Avni Malhotra, Andreas Persson, Nigel T. Roulet
The dataset contains litter decomposition rates using 3 litter bags collections and their covariate environmental data. We measured in-situ decomposition of representative plant litter and environments over two years across a permafrost thaw gradient at Stordalen Mire, Sweden.
Litter decomposition, a key process by which recently fixed carbon is lost from ecosystems, is a function of environmental conditions and plant community characteristics. In ice-rich peatlands, permafrost thaw introduces high variability in both abiotic and biotic factors, both of which may affect litter decomposition rates in different ways.
Litter bags were installed at a 5 cm depth in 2011 and three collections were made in spring 2012 (capturing winter and spring leaching), fall 2012 (capturing summer rate) and fall 2013 (capturing annual rate). Litter bags contained representative plant litter of the habitat type. The litter was collected from Stordalen in 2011. Covariate environmental data are also reported and include information about moisture, water table, pH, and pore-water carbon and nitrogen content.
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Citation
Avni Malhotra, Andreas Persson, Nigel T. Roulet (2024) Litter bag decomposition at Stordalen mire 2011 – 2013. Dataset version 1. Bolin Centre Database. https://doi.org/10.17043/stordalen-malhotra-2024-litter-1
References
Malhotra, A., Moore, T. R., Limpens, J., & Roulet, N. T. (2018). Post-thaw variability in litter decomposition best explained by microtopography at an ice-rich permafrost peatland. In Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research (Vol. 50, Issue 1). Informa UK Limited. https://doi.org/10.1080/15230430.2017.1415622
Data description
The folder stordalen-malhotra-2024-1 contains a .png file with the description of the transects and a spreadsheet .xlsx including three data sheets:
metadata Meta data informationMalhotra and Roulet decomp Data table with the columns described belowWell locations GPS coordinates in SWEREF99 TM (EPSG code 3006) of each litter bag triplicate location
Data table column description
| Column name |
Unit |
Description |
| Transect |
|
Transect name at Stordalen (see locations tab if needing specific locations) |
| Well |
|
Well name at Stordalen (see locations tab if needing specific locations) |
| type |
|
Habitat type |
| time step |
|
First second or third litter bag retreival |
| month |
months |
Months since litter bag was put in soil (at 5 cm depth). Litter bags were installed in August of 2011 |
| # spc in bag |
number |
Number of species put in litter bag (representative of dominant vegetation in habitat) |
| Elevation |
meters at sea level |
Elevation measured by a hand held GPS device |
| Grav moisture % (t3) |
% |
From the third litter bag removal, gravimetric moisture calculated as a function of moisture in the freshly collected bag - dry weight of bag |
| WTD 2013 |
cm |
Mean growing season water table depth measured manually each week in 2012 and 2013. Negative means water table was below the surface while positive means above the surface |
| pH |
unitless |
Mean growing season pH measured manually each week in 2012 and 2013 |
| cond |
mg/L |
Mean growing season conductivity measured manually each week in 2012 and 2013 |
| temp |
degree celcius |
Mean growing season soil temperature at 10 cm depth manually each week in 2012 and 2013 |
| pH sd |
unitless |
standard deviation (see details above) |
| cond SD |
mg/L |
standard deviation (see details above) |
| temp SD |
degree celcius |
standard deviation (see details above) |
| TC |
mg/L |
total carbon concentration of pore water collected weekly and averaged for the growing season in 2012 and 2013. Analyzed using a shimazu analyzer |
| TN |
mg/L |
total nitrogen concentration of pore water collected weekly and averaged for the growing season in 2012 and 2013. Analyzed using a shimazu analyzer |
| C:N |
unitless |
ratio of TC:TN in the pore water |
| mean loss |
% |
% mass loss of litter (average of 3 replicate litter bags) |
| sd loss |
|
standard deviation (see details above) |
GCMD science keywords
Earth science > Biosphere > Ecological dynamics > Ecosystem functions > Decomposition
GCMD location
Continent > Europe > Northern Europe > Scandinavia > Sweden
Project
The research was supported by a James McGill Professorship Stipend, a Discovery Grant and a Strategic Project Grant from the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to NTR. AM was supported by the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies and the Office of Biological and Environmental Research in the United States Department of Energy’s Office of Science.
Publisher
Bolin Centre Database
DOI
10.17043/stordalen-malhotra-2024-litter-1
Published
2024-01-26 14:38:09