Reading tea leaves worldwide: decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass‐loss rate and stabilization

Judith M. Sarneel; Mariet M. Hefting; Taru Sandén; Johan van den Hoogen; Devin Routh; Bhupendra S. Adhikari; Juha M. Alatalo; Alla Aleksanyan; Inge H. J. Althuizen; Mohammed H. S. A. Alsafran; Jeff W. Atkins; Laurent Augusto; Mika Aurela; Aleksej V. Azarov; Isabel C. Barrio; Claus Beier; María D. Bejarano; Sue E. Benham; Björn Berg; Nadezhda V. Bezler; Katrín Björnsdóttir; Martin A. Bolinder; Michele Carbognani; Roberto Cazzolla Gatti; Stefano Chelli; Maxim V. Chistotin; Casper T. Christiansen; Pascal Courtois; Thomas W. Crowther; Michele S. Dechoum; Ika Djukic; Sarah Duddigan; Louise M. Egerton‐Warburton; Nicolas Fanin; Maria Fantappiè; Silvano Fares; Geraldo W. Fernandes; Nina V. Filippova; Andreas Fliessbach; David Fuentes; Roberto Godoy; Thomas Grünwald; Gema Guzmán; Joseph Hawes; Yue He; Jean‐Marc Hero; Laura L. Hess; Katja Hogendoorn; Toke T. Høye; Wilma W. P. Jans; Ingibjörg S. Jónsdóttir; Sabina Keller; Sebastian Kepfer‐Rojas; Natalya N. Kuz'menko; Klaus S. Larsen; Hjalmar Laudon; Jonas J. Lembrechts; Junhui Li; Jean‐Marc Limousin; Sergey M. Lukin; Renato Marques; César Marín; Marshall D. McDaniel; Qi Meek; Genrietta E. Merzlaya; Anders Michelsen; Leonardo Montagnani; Peter Mueller; Rajasekaran Murugan; Isla H. Myers‐Smith; Stefanie Nolte; Raúl Ochoa‐Hueso; Bernard N. Okafor; Vladimir V. Okorkov; Vladimir G. Onipchenko; María C. Orozco; Tina Parkhurst; Carlos A. Peres; Matteo Petit Bon; Alessandro Petraglia; Martin Pingel; Corinna Rebmann; Brett R. Scheffers; Inger Schmidt; Mary C. Scholes; Efrat Sheffer; Lyudmila K. Shevtsova; Stuart W. Smith; Adriano Sofo; Pablo R. Stevenson; Barbora Strouhalová; Anders Sundsdal; Rafael B. Sühs; Gebretsadik Tamene; Haydn J. D. Thomas; Duygu Tolunay; Marcello Tomaselli; Simon Tresch; Dominique L. Tucker; Michael D. Ulyshen; Alejandro Valdecantos; Vigdis Vandvik; Elena I. Vanguelova; Kris Verheyen; Xuhui Wang; Laura Yahdjian; Xaris S. Yumashev; Joost A. Keuskamp

doi:10.1111/ele.14415

Reading tea leaves worldwide: decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass‐loss rate and stabilization

Judith M. Sarneel
, Mariet M. Hefting
, Taru Sandén
, Johan van den Hoogen
, Devin Routh
, Bhupendra S. Adhikari
, Juha M. Alatalo
, Alla Aleksanyan
, Inge H. J. Althuizen
, Mohammed H. S. A. Alsafran
, Jeff W. Atkins
, Laurent Augusto
, Mika Aurela
, Aleksej V. Azarov
, Isabel C. Barrio
, Claus Beier
, María D. Bejarano
, Sue E. Benham
, Björn Berg
, Nadezhda V. Bezler

Katrín Björnsdóttir, Martin A. Bolinder, Michele Carbognani, Roberto Cazzolla Gatti, Stefano Chelli, Maxim V. Chistotin, Casper T. Christiansen, Pascal Courtois, Thomas W. Crowther, Michele S. Dechoum, Ika Djukic, Sarah Duddigan, Louise M. Egerton‐Warburton, Nicolas Fanin, Maria Fantappiè, Silvano Fares, Geraldo W. Fernandes, Nina V. Filippova, Andreas Fliessbach, David Fuentes, Roberto Godoy, Thomas Grünwald, Gema Guzmán, Joseph Hawes, Yue He, Jean‐Marc Hero, Laura L. Hess, Katja Hogendoorn, Toke T. Høye, Wilma W. P. Jans, Ingibjörg S. Jónsdóttir, Sabina Keller, Sebastian Kepfer‐Rojas, Natalya N. Kuz'menko, Klaus S. Larsen, Hjalmar Laudon, Jonas J. Lembrechts, Junhui Li, Jean‐Marc Limousin, Sergey M. Lukin, Renato Marques, César Marín, Marshall D. McDaniel, Qi Meek, Genrietta E. Merzlaya, Anders Michelsen, Leonardo Montagnani, Peter Mueller, Rajasekaran Murugan, Isla H. Myers‐Smith, Stefanie Nolte, Raúl Ochoa‐Hueso, Bernard N. Okafor, Vladimir V. Okorkov, Vladimir G. Onipchenko, María C. Orozco, Tina Parkhurst, Carlos A. Peres, Matteo Petit Bon, Alessandro Petraglia, Martin Pingel, Corinna Rebmann, Brett R. Scheffers, Inger Schmidt, Mary C. Scholes, Efrat Sheffer, Lyudmila K. Shevtsova, Stuart W. Smith, Adriano Sofo, Pablo R. Stevenson, Barbora Strouhalová, Anders Sundsdal, Rafael B. Sühs, Gebretsadik Tamene, Haydn J. D. Thomas, Duygu Tolunay, Marcello Tomaselli, Simon Tresch, Dominique L. Tucker, Michael D. Ulyshen, Alejandro Valdecantos, Vigdis Vandvik, Elena I. Vanguelova, Kris Verheyen, Xuhui Wang, Laura Yahdjian, Xaris S. Yumashev, Joost A. Keuskamp

University of Cumbria

Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal Article › peer-review

Abstract

The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large‐scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization factors of plant‐derived carbon, using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). The stabilization factor quantifies the degree to which easy‐to‐degrade components accumulate during early‐stage decomposition (e.g. by environmental limitations). However, agriculture and an interaction between moisture and temperature led to a decoupling between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization, notably in colder locations. Using TBI improved mass‐loss estimates of natural litter compared to models that ignored stabilization. Ignoring the transformation of dead plant material to more recalcitrant substances during early‐stage decomposition, and the environmental control of this transformation, could overestimate carbon losses during early decomposition in carbon cycle models.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	e14415
Journal	Ecology Letters
Volume	27
Early online date	7 May 2024
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14415
Publication status	Published online - 7 May 2024

Keywords

stabilization
litter decomposition
soil organic matter formation
citizen science
environmental drivers
tea bag index
global change
mass loss

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https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14415

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Sarneel, J. M., Hefting, M. M., Sandén, T., van den Hoogen, J., Routh, D., Adhikari, B. S., Alatalo, J. M., Aleksanyan, A., Althuizen, I. H. J., Alsafran, M. H. S. A., Atkins, J. W., Augusto, L., Aurela, M., Azarov, A. V., Barrio, I. C., Beier, C., Bejarano, M. D., Benham, S. E., Berg, B., ... Keuskamp, J. A. (2024). Reading tea leaves worldwide: decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass‐loss rate and stabilization. Ecology Letters, 27, e14415. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14415

@article{062cd246c2ae446ea581e28f6c40a8cc,

title = "Reading tea leaves worldwide: decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass‐loss rate and stabilization",

abstract = "The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large‐scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization factors of plant‐derived carbon, using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). The stabilization factor quantifies the degree to which easy‐to‐degrade components accumulate during early‐stage decomposition (e.g. by environmental limitations). However, agriculture and an interaction between moisture and temperature led to a decoupling between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization, notably in colder locations. Using TBI improved mass‐loss estimates of natural litter compared to models that ignored stabilization. Ignoring the transformation of dead plant material to more recalcitrant substances during early‐stage decomposition, and the environmental control of this transformation, could overestimate carbon losses during early decomposition in carbon cycle models.",

keywords = "stabilization, litter decomposition, soil organic matter formation, citizen science, environmental drivers, tea bag index, global change, mass loss",

author = "Sarneel, \{Judith M.\} and Hefting, \{Mariet M.\} and Taru Sand{\'e}n and \{van den Hoogen\}, Johan and Devin Routh and Adhikari, \{Bhupendra S.\} and Alatalo, \{Juha M.\} and Alla Aleksanyan and Althuizen, \{Inge H. J.\} and Alsafran, \{Mohammed H. S. A.\} and Atkins, \{Jeff W.\} and Laurent Augusto and Mika Aurela and Azarov, \{Aleksej V.\} and Barrio, \{Isabel C.\} and Claus Beier and Bejarano, \{Mar{\'i}a D.\} and Benham, \{Sue E.\} and Bj{\"o}rn Berg and Bezler, \{Nadezhda V.\} and Katr{\'i}n Bj{\"o}rnsd{\'o}ttir and Bolinder, \{Martin A.\} and Michele Carbognani and Roberto Cazzolla Gatti and Stefano Chelli and Chistotin, \{Maxim V.\} and Christiansen, \{Casper T.\} and Pascal Courtois and Crowther, \{Thomas W.\} and Dechoum, \{Michele S.\} and Ika Djukic and Sarah Duddigan and Egerton‐Warburton, \{Louise M.\} and Nicolas Fanin and Maria Fantappi{\`e} and Silvano Fares and Fernandes, \{Geraldo W.\} and Filippova, \{Nina V.\} and Andreas Fliessbach and David Fuentes and Roberto Godoy and Thomas Gr{\"u}nwald and Gema Guzm{\'a}n and Joseph Hawes and Yue He and Jean‐Marc Hero and Hess, \{Laura L.\} and Katja Hogendoorn and H{\o}ye, \{Toke T.\} and Jans, \{Wilma W. P.\} and J{\'o}nsd{\'o}ttir, \{Ingibj{\"o}rg S.\} and Sabina Keller and Sebastian Kepfer‐Rojas and Kuz'menko, \{Natalya N.\} and Larsen, \{Klaus S.\} and Hjalmar Laudon and Lembrechts, \{Jonas J.\} and Junhui Li and Jean‐Marc Limousin and Lukin, \{Sergey M.\} and Renato Marques and C{\'e}sar Mar{\'i}n and McDaniel, \{Marshall D.\} and Qi Meek and Merzlaya, \{Genrietta E.\} and Anders Michelsen and Leonardo Montagnani and Peter Mueller and Rajasekaran Murugan and Myers‐Smith, \{Isla H.\} and Stefanie Nolte and Ra{\'u}l Ochoa‐Hueso and Okafor, \{Bernard N.\} and Okorkov, \{Vladimir V.\} and Onipchenko, \{Vladimir G.\} and Orozco, \{Mar{\'i}a C.\} and Tina Parkhurst and Peres, \{Carlos A.\} and Matteo Petit Bon and Alessandro Petraglia and Martin Pingel and Corinna Rebmann and Scheffers, \{Brett R.\} and Inger Schmidt and Scholes, \{Mary C.\} and Efrat Sheffer and Shevtsova, \{Lyudmila K.\} and Smith, \{Stuart W.\} and Adriano Sofo and Stevenson, \{Pablo R.\} and Barbora Strouhalov{\'a} and Anders Sundsdal and S{\"u}hs, \{Rafael B.\} and Gebretsadik Tamene and Thomas, \{Haydn J. D.\} and Duygu Tolunay and Marcello Tomaselli and Simon Tresch and Tucker, \{Dominique L.\} and Ulyshen, \{Michael D.\} and Alejandro Valdecantos and Vigdis Vandvik and Vanguelova, \{Elena I.\} and Kris Verheyen and Xuhui Wang and Laura Yahdjian and Yumashev, \{Xaris S.\} and Keuskamp, \{Joost A.\}",

note = "Joseph E. Hawes, Lecturer in Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Science and Environment, University of Cumbria, UK. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.",

year = "2024",

month = may,

day = "7",

doi = "10.1111/ele.14415",

language = "English",

volume = "27",

pages = "e14415",

journal = "Ecology Letters",

issn = "1461-023X",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd",

}

Sarneel, JM, Hefting, MM, Sandén, T, van den Hoogen, J, Routh, D, Adhikari, BS, Alatalo, JM, Aleksanyan, A, Althuizen, IHJ, Alsafran, MHSA, Atkins, JW, Augusto, L, Aurela, M, Azarov, AV, Barrio, IC, Beier, C, Bejarano, MD, Benham, SE, Berg, B, Bezler, NV, Björnsdóttir, K, Bolinder, MA, Carbognani, M, Cazzolla Gatti, R, Chelli, S, Chistotin, MV, Christiansen, CT, Courtois, P, Crowther, TW, Dechoum, MS, Djukic, I, Duddigan, S, Egerton‐Warburton, LM, Fanin, N, Fantappiè, M, Fares, S, Fernandes, GW, Filippova, NV, Fliessbach, A, Fuentes, D, Godoy, R, Grünwald, T, Guzmán, G, Hawes, J, He, Y, Hero, JM, Hess, LL, Hogendoorn, K, Høye, TT, Jans, WWP, Jónsdóttir, IS, Keller, S, Kepfer‐Rojas, S, Kuz'menko, NN, Larsen, KS, Laudon, H, Lembrechts, JJ, Li, J, Limousin, JM, Lukin, SM, Marques, R, Marín, C, McDaniel, MD, Meek, Q, Merzlaya, GE, Michelsen, A, Montagnani, L, Mueller, P, Murugan, R, Myers‐Smith, IH, Nolte, S, Ochoa‐Hueso, R, Okafor, BN, Okorkov, VV, Onipchenko, VG, Orozco, MC, Parkhurst, T, Peres, CA, Petit Bon, M, Petraglia, A, Pingel, M, Rebmann, C, Scheffers, BR, Schmidt, I, Scholes, MC, Sheffer, E, Shevtsova, LK, Smith, SW, Sofo, A, Stevenson, PR, Strouhalová, B, Sundsdal, A, Sühs, RB, Tamene, G, Thomas, HJD, Tolunay, D, Tomaselli, M, Tresch, S, Tucker, DL, Ulyshen, MD, Valdecantos, A, Vandvik, V, Vanguelova, EI, Verheyen, K, Wang, X, Yahdjian, L, Yumashev, XS & Keuskamp, JA 2024, 'Reading tea leaves worldwide: decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass‐loss rate and stabilization', Ecology Letters, vol. 27, pp. e14415. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14415

TY - JOUR

T1 - Reading tea leaves worldwide: decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass‐loss rate and stabilization

AU - Sarneel, Judith M.

AU - Hefting, Mariet M.

AU - Sandén, Taru

AU - van den Hoogen, Johan

AU - Routh, Devin

AU - Adhikari, Bhupendra S.

AU - Alatalo, Juha M.

AU - Aleksanyan, Alla

AU - Althuizen, Inge H. J.

AU - Alsafran, Mohammed H. S. A.

AU - Atkins, Jeff W.

AU - Augusto, Laurent

AU - Aurela, Mika

AU - Azarov, Aleksej V.

AU - Barrio, Isabel C.

AU - Beier, Claus

AU - Bejarano, María D.

AU - Benham, Sue E.

AU - Berg, Björn

AU - Bezler, Nadezhda V.

AU - Björnsdóttir, Katrín

AU - Bolinder, Martin A.

AU - Carbognani, Michele

AU - Cazzolla Gatti, Roberto

AU - Chelli, Stefano

AU - Chistotin, Maxim V.

AU - Christiansen, Casper T.

AU - Courtois, Pascal

AU - Crowther, Thomas W.

AU - Dechoum, Michele S.

AU - Djukic, Ika

AU - Duddigan, Sarah

AU - Egerton‐Warburton, Louise M.

AU - Fanin, Nicolas

AU - Fantappiè, Maria

AU - Fares, Silvano

AU - Fernandes, Geraldo W.

AU - Filippova, Nina V.

AU - Fliessbach, Andreas

AU - Fuentes, David

AU - Godoy, Roberto

AU - Grünwald, Thomas

AU - Guzmán, Gema

AU - Hawes, Joseph

AU - He, Yue

AU - Hero, Jean‐Marc

AU - Hess, Laura L.

AU - Hogendoorn, Katja

AU - Høye, Toke T.

AU - Jans, Wilma W. P.

AU - Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg S.

AU - Keller, Sabina

AU - Kepfer‐Rojas, Sebastian

AU - Kuz'menko, Natalya N.

AU - Larsen, Klaus S.

AU - Laudon, Hjalmar

AU - Lembrechts, Jonas J.

AU - Li, Junhui

AU - Limousin, Jean‐Marc

AU - Lukin, Sergey M.

AU - Marques, Renato

AU - Marín, César

AU - McDaniel, Marshall D.

AU - Meek, Qi

AU - Merzlaya, Genrietta E.

AU - Michelsen, Anders

AU - Montagnani, Leonardo

AU - Mueller, Peter

AU - Murugan, Rajasekaran

AU - Myers‐Smith, Isla H.

AU - Nolte, Stefanie

AU - Ochoa‐Hueso, Raúl

AU - Okafor, Bernard N.

AU - Okorkov, Vladimir V.

AU - Onipchenko, Vladimir G.

AU - Orozco, María C.

AU - Parkhurst, Tina

AU - Peres, Carlos A.

AU - Petit Bon, Matteo

AU - Petraglia, Alessandro

AU - Pingel, Martin

AU - Rebmann, Corinna

AU - Scheffers, Brett R.

AU - Schmidt, Inger

AU - Scholes, Mary C.

AU - Sheffer, Efrat

AU - Shevtsova, Lyudmila K.

AU - Smith, Stuart W.

AU - Sofo, Adriano

AU - Stevenson, Pablo R.

AU - Strouhalová, Barbora

AU - Sundsdal, Anders

AU - Sühs, Rafael B.

AU - Tamene, Gebretsadik

AU - Thomas, Haydn J. D.

AU - Tolunay, Duygu

AU - Tomaselli, Marcello

AU - Tresch, Simon

AU - Tucker, Dominique L.

AU - Ulyshen, Michael D.

AU - Valdecantos, Alejandro

AU - Vandvik, Vigdis

AU - Vanguelova, Elena I.

AU - Verheyen, Kris

AU - Wang, Xuhui

AU - Yahdjian, Laura

AU - Yumashev, Xaris S.

AU - Keuskamp, Joost A.

N1 - Joseph E. Hawes, Lecturer in Ecology and Conservation, Institute of Science and Environment, University of Cumbria, UK. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

PY - 2024/5/7

Y1 - 2024/5/7

N2 - The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large‐scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization factors of plant‐derived carbon, using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). The stabilization factor quantifies the degree to which easy‐to‐degrade components accumulate during early‐stage decomposition (e.g. by environmental limitations). However, agriculture and an interaction between moisture and temperature led to a decoupling between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization, notably in colder locations. Using TBI improved mass‐loss estimates of natural litter compared to models that ignored stabilization. Ignoring the transformation of dead plant material to more recalcitrant substances during early‐stage decomposition, and the environmental control of this transformation, could overestimate carbon losses during early decomposition in carbon cycle models.

AB - The breakdown of plant material fuels soil functioning and biodiversity. Currently, process understanding of global decomposition patterns and the drivers of such patterns are hampered by the lack of coherent large‐scale datasets. We buried 36,000 individual litterbags (tea bags) worldwide and found an overall negative correlation between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization factors of plant‐derived carbon, using the Tea Bag Index (TBI). The stabilization factor quantifies the degree to which easy‐to‐degrade components accumulate during early‐stage decomposition (e.g. by environmental limitations). However, agriculture and an interaction between moisture and temperature led to a decoupling between initial mass‐loss rates and stabilization, notably in colder locations. Using TBI improved mass‐loss estimates of natural litter compared to models that ignored stabilization. Ignoring the transformation of dead plant material to more recalcitrant substances during early‐stage decomposition, and the environmental control of this transformation, could overestimate carbon losses during early decomposition in carbon cycle models.

KW - stabilization

KW - litter decomposition

KW - soil organic matter formation

KW - citizen science

KW - environmental drivers

KW - tea bag index

KW - global change

KW - mass loss

U2 - 10.1111/ele.14415

DO - 10.1111/ele.14415

M3 - Journal Article

SN - 1461-023X

VL - 27

SP - e14415

JO - Ecology Letters

JF - Ecology Letters

ER -

Reading tea leaves worldwide: decoupled drivers of initial litter decomposition mass‐loss rate and stabilization

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