CELLULASE ACTIVITY ON DECOMPOSING LEAF LITTER IN MICROCOSMS

In this paper, we describe cellulase and cellobiose dehydrogenase (CBDH) dynamics in relation to incubation time, mass loss and chemical composition of decomposing deciduous leaf litter. Cellulose disappearance from litter coincided with periods of maximum cellulase activity. CBDH activity peaked later in decomposition after cellulase activity had declined. Enzyme activity patterns differed among litter types when expressed on the basis of decomposition time or cumulative mass loss. The patterns converged when expressed on the basis of chemical composition as indexed by the fraction of cellulose in the lignocellulose complex. We present a three-stage model of decomposition based on temporal changes in cellulase activities and coincident changes in litter chemical composition. © 1990 Kluwer Academic Publishers.