposition In Changbai Mountains

In recent decades, researchers pay close attention to the function of soil fauna inlitter decomposion. This thesis had been studied the the function of soil fauna in litterdecomposion in the Changbai Mountains coniferous forests and this will have acertain role in the development of underground ecology and deepen the understandingof the global change. This study revealed the litter decay and element cycle. Thepresent study will provide scientific basis for forest conservation of ChangbaiMountains and will be a great performance of maintaining the balance of forestecosystem and resources sustainable development and utilization.We used two different mesh sizes of litterbags,1mm and0.01mm to examine thedecomposition prosess and nutrient release of the dominant tree species (Abiesnephrolepis) in the study site. The two different mesh sizes of litterbags can controlthe different body sizes of soil fauna in the litterbags. Further through the analysis ofthe soil animal community structure and diversity characteristics, we understand thefunction of soil fauna in decomposition prosess and nutrient release.A total of905of soil fauna, belonging to21groups were found in1mm litterbags inthe upper coniferous forests during the experimental period. The dominant groupswere Isotomidae, Oribatida, which accounts for53.59%of total the individualnumber. There were19groups,1227of soil fauna captured with Isotomidae,Oribatida and Pseudachorutidae as dominant groups, which accounts for67.89%oftotal the individual number in the lower coniferous forests in the1mm litterbags.The results showed that the litter decomposition in the1mm and0.01mm litterbagshas stuck to the seasonal pattern. That is to say that loss rates of litter in summer ishigher than those in other seasons, and it showed clear in1mm litterbag.The loss ratein the1mm litterbags is higher than that in0.01mm litterbags. The residual rateachieves47%to54%in the1mm litterbags, and littter loss rate in the lowerconiferous forests is higher than that in the upper coniferous forests in the end of time.The residual rate achieves59%to64%in the0.01mm litterbags.Relative N,P content of litter improved during the test period. However, relative Ccontent of litter reduced in the upper coniferous forests. In the lower coniferousforests, Relative N, P content of litter improved in both mesh sizes litterbags. RelativeC content improved in the0.01mm litterbags and reduced in the1mm litterbags. Differences of soil fauna function do exist in the different periods. In the twohabitats contribution of soil fauna on litter decomposition are larger in summer andautumn, and soil faunal individual number and group number play an important roleon nutrient release in the two habitats.