26. My point is as follows: See that plane flying above? Is it dead or
alive? The answer is "yes". See that fallen or standing symplastless
tree? Is it alive or dead? Again, "yes". In contrast, a symplastless tree
or log includes a considerable number of living cells, as much 35% of the
biomass may be live fungal cells (Franklin, Shugart and Harmon, 1987, pg
551). I.e., internally. KEY WORD "BIOMASS"

27. We have no word for a substance that is both living and dead - wood,
soil (Shigo, 1999, #214 pg 34).

28. Trees connect living and dead cells in ways so that the dead parts
still benefit the entire tree (SHIGO, 1999).

29. Here are some points regarding this topic. Surely there is much more.

30. We document that a large symplastless tree is not a wasted resource;
indeed, it continues to function as an important part of a terrestrial or
water system, either while remaining on the site at which it once grew, or
by becoming a structural part of an aquatic or marine habitat. We aim to
help anyone interested in perpetual forest productivity to understand the
importance of large, symplastless woody debris. The book develops certain
principles and ideas in sequence from the forest to the sea (Maser, Tarrant,
Trappe and Franklin, 1988).

31. Fallen trees harbor a myriad of organisms, from bacteria and
actinomycetes to higher fungi. Of these, only some of the fungi might be
noticed by the causal observer as mushrooms or bracket fungi. These
structures, however, are merely the fruiting bodies produced by mold
colonies within the log. Many fungi fruit within the fallen tree, so they
are seen only when the tree is torn apart. Even when a fallen tree is torn
apart, only a fraction of the fungi present are noticed because the fruiting
bodies of most appear only for a small portion of the year. The smaller
organisms, not visible to the unaided eye, are still important components of
the system (Maser and Trappe, 1984, pg16-par 5).

32. The flow of plant and animal populations, air, water, and essential
elements between a fallen tree and its surroundings increases as
decomposition continues (Maser and Trappe, 1984, pg 12).

33. Fallen trees offer multitudes of both external and internal habitats
that change and yet persist through the decades. One needs an understanding
of the synergistic affects of constant small changes within a persistent
large structure to appreciate the dynamics of a fallen tree and its function
in an ecosystem (Maser and Trappe, 1984, pg 17-par 1).

34. The so called symplastless, still standing, tree still continues to
serve several natural functions important to many groups of organisms of the
once fertile forest or tree system.

35. Eventually the tree falls: the wood is in contact with the soil, again
providing another unique ecological situation. Some species such as American
chestnut would have served ecological system survival duties for 50 years or
more (SHIGO, 1969).

36. As fallen trees progress from decay class I to class II, the scavengers
are replaced by competitors with the enzyme systems needed to decompose the
more complex compounds in wood. The fungi involved in this activity are
often mutually antagonistic, so that a given part of the tree may be
occupied by only one fungus that excludes others by physical or chemical
means (Maser and Trappe, 1984). (We call this altered area a niche)

37. Bacteria are very small. They do big things (Shigo, 1999, #216 pg34)

38. Free-living bacteria in woody residues and soil wood fix 30-60% of the
nitrogen in the forest soil. In addition, 20% of soil nitrogen is stored in
these components (Harvey et al. 1987). Harmon et al. (1986) reported that
CWD accounted for as much as 45% of aboveground stores of organic matter.
Symplastless wood in terrestrial ecosystems is a primary location for fungal
colonization and often acts as refugia for mycorrhizal fungi during
ecosystem disturbance (Triska and Cromack 1979; Harmon et al. 1986; Caza
1993) (Voller and Harrison, 1998).

39. Franklin, et. al. (1987) pg 551 states - With the large array of
organisms present in the decaying log, it may be more "alive" than a living
bole. In addition to being the habitat of decomposer organisms,
symplastless trees provide critical habitat for sheltering and feeding a
variety of animal species.

40. Conclusion: What purpose and need is there that biomass be classified
as dead? Although the symplast may have died completely, the structure
still continues, most of the time as a biomass. To claim to be removing
just "dead" "non-functional" mass during logging operations, is based on
false premise, i.e., that the biomass is dead. Symplastless and symplast
containing trees are linked together in the living machinery of a forest
(Maser, Tarrant, Trappe and Franklin, 1988).
----- Original Message -----
From: "john_pulgarin" <japulga0@...>
To: <dead_wood@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 4:58 PM
Subject: [dead_wood] the meaning of dead wood


> Dear All,
>
> Where can I find some info in decomposed wood?, when it is cataloged
> as dead or live wood?
> What is the difference between xylophagous and saproxylophagous
> organism? Or What is the meaning of "dead wood"?
>
> Regards,
>
> John Alexander Pulgarín
> Museo Entomológico
> Francisco Luis Gallego
> Universidad nacional de Colombia
> Medellín
>
>
>
>
>
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