x = Mass loss OCTOBER 2012 in % y = Mass loss APRIL 2012 in % Fine root decomposition data. 150 Litterbags containing fine roots were put underground to study decomposition rates in different ecosystems. This data set contains all experiments done in forests. y denotes the mass loss 6 months after the start of the experiment. y denotes the mass loss 1 year after the start of the experiment. Plots with missing data were excluded. Data taken from Solly et al (2014). Factors controlling decomposition rates of fine root litter in temperate forests and grasslands. Plant and Soil, 382(1-2), 203-218. Common sense tells us that at a certain point in time the total material decomposed depends on the amount decomposed at an earlier point in time. y --> x