Ecology and methodology of comparing traits and decomposition rates of green leaves versus senesced litter across plant species and types

Variation in leaf traits is critical for carbon gains and losses during leaf life and drives litter carbon and nutrient losses via decomposition. Accurately quantifying litter decomposition parameters is essential for assessing ecosystem carbon and nutrient dynamics. Leaf litterbags have commonly been employed to measure effects of environmental drivers, decomposers, and plant traits on decomposition rates. There has been much debate regarding the suitability of substituting senesced dead leaves with fresh (green) leaves in litterbags, which has been common practice for mimicking green leaf fall or for practical reasons. Therefore, we tested the null hypothesis that replacement of dead leaves with fresh leaves in litterbag experiments is justified, based on similarities in structural and chemical traits between fresh and dead leaves across plant species and growth forms. We conducted a paired litterbag decomposition experiment with both fresh and dead leaves of 26 common species in subt..., The study was carried out in Zhejiang Province, East China, which has a subtropical monsoon climate with a mean annual temperature of 16.2°C and a mean annual precipitation of 1375 mm. Five different ecosystems were selected for the study including subtropical broadleaf evergreen forest, coniferous forest, deciduous forest, shrublands, and grasslands. Fresh mature leaves and senescent dead leaves of selected 26 plant species representing different ecosystems were collected from August to December 2021, and the collected leaves were air-dried in the laboratory. Decomposition experiments of litter were carried out using nylon mesh belts with a mesh diameter of 1 mm and each litter bag contained 2 grams of air-dried leaves, totaling 3,120 litter bags. Three replicate plots measuring 10 m × 10 m were established in each ecosystem, and prepared litter bags were placed in the sample plots. Litter bag incubation began in late March 2022 and was harvested at 3-month intervals for a total of fou..., , # Ecology and methodology of comparing traits and decomposition rates of green leaves versus senesced litter across plant species and types

The dataset consisted of the remaining mass loss of fresh and dead senescent leaves from five ecosystem types harvested four times (once every three months) over one year. As well as fresh and dead leaf economic spectrums based on the carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus content, lignin, cellulose content, and specific leaf area (SLA).

## Description of the data and file structure

Column A represents the species' Latin names, and Column B (Sites) denotes the five types of ecosystems, which are the five sites where the decomposition experiment was conducted (Values are the average of three plots). Column C indicates the growth form of the species, including evergreen trees, deciduous trees, coniferous trees, and herbaceous plants. Column D represents the decomposition time, which is the interval between sample collections. Column E shows the values ...