“Blooming” of litter-mixing effects - Flower and leaf litter interactions on decomposition

Aug 20, 2026

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The diversity effect on decomposition is shaped by litter-mixing interactions, yet previous work has largely emphasized leaf litter perspectives. This study evaluates whether and how flower–leaf litter interactions generate litter-mixing effects, including their direction and magnitude, in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Laboratory experiments used flower and leaf litter from Tabebuia aurea under multiple flower:leaf biomass proportions and assessed 13 functional traits. Mixtures consistently decomposed faster than monocultures, with stronger effects on land and at higher flower:leaf biomass ratios, driven by complementary labile and refractory chemical properties.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Decomposition importance and drivers

Litter quality and diversity

Study design and experimental approach

Litter sources and biomass proportion scenarios

Functional traits measured

Results

Consistency across aquatic and terrestrial environments

Strength of effects by environment and biomass ratio

Mechanisms and implications

Complementary chemical properties

Links to nutrient and carbon recycling

Biogeosciences, 21, 3165–3182, 2024 [https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3165-2024](https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3165-2024)[ ](https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3165-2024)© Author(s) 2024 . This work is distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4 .0 License. “Blooming” of litter-mixing effects: the role of ﬂower and leaf litter interactions on decomposition in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems Mery Ingrid Guimarães de Alencar 1,2 , Rafael D. Guariento3 , Bertrand Guenet2 , Luciana S. Carneiro 1 , Eduardo L. Voigt4 , and Adriano Caliman 1 1Departamento de Ecologia, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 59078-900, Brazil 2Laboratoire de Géologie, Ecole normale supérieure, CNRS, IPSL, Université PSL, Paris, 75005, France 3Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, CCBS, Campo Grande, 79070-900, Brazil 4Departamento de Biologia Celular e Genética, Centro de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, 59078-900, Brazil Correspondence: Mery Ingrid Guimarães de Alencar ([alencarmery@gmail.com](alencarmery@gmail.com)) Received: 5 January 2024 – Discussion started: 24 January 2024 Revised: 7 May 2024 – Accepted: 11 May 2024 – Published: 9 July 2024 Abstract. The diversity effect on decomposition, through the litter-mixing effects plays a central role in determining the nutrient and carbon dynamics in ecosystems. However, the litter-mixing effects are centered on a leaf litter perspective. Important aspects related to intraspeciﬁc interaction and biomass concentration are rarely evaluated, even though they could be essential to determine the litter decomposition dynamics. To our knowledge, we introduced a new perspective to evaluate whether and how the interaction between ﬂowerand leaf litter affects the occurrence, direction, and magnitude of litter-mixing effects in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We performed laboratory experiments using ﬂowerand leaf litter from the yellow trumpet tree Tabebuia aurea (Silva Manso) Benth. and Hook. f. ex. S. Moore as a model. To obtain realistic results, we manipulated various scenarios of ﬂower : leaf litter biomass proportion and measured 13 functional traits. Litter-mixing effects were consistent in both aquatic and terrestrial environments, with faster decomposition of both litter types in mixtures compared to their monocultures (synergistic effects) . Litter-mixing effects were stronger in the terrestrial environment and at higher ﬂower : leaf litter biomass proportions. Our results indicate that synergistic outcomes are mainly associated with complementary effects. Flower litter had a higher concentration of labile C compounds, N, P, and K and lower lignin concentrations, representing a labile litter, while leaf litter had a higher concentration of lignin, Ca, Mg, and Na, representing a refractory litter. Our results demonstrate the impor- tance of litter-mixing effects between ﬂower and leaf litter via complementary effects. These results shed light on the secondary consequences of ﬂower litter on decomposition, suggesting that species with high reproductive investment in ﬂower biomass may play an important role in the nutrient and carbon recycling of diverse plant communities, exerting a pivotal role in biogeochemical dynamics. 1 Introduction Decomposition is an important ecosystem process because of its role in the energy and matter ﬂows within and across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, which affects the cycling of nutrients and carbon (C) in the biosphere (Cebrian and Lartigue, 2004; Tiegs et al., 2019) . Up to 90 % of the primary production accumulates as organic matter (OM) in the soil (Cebrian, 1999), and a considerable proportion of this stock is transported to rivers, lakes, and oceans, contributing to the stocks of OM in aquatic environments, along with autochthonous OM (Tranvik et al., 2009; Aufdenkampe et al., 2011) . Decomposition is controlled by abiotic factors such as temperature and hu

FAQs

What research gap does the study address about litter-mixing effects?

Most prior work has focused on leaf-litter perspectives. The study addresses how flower–leaf interactions create litter-mixing effects, including their direction and magnitude.

How were the experiments designed to test flower–leaf litter interactions?

Laboratory experiments used flower and leaf litter from Tabebuia aurea and manipulated multiple flower:leaf biomass proportion scenarios, while measuring 13 functional traits.

What do the results show about decomposition in litter mixtures versus monocultures?

Litter mixtures decomposed faster than monocultures for both litter types, indicating synergistic litter-mixing effects. Effects were stronger in terrestrial settings and at higher flower:leaf biomass proportions.

Aug 20, 2026

Upload by Mali