One noteworthy feature of litter decomposition is the variability of litter decomposition rate k among ecosystems and under different climatic conditions. Litterfall was measured using semiannual collections of fallen biomass sorted into six fuel components fallen foliage, twigs, branches, large branches, logs, and all other material. Litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient release. Rocky mountain research station fort collins, colo. Senescent leaves were collected, dried and placed in nylon bags with different mesh sizes fine. Surface fuel deposition and decomposition rates are important to fire management and research because they can define the longevity of fuel treatments in time and space and they can be used to.
Litter decomposition recycles nutrients and provides energy for detrital food chains. Litterfall production, decomposition and nutrient use. The 90% of litter falling as leaves and twigs failed to increase with fertilization, but. Surface fuel litterfall and decomposition in the northern. Pdf litterfall, decomposition and nutrient release in an. Specifically, litterfall declines with increasing latitude. Pdf litterfall, decomposition and nutrient dynamics in.
Litterfall and decomposition rates were examined in four terrestrial biome areas within biosphere 2, oracle, az during 19921993, the second year of closure. When a larger c fraction is released into the atmosphere, a smaller c fraction is transferred to humic substances, which can be stored in soils for a long time. Rates and patterns of decomposition depend both on environmental factors and chemical. The effects of soil bacterial community structure on decomposition in a tropical rain forest jonathan w.
Production and nutrient cycling in mixed plantations of. Early exposure to uv radiation overshadowed by precipitation. Litterfall and its decomposition are two important components of the carbon cycle of tropical forest ecosystems. Littermass measurements were divided into categories based on types of plant tissues in the same fashion as litterfall described above. Leaf litterfall and decomposition of polylepis reticulata in the. Parse existing documents, modify them and recompile them. Produksi dan laju dekomposisi serasah acacia crassicarpa a.
It aims at providing a scripting tool to generate and analyze malicious pdf files. Investigating the rate of litterfall and decomposition in. Once the litterfall has settled, decomposition of the litter layer, accomplished. To explore the importance of 12 elements in litter production and decomposition, we fertilized 36 1600 m2plots with combinations of n, p, k, or micronutrients i. Rates of litter decomposition and soil respiration in. Litterfall, decomposition and nutrient dynamics in traditional agro forestry systems of northeast india article pdf available in international journal of ecology and environmental sciences. As well as chemically altering the composition of litterfall in trop ical forests, herbivores mechanically change the litterfall through mastication and fragmentation of leaves before they reach the forest floor. Litterfall, nutrient return, and leaflitter decomposition. Theresults showed that litterfall production on 3 and 4 years respectively are 44,29 and 43,43 grm month. Belowground carbon allocation in forests estimated from. The study of organic matter decomposition in western forests is of relatively recent origin. Over 10 million scientific documents at your fingertips. Annual litterfall varied from 1220 kg ha1 in the s.
Balboa, panama selection favours individuals that make more propagules, and even in an nrich forest, n 3 department of biological is a nonsubstitutable resource for reproduction. A total of 40 plots, 10 m x 10 m plots were randomly marked for monthly monitoring of litterfall, litter layer and leaf decomposition along 12. Chapter methods for estimating litter decomposition. Yavitt,5 1eeb graduate program, department of zoology, university of oklahoma, norman, ok 730190235, usa 2smithsonian tropical research institute, apartado 0843. Litterfall and leaf decomposition in forest fragments. Pdf litter fall and decomposition in primary, secondary. Organic matter inputs shift soil enzyme activity and. For more detailed descriptions of this site, see cleveland et al. We did not measure duff, tree, shrub, and herbaceous fuel dynamics in this study because duff is a byproduct of decomposition and many studies have already. Multiple nutrients limit litterfall and decomposition in a. To explore the importance of 12 elements in litter production and decomposition, we fertilized 36 1600 m 2.
As well, it can be used to create onthefly customized pdfs, or to inject evil code into already existing documents. Annual litterfall varied from 1220 kg ha 1 in the s. Booker3 1department of forestry and environmental resources, north carolina state university, campus box 8002, raleigh 27695, north. After 540 days decomposition in the field, the remaining litter ranged from 57. Leaf decomposition rates were determined using the exponential decay model. Graphs of leaf decomposition for all species at four sites showing. Pdf litterfall, leaf litter decomposition and n and p release were studied in four tree species dalbergia sissoo, azadirachta indica, pongamia.
N, p, and minerals can be stored in soils for plant. We monitored annual litterfall production, nutrient return, and monthly dynamics over a oneyear period in chinese fir plantations aged 10, 22, and 34 years. Leaf litter decomposition was studied by using litterbag method across several typical forest stand types in baotianman. Few studies were conducted before the 1970s, and most of these involved examining bole deterioration, particularly after windstorms shea and johnson 1962 or insect epidemics wright and harvey 1967. Seasonality of litterfall and leaf decomposition in a cerrado site. Abstract litterfall production, decomposition and nutrient use efficiency in three different tropical forest ecosystems in sw china were studied for 10 years. Pdf litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient release patterns in. Rates of litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems. Litterfall and leaf litter decomposition in a central african tropical mountain forest and eucalyptus plantation.
B, ca, cu, fe, mg, mn, mo, s, zn for 6 years in a lowland panamanian forest. Landry, cizungu ntaboba, jeroen staelens, dries huygens, jean walangalulu, daniel muhindo, oswald van cleemput, and pascal boeckx. Litterfall peat accretion nitrification mineralization. The results of the decomposition are discussed in relation to the initial litter quality c, n, p, k, ca, mg and the decomposition rates. Tree species differ in their degree of deciduousness, the nutrient content of their leaves, and the magnitude of nutrient mobilization prior to senescence van schaik et al. Decomposition rate of leaf litter in native miombo and in pinus taeda and eucalyptus. Litterfall and nutrient dynamics shift in tropical forest. Variations in leaf litter decomposition across contrasting forest. Materials and methods experimental design this experiment was designed to represent three natural stages of dryland decomposition.
Litter decomposition is one of the key ecological processes in ecosystems. Use of the framework species method to restore carbon. The litterfall of australian tropical rainforests in queensland was estimated as 9. Pdf litter fall and decomposition in primary, secondary and. Sun, in reference module in earth systems and environmental sciences, 20. We did not measure duff, tree, shrub, and herbaceous fuel dynamics in this study because duff is a byproduct of decomposition and many studies have already quantified the growth and mortality of live fuels. Leaf litterfall and decomposition of different above and. Analysis of litterfall, nutrient return and floor mass dynamics was made in mature and recently harvested bamboo savanna sites in a dry tropical region in india. Decomposition of fine fuels foliage, twigs, branches and large branches were measured and monitored for biomass loss for 36 years. The research was to determine litterfall production, decomposition rate, and chemical component thatcontributedtosoil. Litterfall, nutrient return and leaflitter decomposition 467 ground, and the litterfall was collected at 10day interv als from january 1999 to december 2001.
Marschner 1999, litterfall is a key pathway for nutrient return to the soil in forests, particularly in tropical ecosystems tiessen et al. Annually, the mature chestnut highforest stands density 3601,260 tree ha 1, age 5573 years old restore 4. Annual mean litterfall production in tropical seasonal foresttsf9. Litter fall and decomposition in primary, secondary and plantation forests in the brazilian amazon article pdf available in forest ecology and management 2471. Litterfall rates recovered rapidly during early secondary succession and averaged 10. Deviations in the rate of leaf litter decomposition of the same plants. Litterfall deposition and decomposition in an atlantic. The total annual litterfall was 590 and 267 g m 2 in mature and harvested sites, respectively. Use of the framework species method to restore carbon flow.
Litter fall and decomposition in primary, secondary and. Litterfall, plant litter, leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, or duff, is dead plant material that have fallen. Litterfall and leaf litter decomposition in a central. Among only mature temperate hardwood forests, however, the correlation between litterfall and soil respiration was poor, and the correlation among years for a single site was also poor. Tropical fast growing tree plantation, n 2fixing tree, nutrient releases, nutrient uptake efficiency, seasonality of nutrient cycling introduction litterfall is a major pathway of nutrient input from trees to the forest floor, and litter decomposition releases. If forest restoration is to play a significant role in mitigating climate change, greater knowledge is needed of how quickly the process can restore carbon flows to levels typical of natural forest. Rates of decomposition of koa, ohia, and banana poka leaf litter are estimated. Seasonality of litterfall and leaf decomposition in a. Pdf litter fall and leaf decomposition represent important functional processes, yet we have a limited understanding of these processes in. Litterfall and decomposition in relation to soil carbon pools along a secondary forest chronosequence in puerto rico rebecca ostertag,1 erika marnspiotta,2,3 whendee l. The effects of soil bacterial community structure on. Anatomically, longlived foliage is characterized by an epidermis covered with a thick waxy cuticle, above one or more layers of compactly arranged, thickwalled cells, which in turn surround a structurally reinforced vascular system. What links here related changes upload file special pages permanent link. Similar studies have never been conducted in the other three rainforest formations further.
Oneill, kyle wickings, alan r, townsend, and cory c. A global database of litterfall mass and litter pool. Effects of wildfire on soils and watershed processes pdf. The decomposition rate k was determined by regressing the natural log of % afdm remaining by time. We studied the rate of leaf litterfall, and decomposition and mineralization of carbon c and nitrogen n from various components leaf, root, wood, and rhizome of overstory and understory vegetation in a young betula ermanii forest. We investigated annual litterfall and leaf decomposition rate in a cerrado site. Litterfall and the decomposition of needle litter and branches under different degrees of disturbance were measured for three years. Litterfall and decomposition in relation to soil carbon pools along a secondary forest chronosequence in puerto rico rebecca ostertag,1 erika mar. Data product containing litterfall, decomposition, and leaf. Litterfall and nutrient dynamics shift in tropical forest restoration sites after a decade of recovery.
Leaf litter decomposition is a crucial process in forest ecosystems, as well as in ponds surrounded by forest. Linking spatial patterns of leaf litterfall and soil. Regardless of the underlying mechanisms, periodic measurements of litterfall and litter decomposition with standard techniques will provide much needed information on c and nutrient cycling in forests. Leaf life span, leaf litterfall, and decomposition rates are showing. Surface fuel litterfall and decomposition in the northern rocky mountains, u. Organic matter decomposition in western united states forests.
Litter decomposition in terrestrial ecosystems has a major role in the biogeochemical cycling of elements in the environment. The higher amounts of the first group of compounds, seem to stimulate the litterfall decomposition process, which is shown by a higher decrease of lignin in c. Although forest plant community composition and plant life form dominance changed during succession, litter chemistry as evaluated by. Litterfall and decomposition in relation to soil carbon. Mar 30, 2015 a shapefile with litterfall and littermass, and selected nutrient data is also provided. Litterfall, litter layer and leaf decomposition in.
Leaf litterfall decomposition was monthly estimated for one year october 2011 to september 2012 through the use of 360 nylon canvas bags 30 x 25 cm, 2 mm mesh numbered according to leaf dry biomass, which varied from 25 to 47 g 26. Don stands and were correlated with the vegetation characteristics of leaf area index, basal area, and tree height r 0. Litterfall and litter decomposition in chestnut high. Litterfall is also poorly studied in secondary forests or plantations in the tropics lugo, 1992, cuevas and lugo, 1998, especially in amazonia where existing studies compare pristine and degraded forests but not the consequences of clearfelling nepstad et al. Therefore, the regression cannot be relied upon to provide accurate estimates of soil respiration or tbca for individual sites.
Litter decomposition plays an important role in carbon c cycling in terrestrial ecosystems aerts 2006. The annual percent leaf litter mass loss was distinctly greater in a. Nutrient dynamics via litterfall and litter decomposition. Pdf litterfall, litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics in a. Pdf in northeastern india, subtropical forests are overexploited for timber, fuel wood and common agricultural practice like shifting cultivation. In tropical rainforests, there is a thin litter layer due to the rapid decomposition, while in boreal forests, the rate of decomposition is slower and leads to the accumulation of a thick litter layer, also known as a mor. Companion files include the bibliographic sources for the data provided, in both ascii text. Special issue organic matter production and decomposition. Thus, litterfall and litter decomposition processes in pine wilt disease stands needs to be examined across.
Litterfall, leaf litter decomposition and n and p release were studied in four tree species dalbergia sissoo, azadirachta indica, pongamia pinnata and shorea robusta planted on a mine spoil habitat. A global database of litterfall mass and litter pool carbon. This study evaluated the decomposition process of leaf litter from the main brazilian mangrove species avicennia schaueriana, laguncularia racemosa and rhizophora mangle. Department of agriculture, forest service, on file. Litterfall showed marked seasonal distribution and peaked in dry winter. Apr 26, 2006 in many japanese forests, the forest understory is largely dominated by dwarf bamboo sasa species, which compete with overstory vegetation for soil nutrients. Leaf decomposition and stream macroinvertebrate colonisation.
The amounts of litter produced and nutrients returned play a fundamental role in the productivity and biogeochemical and nutrient cycling of forest ecosystems. The leaf litter decomposition rates did not statistically differ among the differentaged stands data not shown and followed a similar pattern through the whole decomposition time fig. Biophysical controls on surface fuel litterfall and. Nutrientuse efficiency, deftned as mg of anppkg of nutrient in fine litterfall, was greater for eucalyptus 1. The total n returned to the soil through litterfall ranged from 8. The total production was not uniformly distributed throughout the year f. Litterfall and decomposition in relation to soil carbon pools. Annual litterfall biomass and nutrient masses returning to the forest floor are estimated. Nutrient turnover through litter was in the order of ca n k mg na p fe zn cu cr in all ages. Abstract the amount and pattern of litterfall, its nutrient return, initial chemistry of leaf litter, and dynamics of n, p and k associated with leaflitter decomposition. So, litter fall, its quantity and pattern are the drivers of nutrient cycling in forests. Our objective was to quantify litterfall and nutrient return over a. Litterfall and leaf decomposition in forest fragments under.
Litterfall production and nutrient return in different. Seasonality of litterfall and leaf decomposition in a cerrado. The 90% of litter falling as leaves and twigs failed to increase with fertilization, but reproductive litter fruits and flowers increased by 43% with n. Multiple nutrients limit litterfall and decomposition in a tropical forest michael kaspari,1,2 milton n.
Graphs of leaf decomposition showing weight loss for five species in. Silver,2 and jodie schulten1 1departmentofbiology,universityofhawaiiathilo,200w. Littermass pools are often divided into temporal categories based on the degree of decomposition. Litterfall, nutrient return, and leaflitter decomposition in four. Amount of litterfall is positively correlated to tree species, their density and canopy. Correlations between decomposition and concentrations of n, p, k, ca, and mg in residual material for each type of litter are examined. Predicted longterm effects of decomposition of leaf litter from pinus. Lbaeco nd08 biomass, nutrients, and decomposition in. The effects of soil bacterial community structure on decomposition in a tropical rain forest. Carbon and nitrogen responses in litterfall and litter.
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