Climate Effects on Belowground Tea Litter Decomposition Depend on Ecosystem and Organic Matter Types in Global Wetlands

Patchy global data on belowground litter decomposition dynamics limit our capacity to discern the drivers of carbon preservation and storage across inland and coastal wetlands. We performed a global, multiyear study in over 180 wetlands across 28 countries and 8 macroclimates using standardized litter as measures of "recalcitrant" (rooibos tea) and "labile" (green tea) organic matter (OM) decomposition. Freshwater wetlands and tidal marshes had the highest tea mass remaining, indicating a greater potential for carbon preservation in these ecosystems. Recalcitrant OM decomposition increased with elevated temperatures throughout the decay period, e.g., increase from 10 to 20 °C corresponded to a 1.46-fold increase in the recalcitrant OM decay rate constant. The effect of elevated temperature on labile OM breakdown was ecosystem-dependent, with tidally influenced wetlands showing limited effects of temperature compared with freshwater wetlands. Based on climatic projections, by 2050 wetland decay constants will increase by 1.8% for labile and 3.1% for recalcitrant OM. Our study highlights the potential for reduction in belowground OM in coastal and inland wetlands under increased warming, but the extent and direction of this effect at a large scale is dependent on ecosystem and OM characteristics. Understanding local versus global drivers is necessary to resolve ecosystem influences on carbon preservation in wetlands.

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Publication Details

Journal
Environmental Science & Technology
Published
2024-11-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.4c02116
Citations
13
Primary Topic
Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
5.97

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article

Climate Effects on Belowground Tea Litter Decomposition Depend on Ecosystem and Organic Matter Types in Global Wetlands

Sparkle L. Malone, Jennifer L. Bowen, André T. C. Dias, Danielle Whitlock et al.
13 citations
Environmental Science & Technology
Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
5.97
article

Climate Effects on Belowground Tea Litter Decomposition Depend on Ecosystem and Organic Matter Types in Global Wetlands

Sparkle L. Malone, Jennifer L. Bowen, André T. C. Dias, Danielle Whitlock, Laura K. Reynolds, Bjorn J. M. Robroek, Thomas J. Mozdzer, Adriano Caliman, Shin-Cheng Yeh, José Gilberto Cardoso‐Mohedano, John A. Berges, Monika Domańska, Juan C. Benavides, Andrew J. Pinsonneault, Daniel Jerónimo, Anchana Prathep, Elise Pendall, Anderson da Rocha Gripp, Junbin Zhao, Aurora M. Ricart, Karine Gagnon, V. Strickland, Peter Ian Macreadie, Kristin I. Jinks, Martino E. Malerba, Jonathan Sanderman, Charles W. Martin, Maciej Major, Grzegorz Rachlewicz, Jeffrey J. Kelleway, Rafael Dettogni Guariento, Hsing‐Juh Lin, Mauricio Escapa, Lachlan Farrington, Ana Carolina Ruíz-Fernández, Grażyna Szpikowska, Esperança Gacia, Peter Chifflard, Erica B. Young, María Fernanda Adame, Ika Djukic, Patrick Morgan, Whitney A. Scheffel, Jacek Tylkowski, Arjun Gupta, Ana I. Sousa, Scott D. Tiegs, Carmen B. de los Santos, Alf Norkko, Joan-Albert Sánchez-Cabeza, Diana I. Montemayor, Alia Al-Haj, Rod M. Connolly, Aroloye O. Numbere, Richard Hugh Bulmer, Allison Trethowan, Anne Watson, Paul York, Daniele Daffonchio, Oscar Iribarne, Sara Castelar, Susana Bernal, Torrance C. Hanley, Megan R. Camden, Ana I. Lillebø, Juha M. Alatalo, Yanmei Xiong, Songlin Liu, Sutinee Sinutok, Stacey M. Trevathan‐Tackett, Christopher N. Janousek, Maroof Hamid, Alyssa B. Novak, Inger Visby, Salvador Sánchez‐Carrillo, Józef Szpikowski, Ieva Grudzinska, John S. Kominoski, Ilze Ozola, Carolyn A. Weaver, Normunds Stivriņš, Catherine E. Lovelock, Joanna Norkko, Sebastian Kepfer‐Rojas, Savanna C. Barry, K. Rymer, Tessa Roberts, Bart Christiaen, Carolyn J. Lundquist, Ale×ander R. Cobb, María de los Ángeles González Sagrario, Emma L. Jackson, Marco Fusi, Christoffer Boström, Mikołaj Majewski, Anne Ola, Steven F. Oberbauer, Luciana Silva Carneiro, Paweł Czyryca, Anzar Ahmad Khuroo, Maria Chudzińska, Rui Santos, Jinquan Li, Ben J Taylor, Jenny Farmer, Gidon Winters, Richard J. Payne, L. Garrison, Francisco de Assis Esteves, Cody Onufrock
article en
13 citations

Abstract

Patchy global data on belowground litter decomposition dynamics limit our capacity to discern the drivers of carbon preservation and storage across inland and coastal wetlands. We performed a global, multiyear study in over 180 wetlands across 28 countries and 8 macroclimates using standardized litter as measures of "recalcitrant" (rooibos tea) and "labile" (green tea) organic matter (OM) decomposition. Freshwater wetlands and tidal marshes had the highest tea mass remaining, indicating a greater potential for carbon preservation in these ecosystems. Recalcitrant OM decomposition increased with elevated temperatures throughout the decay period, e.g., increase from 10 to 20 °C corresponded to a 1.46-fold increase in the recalcitrant OM decay rate constant. The effect of elevated temperature on labile OM breakdown was ecosystem-dependent, with tidally influenced wetlands showing limited effects of temperature compared with freshwater wetlands. Based on climatic projections, by 2050 wetland decay constants will increase by 1.8% for labile and 3.1% for recalcitrant OM. Our study highlights the potential for reduction in belowground OM in coastal and inland wetlands under increased warming, but the extent and direction of this effect at a large scale is dependent on ecosystem and OM characteristics. Understanding local versus global drivers is necessary to resolve ecosystem influences on carbon preservation in wetlands.

Environmental Science & TechnologyVol. 58(49)
University of Port Harcourt (NG), Bryn Mawr College (US), Millersville University (US), Boston University (US), Tallinn University of Technology (EE), Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies (LV), Griffith University (AU), Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (BR), Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul (BR), University of Copenhagen (DK), Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (IL), Northeastern University (US), University of Tasmania (AU), Åbo Akademi University (FI), Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (US), Washington Department of Natural Resources (US), Oregon State University (US), Woodwell Climate Research Center (US), Prince of Songkla University (TH), University of Helsinki (FI), National Taiwan Normal University (TW), University of Kashmir (IN), Radboud University Nijmegen (NL), Deakin University (AU), University of Auckland (NZ), Philipps University of Marburg (DE), National Chung Hsing University (TW), The University of Queensland (AU), Oakland University (US), National University of Mar del Plata (AR), University of Aberdeen (GB), Florida International University (US), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), University of Wollongong (AU), Pontificia Universidad Javeriana (CO), Fudan University (CN), Edinburgh Napier University (GB), University of New England (US), Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (CH), Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences (US), Norwegian Institute of Marine Research (NO), Dauphin Island Sea Lab (US), Universidad Autónoma del Carmen (MX), Yale University (US), University of Florida (US), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte (BR), Research Institute of Tropical Forestry (CN), Dead Sea and Arava Science Center (IL), Institute of Oceanology (CN), Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (ES), South China Sea Institute Of Oceanology (CN), Institut Català de Ciències del Clima (ES), Tampa Bay Estuary Program (US), Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (ES), NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Northeast Fisheries Science Center (US), Chinese Academy of Forestry (CN), Institute of Marine and Coastal Research (AR), Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NO), Institut de Ciències del Mar (ES), Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SG), University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (US), National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NZ), University of York (GB), Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (US), Fundación Ciencias Exactas y Naturales (AR), Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań (PL), Qatar University (QA), University of Aveiro (PT), Western Sydney University (AU), University of Algarve (PT), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA), Central Queensland University (AU), RMIT University (AU), University of South Alabama (US), Newcastle University (GB), James Cook University (AU), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX), University of Latvia (LV)
National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, Yale University, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Washington State University, Florida International University, Universidade de Aveiro, Helsingin Yliopisto, Philipps-Universität Marburg, University of South Alabama, University of Tasmania, Edinburgh Napier University, University of Auckland, University of New England, Deakin University, RMIT University, Griffith University, James Cook University, University of Queensland, Radboud Universiteit, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Fudan University, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Qatar University, Prince of Songkla University, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Latvijas Universitate, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Tallinna Tehnikaülikool, National Taiwan Normal University, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Lavijas Lauksaimniecības Universitāte, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas y Costeras, Western Sydney University, Directorate for Biological Sciences, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, Centro de Estudos Ambientais e Marinhos, Universidade de Aveiro, Australian Research Council, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Norsk institutt for Bioøkonomi, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Faculty of Science, Prince of Songkla University, Division of Ocean Sciences, Division of Environmental Biology
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Coastal wetland ecosystem dynamics
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