DECOMPOSITION IN WATER 



100 



tP 



UJ 



cr 



LlI 



I- 

 I- 

 < 



>- 

 cr 



Q 



100 



100 



80 



60 



40 



20 - 



DECOMPOSITION ON THE GROUND 



150 200 



TIME, days 



50 



100 150 200 



Figure 21. Decomposition of various kinds of plant material on the ground or 

 submerged in water at different sites. Individual points are from single 

 measurements while lines are shown for sequential m.easurements. 



In water: 

 A 

 B 

 C 



D = 



E = 



F = 



G = 



H = 

 I = 



On land : 

 A = 

 B = 



C = 



D = 

 E = 



Spartina c ynosuroides 



Distichlis spicata F = 



Scirpus (A-C from de la Cruz G = 

 1975) 



Spartina alterniflora (Wood H = 



et al. 1969) I = 



Zostera marin a (Burkholder J = 

 and Doheny 1968) 



Juncus roemerianus (de la K = 

 Cruz and Gabriel 1974) 



Peltandra virginic a (Odum and L = 

 Hey word 1978) 



marine plankton (Garber 1981) M = 

 Ulva lactuca (Burkholder and 



Doheny 1968) N = 



= 



filter paper P = 



fern ( Pteridium , data of Q = 



Frankland 1966 in Frankland R = 



1974); S = 



coniferous leaf litter (data T = 



of Niikola in Millar 1974) U = 



sedge ( Carex ) V = 

 Juncus (de la Cruz and 



Gabriel 1974) W = 



46 



Juncus (de la Cruz and 



Gabriel 1974) 



willow leaves ( Salix ) 



birch leaves ( Betula ) 



(Chamie and Richardson 1978) 



Spartina cynosuroides 



Distichlis spicata 



Juncus roemerianus (H,I,J 



from de la Cruz 1975) 



Distichlis spicata (Odum 



and de la Cruz 1967) 



S. alterniflora (Odum and 



de la Cruz 1967) 



Scirpus americanus 



(de la Cruz 1975) 



willow 



rhododendron 



oak 



ash 



oak 



birch 



maple 



elm 



alder (N-V tree leaves from 



mull sites, Bocock 1964) 



Salicornia (Odum and de la 



Cruz 19'67y 



