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Disentangling drivers of leaf litter decomposition using a synthetic community approach by Joachim Lopez -
Vendredi 21 août 2026 à 16h00 - Salle Océan - Bâtiment de Serres - Croix du Sud, 2 - 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Tree species as ecosystem engineers: shaping decomposition and carbon storage in forest soils.
Forest soils store vast amounts of carbon, but the pathways leading to this storage are strongly influenced by the trees growing above them. In this PhD, I explored how tree species and forest composition affect leaf litter decomposition, above-belowground interactions and topsoil carbon stocks.
By studying mature forest communities from around the world growing under the same climate and soil conditions in the Arboretum of Tervuren, I showed that tree species create distinct decomposition environments through their litter, canopy structure and effects on the local environment. These differences influence how nutrients are recycled and where carbon is stored in the soil.
The results highlight that tree species identity and functional traits are key drivers of forest ecosystem functioning and should be considered in climate-smart forestry and future forest design.
Jury members :
Prof. Quentin Ponette (UCLouvain) (Supervisor)
Prof. Bart Muys (KULeuven) (Supervisor)
Prof. Karen Vancampenhout (KULeuven) (Supervisor)
Prof. Frédéric Gaspart (UCLouvain) (Chairperson)
Prof. Yannick Agnan (UCLouvain) (Secretary)
Prof. Olivier Honnay (KULeuven)
Prof. Laurent Augusto (INRAE)
Pay attention : the public defense of Joachim Lopez will also take place in the form of a videoconference
