Predicting ergosterol in leaf litter by near-infrared spectroradiometry: A preliminary assessment

• We tested whether ergosterol in leaf litters can be predicted by VIS–NIR methods.
• Ergosterol was satisfactorily predicted in leaf litters incubated on a forest soil.
• Predictability decreased when litters were incubated on a high-organic garden soil.
• Soil type may influence VIS–NIR indirect measurements of ergosterol in leaf litters.

Visible and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (VIS–NIRS) is commonly used for the indirect determination of leaf litter attributes. In laboratory microcosms, we tested the technique to predict litter ergosterol content estimated by wet-chemistry analyses. VIS–NIR spectra acquired by a field spectroradiometer satisfactorily predicted ergosterol in four leaf litter species incubated on a forest soil but not when they were incubated on a garden topsoil. Additionally, ergosterol predictive models implemented for litters incubated on the forest soil performed inadequately when implemented on garden topsoil-incubated litters. VIS–NIR spectra can be used to adequately predict ergosterol in leaf litters; however, soil type may influence litter spectral signature and its ability to reflect ergosterol content, requiring an extensive calibration for open sample populations.