Journal article
Habitat Complexity Enhances Comminution and Decomposition Processes in Urban Ecosystems
A Ossola, AK Hahs, MA Nash, SJ Livesley
Ecosystems | SPRINGER | Published : 2016
Abstract
Decomposition of organic matter is an essential process regulating fluxes of energy and matter within ecosystems. Although soil microbes drive decomposition, this is often facilitated by detritivores through comminution. The contribution of detritivores and microbes to comminution and decomposition processes is likely to be affected by the habitat complexity. In urban ecosystems, human activities and management of vegetation and litter and soil components determine habitat complexities unobserved in natural ecosystems. Therefore, we investigated the effect of habitat complexity of low- and high-complexity urban parks and high-complexity woodland remnants on microbial decomposition and detrit..
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Awarded by Baker Foundation
Funding Acknowledgements
This project was funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC LP 110100686), the Australian Golf Course Superintendent Association (AGCSA), the Australian Research Centre for Urban Ecology (ARCUE), and the Frank Keenan Fund Trust. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. AO is supported by MIFRS and MIRS scholarships. AKH is supported by the Baker Foundation. Dr. Caragh Threlfall and Lee Wilson provided valuable assistance during field work and Dr. Robert Mesibov (Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania) confirmed our macrofauna detritivore identifications. Comments by Prof. Heikki Setala, Dr. Fiona Christie, and two anonymous reviewers greatly improved the manuscript. We are also grateful to the AGSCA Members and the Municipalities of Kingston, Frankston, and Greater Dandenong for their collaboration.