Decomposition of willow-leaf litter in a short-rotation forest in relation to fungal colonization and palatability for earthworms

Summary The influence of leaf litter from three Salix spp. on fungal growth and microbial decomposition was studied using 1-mm-mesh litter-bags, and the effect on additional soil macrofaunal activity was studied by measuring litter disappearance from 4-mm-mesh bags and under 4-mm-mesh nets. Mineral macro-elements, water-and ethanol-extractable substances, lignin, and protein-precipitating substances (astringency) in the litter were determined, taking contaminating of the litter with soil particles into account. As expected, the litter disappeared more quickly from the large-mesh bags than from the small-mesh bags, which was attributed to earthworm activity. During the 1st year, the rate of leaf disappearance from both types of bags and under the nets was much higher for S. daphnoides than for S. viminalis and S. fragilis. The lower initial astringency, related to the tannin content, of the S. daphnoides litter might account for this difference. Tannin metabolites probably hampered both microbial decomposition and earthworm acceptability for some time also after the astringency was lost. Neither the content of macronutrients nor that of the other organic fractions studied can be assumed to have had any effect on weight losses due to microbial decomposition. Although, the S. daphnoides leaves initially contained the least amount of fungal mycelium (m g^-1 dry weight), the increase after contact with soil was most pronounced in this litter. The species composition of Fungi Imperfecti in the leaves of S. viminalis and S. daphnoides differed only for fresh litter, whereas the number of isolates was somewhat higher for S. daphnoides throughout the study. Similar seasonal variations in fungal composition occurred in both the S. viminalis and the S. daphnoides litter.