Humus forms and organic matter decomposition in the Swiss Alps

Organic matter decomposition is influenced by abiotic factors (i.e., climate) and biotic factors (i.e., plants and soil decomposers). To qualitatively assess the rate at which organic matter is degraded and integrated into the topsoil layers, a classification of humus forms has been developed. Yet, whether different humus forms could be experimentally linked to litter decomposition has still to be fully assessed.
To determine the relative influence of humus systems on organic matter decomposition, we worked in two regions of the Swiss Alps (Valais and Ticino) along elevational gradients by following a north/south exposure design. First, we quantified humus forms macrorests proportion types by the Ponge small-volume method (Ponge, 1984). Second, we measured the decomposition of green tea and rooibos teabags within the Parasystems and Terrosystems.
We found that Parasystems and Terrosystems differed in teabags decomposition rates, with a slower decomposition in Parasystems and a fas..., These data were collected during the summer of 2020., , # Data from: Humus forms and organic matter decomposition in the Swiss Alps

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.xd2547dnp](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.xd2547dnp)

## Description of the data and file structure

This data set comprises the following data files:

1. my_data22.csv: Results of the decomposition of two tea types (green tea and rooibos tea)
2. ponge_ok2.csv: Results of top layer’s soil physico-chemical properties of 24 sites in the Swiss Alps

### Files and variables

#### File: my_data22.csv

**Description:** Site description

##### Variables

* plot_id: Unique identifier for each sampling plot (alphanumeric code)
* region: Geographic region where the plot is located (categorical)
* expo: Slope exposure or aspect (e.g., N, S, E, W; categorical)
* alti: Altitude of the plot in meters above sea level [m]
* soil_class_wrb: Soil classification based on the World Reference Base for Soil Resources (WRB) system (categorical)
* soil_class: Local or national soil classification (categor...,