Methodology: The decomposition experiment was conducted as part of a master’s thesis project titled “Assessment of leaf litter input and decomposition and nutrient leaching in two phytophysiognomies of a sandbank in northern Rio de Janeiro State.”Nylon bags known as “litterbags” were used to estimate litter decomposition. In this study, leaves collected in the litterbags between May and November 2012 were used. All leaves used had been shed less than 15 days prior to being collected, dried, and stored. These leaves were mixed according to the phytophysiognomy of the area where the material was collected, and the litterbags were subsequently filled with 7.0 g of dry leaf material, consisting of whole leaves showing no signs of herbivory, which had been previously selected from the stored leaf litter.Litterbags with different mesh sizes—5 mm (20 × 20 cm) and 0.02 mm (13 × 14 cm)—were used to assess the potential effect of macroinvertebrates. This technique was chosen because it is widely used and has been described in other studies, which will be discussed later.A total of 236 litterbags were made, including 15 sets consisting of 12 litterbags with 5-mm mesh and 14 sets consisting of 4 litterbags with 0.02-mm mesh. Thus, 5 thickets in the FAAC dominated by C. hilariana and 5 not dominated by C. hilariana received a set of 12 litterbags with a 5-mm mesh. The Periodically Flooded Forest received 5 sets consisting of 12 litterbags with a 5-mm mesh and 4 sets consisting of 4 litterbags with a 0.02-mm mesh. The sets were assembled so that the litterbags for each type of vegetation formation contained their respective litter.Cada conjunto de malha 5mm foram despositados 12 litterbags, totalizando180 litterbags, e em cada conjunto de malha 0,02mm disposta na FAAC foi composto por 4 litterbags, totalizando 56 litterbags.The litterbag assemblies were installed in the field in November 2012 and remained exposed to the elements and macroinvertebrates for 24 months. A 5-mm mesh litterbag was retrieved at regular intervals at 59, 119, 169, 226, 282, 337, 407, 450, 541, 594, 649, and 710 days after installation, while the 0.02-mm mesh litterbags were removed at 131, 253, 380, and 519 days after installation.The remaining leaf litter from each litterbag was processed to remove debris (soil, fine roots, soil fauna), dried at approximately 50°C for 72 hours, and weighed on an analytical balance. The weight of the remaining material in each litterbag, from the time of installation (t=0) until collection, was determined based on the calculation of the decomposition constant (k), according to Oslon’s 1963 equation.Using the value of k, the half-life of the leaves was calculated for the FAAC, MSC, and MCC areas, as well as for the MPI. To determine the time required for 50% of the dry weight to be reduced, the following formula was used: -ln (0.5) /k = 0.693/k, so t₀.₅ = 0.693/k. To determine the time required for a 95% loss of material, the calculation used 3/k (Olson, 1963).
","language":"eng","citation":{"text":"Brito L, Martins R (2026). UFRJ | Leaf litter decomposition experiment in two phytophysiognomies of a sandbank in northern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil. Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Sampling event dataset https://doi.org/10.71819/3go9ay accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-10-14.","identifier":"https://doi.org/10.71819/3go9ay","citationProvidedBySource":false},"contactsCitation":[{"key":7112740,"abbreviatedName":"Brito L","firstName":"Letícia","lastName":"Brito","roles":["ORIGINATOR","METADATA_AUTHOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6982-505X"]},{"key":7112741,"abbreviatedName":"Martins R","firstName":"Rodrigo","lastName":"Martins","roles":["ORIGINATOR"],"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8403-3990"]}],"lockedForAutoUpdate":false,"createdBy":"ecbe2029-7c14-44b0-804e-aad0de88e364","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-08-19T21:15:17.566+00:00","modified":"2026-08-19T21:16:18.949+00:00","contacts":[{"key":7112740,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":true,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6982-505X"],"salutation":"Master","firstName":"Letícia","lastName":"Brito","position":["MSc Candidate"],"email":["let.brito@ua.pt"],"phone":[],"homepage":["https://portal.macae.ufrj.br/pt_br/"],"organization":"University Federal of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)","address":[],"city":"Macaé","province":"Rio de Janeiro","country":"BR","postalCode":"27971-220","createdBy":"crawler.gbif.org","modifiedBy":"crawler.gbif.org","created":"2026-08-19T21:16:18.923+00:00","modified":"2026-08-19T21:16:18.923+00:00"},{"key":7112741,"type":"ORIGINATOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8403-3990"],"firstName":"Rodrigo","lastName":"Martins","position":["Professor"],"email":["rodrlemes@gmail.com"],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"organization":"University Federal of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ)","address":[],"city":"Macaé","province":"Rio de 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study area includes open shrubland dominated by Clusia, primarily C. hilariana, as well as areas not dominated by C. hilariana, and periodically flooded forest.","coverages":[{"scientificName":"Angiosperms","rank":{"verbatim":"phylum","interpreted":"PHYLUM"}},{"scientificName":"Plantae Haeckel","rank":{"verbatim":"kingdom","interpreted":"KINGDOM"}}]}],"geographicCoverages":[{"description":"PARNA-Restinga de Jurubatiba","boundingBox":{"minLatitude":-22.265,"maxLatitude":-22.249,"minLongitude":-41.639,"maxLongitude":-41.633,"globalCoverage":false}}],"temporalCoverages":[{"@type":"range","start":"2013-04-21T00:00:00.000+00:00","end":"2014-11-08T00:00:00.000+00:00"}],"keywordCollections":[{"thesaurus":"GBIF Dataset Type Vocabulary: http://rs.gbif.org/vocabulary/gbif/dataset_type_2015-07-10.xml","keywords":["Clusia hilariana; litterbags; sandbank; PARNA-Jurubatiba; decomposition"]}],"project":{"title":"Assessment of leaf litter input and decomposition and nutrient leaching in two phytophysiognomies of a sandbank in northern Rio de Janeiro State.”","contacts":[{"type":"AUTHOR","primary":false,"userId":["https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6982-505X"],"salutation":"Master","firstName":"Letícia","lastName":"Brito","position":[],"email":[],"phone":[],"homepage":[],"address":[]}],"funding":"PELD - RLaC and CAPES Master Scholarship .","awards":[],"studyAreaDescription":"PELD - RLaC site 5 in PARNA-Restinga Jurubatiba","relatedProjects":[],"abstract":"Part of my master's program from late 2013 through 2014."},"samplingDescription":{"studyExtent":"The study was conducted in two phytophysiognomic zones (FAAC and Periodically Flooded Forest) within the Restinga Jurubatiba National Park (PARNA) as part of the Long-Term Ecological Research Program (PELD) – Site V.","sampling":"Leaf litter decomposition was evaluated using the litterbag technique in three restinga phytophysiognomies located in northern Rio de Janeiro State: Clusia hilariana-dominated thickets (MCC), non-dominated thickets (MSC), and seasonally flooded forest (MPI). Freshly senesced leaves (<15 days after abscission) were collected between May and November 2012, air-dried, mixed according to their respective vegetation type, and stored until use. Each litterbag was filled with 7.0 g of dry leaf litter composed of intact leaves without visible herbivory.\nA total of 236 nylon litterbags were prepared using two mesh sizes to evaluate the influence of macroinvertebrates on decomposition: 180 coarse-mesh litterbags (5 mm; 20 × 20 cm) and 56 fine-mesh litterbags (0.02 mm; 13 × 14 cm). Coarse-mesh litterbags allowed access by macroinvertebrates, whereas fine-mesh litterbags restricted their access, enabling microbial decomposition to be assessed separately.\nThe experimental design consisted of 15 sets of 12 coarse-mesh litterbags and 14 sets of 4 fine-mesh litterbags. Five Clusia hilariana-dominated thickets and five non-dominated thickets each received one set of 12 coarse-mesh litterbags. The seasonally flooded forest received five sets of 12 coarse-mesh litterbags and four sets of four fine-mesh litterbags. Each litterbag set contained leaf litter collected from its corresponding vegetation type.\nThe litterbags were deployed in the field in November 2012 and remained in situ for up to 24 months. Coarse-mesh litterbags were collected after 59, 119, 169, 226, 282, 337, 407, 450, 541, 594, 649, and 710 days, whereas fine-mesh litterbags were retrieved after 131, 253, 380, and 519 days. Following retrieval, the remaining litter was cleaned of adhering soil, roots, and fauna, oven-dried at 50°C for 72 h, and weighed to determine the remaining dry mass.","qualityControl":"To ensure consistency throughout the experiment, only freshly senesced leaves (shed within the previous 15 days) were collected. All selected leaves were intact, showed no visible signs of herbivory or advanced decomposition, and were air-dried before storage. Leaf material from each phytophysiognomy was kept separate and homogenized before filling the litterbags to ensure that each bag contained representative litter from its corresponding vegetation type.\nEach litterbag was filled with a standardized dry mass of 7.0 g of leaf litter and constructed using predetermined mesh sizes (5 mm or 0.02 mm) according to the experimental design. Litterbags were securely installed in the field and retrieved according to a predefined sampling schedule.\nAfter collection, all samples were carefully cleaned to remove soil particles, fine roots, and attached fauna without losing remaining leaf material. The litter was then oven-dried at 50°C for 72 hours until constant weight and weighed using a calibrated analytical balance. Standardized protocols were applied throughout sample preparation, deployment, retrieval, drying, and weighing to minimize measurement errors and ensure comparability among sampling dates and vegetation types.","methodSteps":["Leaf litter was collected, placed in litterbags, exposed in the field, periodically retrieved, and weighed to evaluate decomposition. After each collection, the remaining material was cleaned, oven-dried at 50°C until constant weight, and weighed to determine the remaining dry mass (g). The decomposition rate was then calculated over time using the exponential decay model proposed by Olson (1963)."]},"countryCoverage":[],"collections":[],"dataDescriptions":[],"dataLanguage":"eng","purpose":"The decomposition experiment was conducted as part of a master’s thesis project titled “Assessment of leaf litter input and decomposition and nutrient leaching in two phytophysiognomies of a sandbank in northern Rio de Janeiro State.”
","introduction":"This study was part of a master’s thesis titled “Assessment of leaf litter input, decomposition, and nutrient leaching in two phytophysiognomies of a sandbank in northern Rio de Janeiro State.” It was conducted with the objective of evaluating the input and decomposition of leaf litter in the two phytophysiognomies with the most extensive distribution along the sandbanks of northern Rio de Janeiro State: the Open Shrub Formation of Clusia and the Periodically Flooded Forest. Based on this, the relative contribution of these phytophysiognomies to nutrient input into the ecosystem was assessed, along with the leaching of nutrients from the sandbank soil into the water table and, consequently, into the region’s lagoon system complex.
","gettingStarted":"Nylon bags known as “litterbags” were used to estimate litter decomposition. In this study, leaves collected in the litterbags between May and November 2012 were used. All leaves used had been shed less than 15 days prior to being collected, dried, and stored. These leaves were mixed according to the phytophysiognomy of the area where the material was collected, and the litterbags were subsequently filled with 7.0 g of dry leaf material, consisting of whole leaves showing no signs of herbivory, which had been previously selected from the stored leaf litter.Litterbags with different mesh sizes—5 mm (20 × 20 cm) and 0.02 mm (13 × 14 cm)—were used to assess the potential effect of macroinvertebrates. This technique was chosen because it is widely used and has been described in other studies, which will be discussed later.A total of 236 litterbags were made, including 15 sets consisting of 12 litterbags with 5-mm mesh and 14 sets consisting of 4 litterbags with 0.02-mm mesh. Thus, 5 thickets in the FAAC dominated by C. hilariana and 5 not dominated by C. hilariana received a set of 12 litterbags with a 5-mm mesh. The Periodically Flooded Forest received 5 sets consisting of 12 litterbags with a 5-mm mesh and 4 sets consisting of 4 litterbags with a 0.02-mm mesh. The sets were assembled so that the litterbags for each type of vegetation formation contained their respective litter.Cada conjunto de malha 5mm foram despositados 12 litterbags, totalizando180 litterbags, e em cada conjunto de malha 0,02mm disposta na FAAC foi composto por 4 litterbags, totalizando 56 litterbags.The litterbag assemblies were installed in the field in November 2012 and remained exposed to the elements and macroinvertebrates for 24 months. A 5-mm mesh litterbag was retrieved at regular intervals at 59, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360, 420, 480, 540, 600, 660, and 720 days after installation, while the 0.02-mm mesh litterbags were removed at 120, 240, 360, and 480 days after installation.The remaining leaf litter from each litterbag was processed to remove debris (soil, fine roots, soil fauna), dried at approximately 50°C for 72 hours, and weighed on an analytical balance. The weight of the remaining material in each litterbag, from the time of installation (t=0) until collection, was determined based on the calculation of the decomposition constant (k), according to Oslon’s 1963 equation.Using the value of k, the half-life of the leaves was calculated for the FAAC, MSC, and MCC areas, as well as for the MPI. To determine the time required for 50% of the dry weight to be reduced, the following formula was used: -ln (0.5) /k = 0.693/k, so t₀.₅ = 0.693/k. To determine the time required for a 95% loss of material, the calculation used 3/k (Olson, 1963).
","acknowledgements":"Letícia da Silva Brito would like to thank CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) for providing the master’s degree scholarship from April 2013 to April 2015. I would also like to thank PELD-RLaC, a subproject of the Long-Term Ecological Research Program (PELD), which focuses on the study of coastal sandbars and lagoons in Brazil, particularly in the Restinga de Jurubatiba National Park (RJ), where the experiment took place.
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