Changes in carbon, nitrogen, adenosine triphosphate, and chlorophyll a in decomposing Thalassia testudinum leaves

Fresh Thalassia leaf discs were allowed to decompose for 52 days in a continuous flow system. On a per disc basis, C decreased by 57% over the course of decomposition. N changed only slightly during the first 31 days but dropped to <50% of initial values during the final stages. Changes in ATP content of leaf discs were not linear with time; a rapid initial decrease was followed by a slower loss. C and ATP were significantly correlated in a linear manner throughout the experiment. Total C : N ratios decreased slightly over the first 31 days (avg = 17.0) but tended to increase during days 36–52. In contrast, living C (from ATP) : N ratios tended to decrease throughout the experiment, averaging 4.1 during days 36–52.