Regulation of Wood Decomposition Rates by Arthropod and Annelid Populations

One of the most important roles of invertebrates in temperate forest ecosystems is the regulation of wood mineralization. Mediated by arthropods and annelid colonization, wood serves alternately as nutrient sink and source, temporally and spatially. Regulation of wood mineralization proceeds via four mechanisms: (1) translocation of nutrients from distant feeding sites and subsequent defecation in wood; (2) passive translocation of microbial cells and spores into wood channels; (3) regulation of microbial assemblage succession, catabolism rates, and nitrogen fixation rates at microsites within channels; and (4) increased cation and anion exchange capacity of wood which results in increased probability of nutrient interception and decreased probability of nutrient loss even during storm events.