Don’t drink it, bury it: comparing decomposition rates with the tea bag index is possible without prior leaching
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Don’t drink it, bury it : comparing decomposition rates with the tea bag index is possible without prior leaching. / Blume-Werry, Gesche; Di Maurizio, Vanessa; Beil, Ilka; Lett, Signe; Schwieger, Sarah; Kreyling, Juergen.
In: Plant and Soil, Vol. 465, No. 1-2, 2021, p. 613-621.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Don’t drink it, bury it
T2 - comparing decomposition rates with the tea bag index is possible without prior leaching
AU - Blume-Werry, Gesche
AU - Di Maurizio, Vanessa
AU - Beil, Ilka
AU - Lett, Signe
AU - Schwieger, Sarah
AU - Kreyling, Juergen
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021, The Author(s).
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - Purpose: The standardized ‘Tea Bag Index’ enables comparisons of litter decomposition rates, a key component of carbon cycling, across ecosystems. However, tea ‘litter’ may leach more than other plant litter, skewing comparisons of decomposition rates between sites with differing moisture conditions. Therefore, some researchers leach tea bags before field incubation. This decreases comparability between studies, and it is unclear if this modification is necessary. Methods: We submerged green and rooibos tea bags in water, and measured their leaching losses over time (2 min – 72 h). We also compared leaching of tea to leaf and root litter from other plant species, and finally, compared mass loss of pre-leached and standard tea bags in a fully factorial incubation experiment differing in soil moisture (wet and dry) and soil types (sand and peat). Results: Both green and rooibos tea leached strongly, levelling-off at about 40% and 20% mass loss, respectively. Mass loss from leaching was highest in green tea followed by leaves of other plants, then rooibos tea, and finally roots of other plants. When incubated for 4 weeks, both teas showed lower mass loss when they had been pre-leached compared to standard tea bags. However, these differences between standard and pre-leached tea bags were similar in moist vs. dry soils, both in peat and in sand. Conclusions: Thus, despite large leaching losses, we conclude that leaching tea bags before field or lab incubation is not necessary to compare decomposition rates between systems, ranging from as much as 5% to 25% soil moisture.
AB - Purpose: The standardized ‘Tea Bag Index’ enables comparisons of litter decomposition rates, a key component of carbon cycling, across ecosystems. However, tea ‘litter’ may leach more than other plant litter, skewing comparisons of decomposition rates between sites with differing moisture conditions. Therefore, some researchers leach tea bags before field incubation. This decreases comparability between studies, and it is unclear if this modification is necessary. Methods: We submerged green and rooibos tea bags in water, and measured their leaching losses over time (2 min – 72 h). We also compared leaching of tea to leaf and root litter from other plant species, and finally, compared mass loss of pre-leached and standard tea bags in a fully factorial incubation experiment differing in soil moisture (wet and dry) and soil types (sand and peat). Results: Both green and rooibos tea leached strongly, levelling-off at about 40% and 20% mass loss, respectively. Mass loss from leaching was highest in green tea followed by leaves of other plants, then rooibos tea, and finally roots of other plants. When incubated for 4 weeks, both teas showed lower mass loss when they had been pre-leached compared to standard tea bags. However, these differences between standard and pre-leached tea bags were similar in moist vs. dry soils, both in peat and in sand. Conclusions: Thus, despite large leaching losses, we conclude that leaching tea bags before field or lab incubation is not necessary to compare decomposition rates between systems, ranging from as much as 5% to 25% soil moisture.
KW - Decomposition rates
KW - Early-stage decomposition
KW - Leaching
KW - Soil moisture
KW - Tea bag index
KW - Teabags
U2 - 10.1007/s11104-021-04968-z
DO - 10.1007/s11104-021-04968-z
M3 - Journal article
AN - SCOPUS:85105429249
VL - 465
SP - 613
EP - 621
JO - Plant and Soil
JF - Plant and Soil
SN - 0032-079X
IS - 1-2
ER -
ID: 272062435