Increased Atmospheric CO 2 and Litter Quality: Decomposition of Sweet Chestnut Leaf Litter with Animal Food Webs of Different Complexities

In the experiment reported here, chesnut trees were grown in elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations; the structure and the chemistry of the plant material were highly modified. The experiment was set up to determine (1) the effects of the modifications of the litter quality, and (2) the influence of interacting groups of soil fauna on the mineralization and leaching of carbon and nitrogen.