Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Litter decomposition is usually modeled with the negative exponential model, which assumes constant proportional mass loss. We assessed this assumption and its interpretive consequences using 145 stream litter mass loss time series and process‐based simulations. Relatively simple (two to three parameters) models allowing time‐varying decay rates produced more accurate predictions and were generally more parsimonious. Decomposition trajectories strongly deviated from constant decay for at least 50% of the time series, with the shape influenced by the degree of decomposition covered by a time series. Finally, simulations and empirical evidence suggested that the degree of decomposition covered can interact with time‐varying decay rates and leachability to bias estimates of breakdown rates ( k ) from negative exponential models, obfuscating comparisons within and across studies. Considering alternative models could accelerate understanding and prediction of litter decomposition dynamics by enabling investigation of time‐explicit decomposition dynamics and more precise modeling when warranted.
DOI: 10.1002/lol2.70029
Institutions: Baylor University, Trinity College Dublin, Gettysburg College, Umeå University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier, Institut National Polytechnique de Toulouse, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Centre de Recherche sur la Biodiversité et l'Environnement, Université de Toulouse, University of Louisville, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Universitat de Girona
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,700
OpenAlex ID: W4410714894