Estimating foliar organic matter input into mangrove sediments using green tea bags
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25268/bimc.invemar.2025.54.1.1323Keywords:
Decomposition, Plant organic matter, Recalcitrant organic matter, carbon sequestration, Semi-arid zones, ColombiaAbstract
Leaf litter decomposition transfers carbon to sediments in mangroves. The “tea bag method”, proposes to study decomposition using a standard substrate, but it has not been yet implemented in Colombia. Here, an adaptation is presented using green tea from a local brand to estimate the mass remaining after 90 and 180 days in a mangrove area (Rincón del Mar, Sucre). A total of 192 bags were buried within a 165 ha-patch, arranged in a spatially nested design (10 ha, 16 m2, 1 m2 and 150 cm2), and retrieved after 90 days. In a paired experiment aimed to measure mass remaining after 90 and 180 days, 48 bags were buried in the center of each 1 m2-block. The mass remaining after 90 days was 63.6% (standard deviation: 11.8%). No significant difference was observed at the first level of nestedness, but significant variability was observed within the finer levels. The mass remaining at 180 days was significantly lower (49%). This study demonstrates the usefulness of the method as a proxy of the input of organic carbon into mangrove sediments.
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