Decomposition and nutrient cycling in Juniperus ashei mulch

Due to long-term ranching, savannahs of the Edwards Plateau of central Texas are plagued by woody species encroachment.  The primary culprit is the invasive, native shrub Juniperus ashei.  Management of the species is a primary concern of local landowners and removal, combined with mulching, has emerged as an environmentally-friendly management method.  Our goals were to 1). monitor mulch decomposition through time as a function of C:N ratios and environment and 2). identify the wood-decay fungal community involved in the decomposition process by PCR/sequencing.  Biomass loss over the past 26 months indicates that seasonal effects, in particular precipitation and temperature, are strong determinants of the rate of decomposition. In addition, the C:N ratio is largely dependent upon these same environmental variables.  In general, the rate of decomposition increases when precipitation levels are higher and the C:N ratio is lower. Attempts to characterize the microbial wood-decay community are ongoing, pending the optimization of DNA extraction techniques and PCR amplification.