On the Influence of Temporal Resolution in Mesh Bag Decomposition Studies

Abstract

The dry mass of reed mesh bags was monitored daily for 40 days at two sites in an Italian lagoon. The original daily-collected data set was manipulated by increasing inter-sampling time intervals to assess the effect of varying the sampling lag on the detection of inter-sites differences in decomposition patterns.At daily intervals, differences between sites were significant, although non-random, short-term mass fluctuations were observed. However, for linear interval increments, there were no between-site differences for lags ≥7 days; in addition, for geometrical interval increments significant differences were never observed.Our study suggests that the temporal resolution chosen for a decomposition study may affect the detection of inter-site differences, emphasizing a previously-unexplored time dependency for leaf detritus decay patterns.