The decay models

The Virtual Ecosystem includes two models that capture the decay of organic matter. The litter model is a simple model to capture the initial stages of plant matter decay, and the soil model is a much more complex model that captures the subsequent stages that occur within the soil. These models are not alternative implementations, so for standard runs of the Virtual Ecosystem you will need to include both models in the config file.

Preparing the input data for the decay models

Input data preparation for the litter model is (relatively) straightforward as it only requires array data (the specific variables required can be found in the variables table).

The soil model also requires a large number of array variables (again consult the variables table). However, in this case you also need to provide parametrisation for the soil microbial groups included in the model, as well as the enzymes they produce. These should be provided in a configuration (.toml) file. We provide baseline estimates for these parameters, along with comments describing the source of each estimate.