Anna Wootton
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Research Mentor(s): John Den Uyl
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology / LSA
Program: UROP
Session: Session 3 (11:00am – 11:50am)
Authors: Anna Wootton, Olivia Vought
Abstract
Global warming due to rising greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere may be exacerbated with positive feedback loops. Because decomposition may be affected by changing environmental conditions, the release of carbon dioxide during litter decomposition has been identified as a possible feedback mechanism. To determine the effects of temperature, moisture, and litter quality on litter decomposition rates, experimental plots were warmed at two elevations in the Colorado Rockies. Following the Tea-Bag Index protocol, green (high litter quality) and rooibos (low litter quality) tea bags were buried in 36 experimental plots at each elevation. After three months the tea bags were recovered and litter mass loss was measured. In all cases, green tea decomposed more than rooibos. Rooibos tea in warmed plots at the low elevation site lost less mass during the experiment than in non-warmed plots. There was no difference in rooibos mass loss between temperature treatments at the high elevation site. There was no significant difference in green tea mass loss between temperature treatments at either elevation. Moisture showed no effect on decomposition in any treatment at either elevation. These results suggest that climate change in the Colorado Rockies may not significantly affect local below-ground litter decomposition.
