DECOMPOSITION RATES AND FINE LITTER STABILIZATION FACTOR IN PPBIO GRIDS USING TEA BAG INDEX (TBI)

Abstract

Studies on litter decomposition rates are necessary to understand how ecosystems function. The lack of standardization of traditional methods affects our aggregate perception of how environmental conditions determine decomposition rates in different ecosystems. Investigations of this nature form the framework of information needed to model carbon fluxes and stocks derived from forest necromass - a topic directly related to the role of tropical ecosystems in the global warming mitigating. The objective of this document is to present a standardized protocol to estimate the decomposition rate and stabilization factor of fine litter adjusted to the permanent plots that use the RAPELD sampling system in the grids and research modules of the Biodiversity Research Program – PPBio. The protocol is based on the application of the TBI (Tea Bag Index) method – a configuration of steps for rapid acquisition of field data that can easily be adopted as a reference for studies that seek to determine the influence of environmental conditions on the decomposition and stabilization rates of different ecosystem formations.