Leaf litter and root decomposition rates in palatable and unpalatable grasses

DISTEL, R., ; MORETTO, A. ; N. DIDONE

Congreso; 83 Annual Meeting de la Ecological society of America; 1998

A lield experlment was conducted lo test the hypothesis that decomposi-tion of plant debris Is (áster in palatable than in unpalatable grasses. Decomposition rale was measured in two palatable species (Stipa clarazii and Poa ligularis) and one unpalatable species (Stipa tenuissima), native to a températe semi-arid grassland ot central Argentina. For each spe­cies, leal litter and root were incubated in 0.3-mm-mesh bags, on siles where the corresponding species was dominant. Decomposition rale oí leal was hígher (P < 0.05) in the palatable than in the unpalatable spe­cies at 9, 16 and 21 months aller incubation. However, decomposilion rale of rool was similar (P > 0.05) in both groups of species at all the measurement periods.These results partially support the hypolhesis that decomposition of plant debris is (áster in palalable than in unpalalable grasses, because the decomposition rale of loaf lilter only was higherin palatable than In unpalatable grasses.