3.2 Water nutrient content after decomposition

The single litter of A. corniculatum led to a lower water content in NH4-N (P < 0.001) than the litters mixed with the other species (Fig. 3a), but did not have differences in total N (P > 0.05), PO3-P (P > 0.10) and total P (P > 0.10) from the mixed litters (Fig. 3ab). The single litter of K. obovata led to a lower water content in NH4-N (P = 0.02) than the mixed litter (Fig. 3a), but no differences in the other nutrients (P > 0.10; Fig. 3ab). The single litter of A. marina led to a higher water content in all tested nutrients than the mixed litters (P < 0.01 for NH4-N, total N and PO3-P, P = 0.01 for total P; Fig. 3ab). The single litter of S. alterniflora showed no differences in all the water nutrients from the mixed litter (P > 0.10; Fig. 3ab).
Comparing the three litter mixtures, A. corniculatum vs. K. obovata were lower in all the water nutrients than corniculatum vs. A. marina (P = 0.01 for NH4-N; P = 0.03 for N; P = 0.71 for PO3-P; P = 0.009 for P) and A. corniculatum vs. S. alterniflora (P = 0.11 for NH4-N; P = 0.13 for N; P = 0.95 for PO3-P; P = 0.59 for P) (Fig. 3).