Full Text:
The time it takes for a leaf to decompose might be the key to understanding how temperature affects ecosystems, according to ecologists. Using leaf litter data in streams from 1,025 publications, a team of international stream ecologists found average leaf litter decomposition rates are less than half of what the metabolic theory of ecology would predict.
The relationships among temperature, leaf decomposition and running water could help ecologists better predict how the carbon cycle will react with future climate adjustments.Image credit: Walter Dodds, Kansas State University
