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Leaf-litter decomposition of the mangrove species Avicennia schaueriana, Laguncularia racemosa and Rhizophora mangle

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2013

Rene G. Lima  and
Karine D. Colpo
Rene G. Lima
Affiliation:
Universidade Estadual Paulista—UNESP, Campus Experimental do Litoral Paulista (CLP), Praça Infante Dom Henrique, s/nº, CEP 11330-900, São Vicente, São Paulo, Brazil
Karine D. Colpo*
Affiliation:
Biology of Reproduction and Growth in Crustaceans, Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires, Cdad. Univ. C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina CONICET, Argentina
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: K. D. Colpo, Biology of Reproduction and Growth in Crustaceans, Department of Biodiversity and Experimental Biology, FCEyN, University of Buenos Aires, Cdad. Univ. C1428EGA, Buenos Aires, Argentina email: kacolpo@bg.fcen.uba.ar
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Abstract

This study evaluated the decomposition process of leaf litter from the main Brazilian mangrove species Avicennia schaueriana, Laguncularia racemosa and Rhizophora mangle. Senescent leaves were collected, dried and placed in nylon bags with different mesh sizes (fine: 2 × 2 mm and coarse: 8 × 8 mm). The bags were distributed over the sediment, and replicates of each species and mesh size were collected periodically over 4 months. In the laboratory, the dry weight of the samples was measured, and the decomposition coefficient (k) for each species and mesh size was obtained over time. All species showed a rapid decomposition rate at the beginning of the experiment, followed by a slower but steady rate of decomposition over time. The rate of leaf litter decomposition was highest in A. schaueriana, intermediate in L. racemosa and lowest in R. mangle. The difference was mainly linked to the activity and abundance of detritivores, together with the different litter quality of the species, which determined their palatability and probably influenced the decomposition process.

Keywords

litter mesh bagmangroveBrazil
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 94 , Issue 2 , March 2014 , pp. 233 - 239
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2013 

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