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The importance of bacteria for deadwood decomposition in forest ecosystems
Némethová, Ema ; Baldrian, Petr (advisor) ; Bárta, Jiří (referee)
Forest ecosystems represent a huge reservoir of carbon. The volume of deadwood in managed forests is in the tens of m3 h-1, while unmanaged forests have the volume of deadwood in hundreds of m3 ha- 1. Deadwood is a substrate with a high potential for decomposition. However, deadwood is a specific habitat that has a high C/N ratio and changes due to ongoing decomposition. The C/N ratio decreases with increasing decay time. In addition to the C/N ratio, the pH also changes during the wood pulping process, due to the decomposition of plant biomass by fungi. Moreover, deadwood has a high impermeability. The main decomposers of dead wood are fungi. In addition to them, bacteria, which are numerous in deadwood, also contribute to decomposition. Bacterial communities that decompose woody biomass are affected by these factors, and their distribution is also affected by dead tree species. The aim of this study was to describe how bacterial communities associated with deadwood change during decay. The most significant factor in the decomposition by bacterial communities is the time of decay. Bacteria found in short-decaying wood (less than 16 years old) are more diverse than those found in long-decaying wood. Methylotrophic bacteria and N-fixing bacteria are common in short-decaying wood as well. N-fixing...
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