Plant decomposition rates in Terrebonne Bay and LUMCON area salt marshes, 2013-2014

Decomposition rates of Spartina alterniflora and Juncus roemerianus shoots and S. alterniflora roots were determined for six Louisiana salt marshes. Two marshes in Cocodrie, LA (LUMCON) served as reference sites and were compared to two pairs of marshes in a region of Terrebonne Bay (TB) impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (one unoiled and one oiled marsh per pair). Decomposition bags were deployed at 5 and 20m from the marsh edge on 22 April 2013 and collected at decreasing frequency starting at 2 weeks after deployment until the material was gone.