| Abstract: | First year litter mass loss was well correlated with actual evapotranspiration (AET) on a global scale. Decomposition values (in the range 0–90% accumulated mass loss) from the literature were compared with AET and to the litters’ nitrogen and lignin concentrations. As much as 65% of the decomposition rate could be explained by AET (n=92). Although both nitrogen and lignin separately gave significant relationships they did not appreciably change the coefficient of determination when added to the AET relationship. Dividing the data into boreal and tropical sets led to a change in the degree of relationship with AET and the chemical components. Higher coefficients of determination were obtained in the tropical systems (about 78 % of the decomposition could be explained by AET and lignin concentration) whereas in the boreal systems AET and nitrogen concentration could explain about 16%. Data on 92 observations of mass‐loss conducted at 25 sites ranging in AET from 285 to 1105 mm were combined to develop new continental scale models of mass loss and to test for the significance of litter quality variables at such scales. Highest monthly precipitation (HPRE), annual precipitation range (PRANGE) and annual AET could each account for about 65% of the variability in rates of mass loss. The best two‐variable model was provided by the combination of AET and PRANGE, explaining about 71% of the mass loss. |
