Nitrogen and cation mobilization by soil fauna feeding on leaf litter and soil organic matter from deciduous woodlands

Decomposing oak litter was incubated in laboratory microcosms and the effects of adding a variety of soil animals upon nitrogen and cation release were monitored. Various groups of macrofauna caused a marked increase in ammonium release with smaller increases in calcium, potassium and sodium leaching. Microfauna also had significant but much less marked effects upon nitrogen and cation release.The effects of different grazing intensities of the millipede Glomeris marginata on a variety of forest organic substrates show that the animals amplified existing patterns of nutrient release.