Rain, rain, go away
Well, it appears that rain is going to put a major crimp in our day, so we'll probably be in the lab analyzing leaf litter. Anything that falls off the tree is not considered to be sequestering carbon since it is just a matter of time before it decomposes into greenhouse gases. Therefore, when attempting to determine how much carbon is sequestered in a forest, the amount of leaf litter must be measured. There are two 
major ways of measuring leaf litter here: large litter traps and litter buckets. In the left photo, you can see a trap for large litter--including branches, etc. It looks like a cross between a hammock and a trampoline. On the right you can see ordinary 5-gallon buckets which can capture small leaf litter and resist effects from wind. Buckets are placed in a systematic manner throughout the forest, and contents are emptied and examined regularly.
Leaf litter is also the topic of a classic AP Enviro essay question related to invasive worm species. It turns out that studies of that very same problem are being conducted here. The worm pits pictured at left are independent from the surrounding forest. The worms cannot move from one side to the other. The effect of the leaf species on decomposition rates is being examined with various worms as the major detritus feeders. To count the worms, researchers apply a voltage through the soil (using the electrodes pictured); annoyed worms come out from underground and are easily counted, weighed, etc.I wonder what we'll be studying today...
posted by Dr D @ 6:40 AM
13 Comments:
If we were to talk about using biomass for energy, would leaf litter be sustainable? I was thinking it wouldn't be because as you said since the litter is no longer sequestering carbon dioxide, then burning it would only release CO2 into the air. How long must organic matter be dead before the carbon dioxide it sequestered will no longer equal that amount that it gives off when burned?
Spencer Rubin Period 8
What are they analyzing the worms for? Is their decomposing the leaf matter helpful or unwanted?
The worms were suprisingly interesting. Why did a voltage through the soil make the worms surface? I would expect that the nearest natural occurence would be lightning, which typically scares animals so the expected reaction in a worm would be fear, meaning they would not come to the surface. Andrew Morton Period 8.
What would be the point of doing both the hammoc and bucket methods? Wouldn't the hammoc method give a more encompasing representation of the forest. Also, how do the earth pits work? Is the point of the experiment to determine how leaf matter decomposes or rather how the worms effect the system? Anyway sounds intrigueing.
In the leaf litter experiment being conducted, how is decomposition quantified? Are both halves of the container exposed to equal amounts of sunlight and precipitation? Are there any other controled variables which we might find interesting to note? Is the number of worms held constant when a new type of worm is used as the main detritus feeder? Is the number a function of the mass of all worms in the container? Dependent on the results of this study, this could spark significant agricultural breakthroughs. It's especially relevant to Chapter 10...soil and the O-layer. Have fun! Jordan Meer 6
I am interested in finding out more about the idea of using leaves as biomass. This could be a good alternative to ethanol, or other forms of energy. I just wonder if excavating all the leaves would even be worth the amount the energy produced?
-Niklas MacCarter, period 6
I have always thought it snows alot in the east during this time of year but from you experience it appears it rains more. Is this another sign of climate change or just a regular pattern? Also going off of your comments about the leaf litter in the forest. What is the amount of CO2 the decomposing leaves give off? And how much of a positive impact does this leaf litter have on the soil in the forest. Further more, I think that if it were possible to use this leaf litter as fuel it would be a very good idea becasue it is a renewable resource and would only give off the amount of CO2 the decaying leaves would naturally.
Is there a vicious cycle in nature that although trees release oxygen from photosynthetic respiration, they still release carbon dioxide at night during oxidated phosphorylation then the leaf litter also releasing carbon dioxide? So then the trees emit so much carbon dioxide that we humans are even more pressured to stop releasing carbon dioxide to the air because there is already a good amount, a surplus, of carbon dioxide? I hope you find out how to save the world from the human disturbance causing a natural cycle to be a vicious cycle of a surplus of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere! No pressure! Just kidding! :)
In kind of response to Spencer's comment, wouldn't taking this leaf litter out of the ecosystem and not letting the nutrients return to the soil be bad for the forest ecosystem? Even if it was used for biofuel, our forests would be depleted of their nutrients.We would need to return these nutrients, so leaf litter musn't be "stolen" from the forest.
Sean Buck, 8
To analyze the leaf litter do you analyze different types of leaves or do you analyze the leaf litter all together? I'm guessing that the different types of leaf litter doesn't change much in the amount of carbon or are you analyzing different types to discover the difference? Also regaurding the worms does the amount of worms in an area vary from tree type to tree type?
In discussing the leaf litter, worms, and overall climate change I was wondering whether or not there has been a significant effect on the worms given the change in the Earth’s overall climate change. I presume that the forest that the experiment is being performed in is overpopulated with trees, like the ones in Colorado. I am guessing that this creates an unnaturally high level of leaf litter and a great demand for worms. With the overall change in the climate of this earth, is the demand sustainable? Ari Bloom Period 6
I think using leaf litter as a fuel source would be unsustainable because a deciduous forest relies on leaf-litter for its nutrients, and by taking that away, the forest would be damaged.
After learning about soil in class I was wondering how it effected your studies. Is the soil that sustains the trees you were studying much different then the soil in Colorado? Also how does the different rate of decomposition effect the soil? One last question- how vunerable are the trees back East to diseases like the ones here effecting the Lodge Poll Pines?
Ali Dehncke
Period 6
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