TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENCE OF RATE CONSTANTS DERIVED FROM THE POWER MODEL OF ORGANIC-MATTER DECOMPOSITION

The effect of temperature on decomposition rate parameters derived from the power model has not been addressed in the literature. The value of the first-order rate parameter (k) is discussed with respect to how organic matter heterogeneity affects the energetics of decomposition and potential temperature-time interactions, both of which are not included in the model. Calculated rate parameters from variable-temperature environments may not be linear over short time scales. Fitting the (linear) power model to such data would result in autocorrelation of model error terms, a violation of an important statistical assumption. Inclusion of a temperature variable in the model may alleviate this problem. Therefore, the power model in its original form may not be appropriate for describing the decomposition of organic matter in environments subject to temperature fluctuations.