BIOL 202 Chapter : Problem Sets for lectures 15-18.docx
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need help on a problem for my problem set, thanks inadvance!
You are studying the decomposition and mineralization from leaflitter in a forest. The litter has the followingcharacteristics:
Material | % of litter mass | C/N ratio |
Physiological material | 20 | 5 |
Cellulose | 60 | No N |
Lignin | 20 | No N |
Three groups of organisms decompose this material
Organism | C/N Ratio | Substrate Use Efficiency | They eat: |
Bacteria | 5 | 0.50 | Only physiological material |
Cellulytic fungi | 20 | 0.40 | Everything except lignin |
Lignolytic fungi | 20 | 0.25 | Everything |
Assume:
Growth rates:
A- Bacteria grow faster than fungi and have first crack at anymaterial that they can metabolize (physiological material and deadmicrobes).
B- Cellulytic fungi grow next fastest and will use resourcesthat bacteria don’t.
C- Lignolytic fungi grow the slowest of all three groups (i.e.they have last crack at material).
D- Microbes will only process a material if they have thenitrogen they need to do so.
1. Given those assumptions, run calculations for the first cycleof decomposition. Calculate:
A-How much of each plant carbon pool is decomposed?
B-How much biomass of each group of microorganisms isproduced?
C-.Is any nitrogen mineralized? If so, how much?