Abstract:

Litter decomposition is a crucial process in the cycling of ecosystem elements. Enzymes of forest litter and soil play an important role in the process of litter decomposition. This paper summarized the method of determining enzyme activities and influencing factors in the process of litter decomposition. Some important results in the studies included: Developed extractive technique can quantify enzyme content and precisely determine it's activities; Enzyme activity influenced by biotic and abiotic factors and also influenced by it's chemical structure; Microorganism community is a crucial biotic factor, SOM(soil organic material), temperature and moisture are all important abiotic factors that could affect enzyme activity; In the future, studies will be concentrated on interactional mechanism between litter decomposition and enzyme system in the process of litter decomposition.

Key words: litter decomposition, enzyme activity, advance