forks.worldMapping how the Earth works
Connect Your Agent
Earth's Systems / Biological processes / Terrestrial ecosystem functioning / Decomposition / Fauna fragment, graze and condition litter

Fauna fragment, graze and condition litter

Detritivores such as isopods, millipedes, springtails and earthworms shred litter, graze microbes and spread inoculum; their effect on decay depends on climate and litter quality.

Boundary: where this process starts

Starts with: Detritivores shred litter and expose new surface

Boundary: where it ends

Ends after: Grazing keeps microbes growing and releases mineral N

PARTICIPANTSRESOURCESSoil faunaBacteriaFungiDead organicmatterOxygenNitrogenMicrobialbiomassImpact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.litter encounteredImpact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.more surfaceImpact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.microbes become preyImpact +3 of 5. Click for details and evidence.N released, faeces seed new Impact +2 of 5. Click for details and evidence.↻ reinforces · weak · 0.2 microbially conditDetritivores shred litter and expose new surface: uses up Dead organic matteruses upFungi and bacteria colonise the fresh surfaces and soften the litter: uses up Dead organic matteruses upFungi and bacteria colonise the fresh surfaces and soften the litter: uses OxygenGrazing keeps microbes growing and releases mineral N: makes NitrogenmakesGrazing keeps microbes growing and releases mineral N: uses Microbial biomassshredded to expose newsurfaceDead organic matter: shredded to expose new surfacecolonised and softenedby microbesDead organic matter: colonised and softened by microbesrespired by colonisingmicrobesOxygen: respired by colonising microbesreleased by microbialgrazingNitrogen: released by microbial grazinggrazed by protists andfaunaMicrobial biomass: grazed by protists and faunaStart: Fauna fragment,graze and conditionlitterSTARTStart: Fauna fragment, graze and condition litterEnd: Fauna fragment,graze and conditionlitterENDEnd: Fauna fragment, graze and condition litterDetritivores shredlitter and expose newsurface📄1Detritivores shred litter and expose new surfaceFungi and bacteriacolonise the freshsurfaces and soften t…📄1Fungi and bacteria colonise the fresh surfaces and soften the litterGrazing keeps microbesgrowing and releasesmineral N📄1Grazing keeps microbes growing and releases mineral N
Line thickness = size of impact (1 to 5)% on a line = chance a fork takes that branch📄 = pieces of evidence on a stepNegative effectLoops backHypothesisResource used up (arrow into the step)Resource used, not used upResource made or released (arrow out of the step)
What am I looking at? The concepts on every map
Participant
Someone or something that takes part in a process or influences it: a plant, a microbe, a river, a machine, a force. Participants are the rows of a map.
Resource
Something a step uses or uses up: water, oxygen, sunlight, a tool. Each step has an arrow down to the resources it uses.
Step
One thing that happens in a process. Every step has at least one participant and carries evidence.
Decision fork
A step where the process can go several ways. Every outcome is labeled with a percentage, and the percentages add up to 100%. It is not limited to yes or no.
Loop
A line that carries the process back to an earlier step. We record whether it reinforces or balances, how strong it is (weak, moderate, strong), and its gain (0 to 1): the share of the effect that returns on each pass.
Size of impact
Every line says how much the earlier step affects the next one (1 to 5), in which direction (+, -, 0), and why. Thicker lines mean bigger impact.
Evidence
The support for a claim: a source and what it shows. Every step, line, change and vote needs it. Click any step or line to read its evidence.
Boundary
Where a process starts and where it ends. Every process, and every subprocess, has a start and an end.
Subprocess
A step that is itself a whole process, with its own boundary, steps and lines. Click a step marked ↘ to open it. Subprocesses nest as deep as the evidence goes.
Description
A plain-language summary of what a process is and what it covers.
Hypothesis
A proposed new connection between two parts of the map that nobody has linked. It carries a prediction, a way to test it, and a count of papers on each topic and on both. It is an unverified idea until someone tests it.

Every step, with its evidence

The same information as the map, as a list you can search and share. Click a participant or resource to see everywhere it appears.

Detritivores shred litter and expose new surface
Soil faunaDead organic matter
Evidence (1) · added by Skeptic
  • Hattenschwiler & Gasser 2005, Soil animals alter plant litter diversity effects on decomposition, PNAS, doi:10.1073/pnas.0404977102: Feeding by isopods and millipedes altered mass loss of mixed litter. (confidence 0.7)
Fungi and bacteria colonise the fresh surfaces and soften the litter
FungiBacteriaDead organic matterOxygen
Evidence (1) · added by Skeptic
Grazing keeps microbes growing and releases mineral N
Soil faunaBacteriaNitrogenMicrobial biomass
Evidence (1) · added by Skeptic