Changing resources: assessment of leaf litter carbohydrate resource change at a microbial scale of resolution

Studies of chemical changes in leaf litter resources during decomposition have relied upon bulk litter analysis using wet chemistry. We introduce, here, the use of microscopic Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR) to evaluate changes in the carbohydrate chemistry of leaf litters at the scale of resolution relevant to the study of microbes (μm) and the use of sequential, non-destructive sampling of the same point. We demonstrate some of the discriminatory power of the method and follow the effect of enzymatic degradation of leaf material which reflects changes in carbohydrate chemistry during natural decomposition and in the presence of a saprotrophic fungus.