Seasonal Nutrient Dynamics of Litter in a Subtropical Eucalypt Forest, North Stradbroke Island

1977 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
RW Rogers ◽  
WE Westman
Keyword(s):  
Half Life ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Sodium Potassium ◽  
Nutrient Pools ◽  
Eucalypt Forest

The plant components and chemical composition of litter fall and the litter layer in a forest growing on deep, nutrient-poor sands were examined on North Stradbroke Island, south-eastern Queensland. The seasonal distribution of litter fall was examined over a 26-month period. While the total litter fall was greatest during summer months, the dominant tree species differed in their individual patterns of litter fall. Eucalyptus signata showed a single summer peak for leaf fall while E. umbra exhibited one peak in early summer and another in autumn. The possibility is discussed that these and other temporal differences are evolutionary expressions of niche differentiatibn to reduce competition between species in the ecosystem. The total litter fall averaged 640 g m-1 yr-1 and the accumulated forest floor mass totalled 2700 g m-2. Total nutrient pools and nutrient inputs in litter fall are presented. A litter half-life of 2.9 years is estimated, a figure close to the half-life of most of the nutrients in the litter. Manganese appears to be markedly concentrated in eucalypt leaves before they fall. Only sodium, potassium, copper and chloride appear to be leached easily from leaves slashed from trees and left on the forest floor. Patterns of litter production and decay in this subtropical forest fit within trends extrapolated from temperate Eucalyptus-dominated communities studied to date.

Leaf nutrient dynamics of two tree species and litter nutrient content in Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve, Cameroon

1997 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas C. Songwe ◽  
F. E. Fasehun ◽  
D. U. U. Okali
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Leaf Age ◽  
Magnesium Concentration ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Terminalia Superba ◽  
Phosphorus And Potassium ◽  
Nitrogen Phosphorus

ABSTRACTThe variations in macronutrient concentrations of the leaves of Terminalia superba and Pycanthus angolensis were studied and the concentrations of nutrients in leaves before abscission were compared with those after abscission. The amounts of nutrients returned to the forest floor were also computed from litter fall data at the start of maximum annual fall in the Reserve. With the exception of potassium in Pycanthus angolensis, there were significant variations in the nutrient concentrations of the two species with the time of year. With increasing leaf age the concentration of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and magnesium declined in Terminalia superba while magnesium concentration decreased in Pycanthus angolensis leaves. Furthermore, calcium showed an increasing concentration in Terminalia superba with increase in leaf age. The concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium decreased before leaf fall. Estimated losses in nitrogen phosphorus and potassium before abscission were 44, 53 and 50%, respectively, whereas generally there was an increase (40%) in the concentration of calcium at leaf fall. Magnesium did not follow a definite pattern. The return of calcium through litter fall to the forest floor was the greatest of all the major elements. The distribution and variation of foliar nutrient concentrations in the leaves of Terminalia superba and Pycanthus angolensis and the importance of the amount of litter and the concentration of the various nutrients in the influencing soil fertility are discussed.

Litter production in Pinusbanksiana dominated stands in northern Alberta

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 772-777 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Fyles ◽  
George H. La Roi ◽  
Robert A. Ellis
Keyword(s):  
Oil Sands ◽  
Physiological State ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Production Rates ◽  
Daily Production ◽  
Male Cone ◽  
Control Factors

Tree and shrub litter production was measured over 2 years in 12 jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) and 2 white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss) dominated stands located in the Hondo – Slave Lake and Athabasca Oil Sands areas of north central and northeastern Alberta. Annual and daily production rates were calculated for foliage (by species), male cones, and structural material (bark, twigs). Annual litter fall weights were typical of those measured in other boreal regions and were correlated with stand basal area. Seasonal patterns in daily production rates suggested that three classes of control factors were involved in determining litter fall rates within a stand. Random factors, such as weather, and chronic factors, such as insect or disease activity, contolled foliage and structural litter through most of the year. Predictable seasonal factors relating to plant physiological state controlled autumn foliage litter fall in deciduous and most coniferous species and production of male cone litter in early summer.

The Natural Addition of Nitrogen, Potassium and Calcium to a Pinusbanksiana Lamb. Forest Floor

1972 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. W. Foster ◽  
S. P. Gessel
Keyword(s):  
Small Proportion ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Pinus Banksiana ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Nitrogen Concentration ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Major Contributor ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Autumn Period ◽  
Tree Litter

Nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) in litter-fall, throughfall and stemflow were measured over a 24-week summer-autumn period in a 30-year-old Pinus banksiana Lamb, stand. Litter-fall from the forest canopy was the major contributor of N; whereas throughfall contributed the most K to the forest floor during the study period. Stemflow accounted for a very small proportion of the nutrients received by the forest floor. Additions of K and Ca from through fall were greater than those from litter-fall in July and August, a period of low organic additions to the forest floor. Tree litter-fall increased in the autumn. Nitrogen concentration of this litter-fall decreased from a high of 0.92% in early summer to a low of 0.21% in autumn; whereas Ca concentration increased from a July low of 0.16% to an autumn high of 0.57%.During September–November, overstory and understory vegetation contributed the greatest quantities of N; the overstory gave the most Ca, and the overstory, understory, and throughfall all added large amounts of K to the forest floor.

Leaf properties, litter fall, and nutrient inputs of Terminalia ivorensis at different tree stand densities in a tropical timber - food crop multistrata system

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (9) ◽  
pp. 1400-1409 ◽  
Author(s):  
L Norgrove ◽  
S Hauser
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Specific Leaf Area ◽  
Nutrient Concentrations ◽  
Litter Production ◽  
Food Crops ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Tropical Timber

Tree litter fall was monitored for 2 years in two Terminalia ivorensis A. Chev. plantations in the humid tropics of southern Cameroon. The plantations were 6 and 17 years old when they were each thinned to two timber stand densities (TSD) and understorey food crops were introduced. Leaf litter was the predominant litter fraction in all treatments. Treatment means of specific leaf area for T. ivorensis ranged from 83.7 to 100.7 cm2·g-1. Litter-fall production, leaf area per tree, and leaf area index for T. ivorensis were all higher in year 2 than in year 1. There was near complete defoliation of the T. ivorensis stand by Epicerura sp. (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) caterpillars in the month just before the start of litter-fall sampling. This is the first report of an Epicerura sp. from Cameroon. Terminalia ivorensis leaf litter production per tree, specific leaf area, and leaf litter nutrient concentrations showed few significant differences between TSD treatments. This lack of response suggests that T. ivorensis is a suitable species for growing at stand densities lower than is normal silvicultural practice in association with food crops.

Nutrient dynamics in the litter fall and forest floor of an 18-year-old loblolly pine plantation

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1109-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. Lockaby ◽  
Jane Ellen Taylor-Boyd
Keyword(s):  
Steady State ◽  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Pine Plantation ◽  
Rapid Decomposition ◽  
North Louisiana

Dry weight and N, P, K, Ca, and Mg concentrations were monitored in the litter fall and forest floor of a loblolly pine (Pinustaeda) plantation in north Louisiana for 2 years. Dry weights of both litter fall and forest floor were statistically stable during the sampling period, possibly indicating steady-state conditions. A comparison of litter fall with forest floor weights indicated rapid decomposition (floor turnover = 1.5 years) relative to that of other loblolly pine systems.

Decomposition, litter fall, and forest floor nutrient dynamics in relation to fire in eastern Ontario jack pine ecosystems

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 1496-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. G. Weber
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Old Age ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Jack Pine ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Equilibrium Conditions ◽  
Age Class ◽  
Eastern Ontario

Decomposition, litter fall, and nutrient and organic matter turnover rates were determined in five eastern Ontario jack pine (Pinusbanksiana Lamb.) stands having various burning histories, including wildfire. The stands included a 65-year-old age-class (stand No. 1), two stands within this age-class that were treated with nonlethal understorey fires in 1962 and 1963 (stand Nos. 2 and 3, respectively), a 21-year-old age-class (stand No. 4), and an 8-year-old age-class (stand No. 5) created by experimental burning plots within the 21-year-old age-class. Overstorey and understorey litter decomposition was assessed separately using the litterbag (1-mm mesh size) technique over a 2-year period. Overstorey litter weight loss did not vary among stands and understorey litter lost significantly more weight (P < 0.05) in the older age-classes (stands 1,2, and 3) compared with the younger stands (stands 4 and 5). Litterbag nutrient dynamics between overstorey and understorey were significantly different (P < 0.05) for P, K, and Cain all stands. Magnesium and N dynamics were the same in both litter types on all treatments, as was Fe, except in the 65-year-old stand where significantly more Fe was accumulated in understorey litter (P < 0.04) at the end of the litterbag exposure period. Three-year averages of annual litter fall ranged from 119 kg•ha−1•year−1 in the 8-year-old age-class to 4182 kg•ha−1•year−1 in the older stands. Nutrient inputs through litter fall reflect the developmental stage occupied by the younger stands along a continuum leading to equilibrium conditions of the 65-year-old age-class. Forest floor nutrient and organic matter residence times (or annual fractional turnover) were longest (least amount cycled) in the 8-year-old stand (57.6 years for organic matter), indicating harsh environmental controls over nutrient dynamics. Recovery for the 21-year-old age-class to turnover rates approaching equilibrium conditions (10-year residence time for organic matter) was rapid, demonstrating ecosystem stability in its interaction with fire. Detrimental effects on ecosystem processes can be expected if a stand-replacing fire recurs during early stages of jack pine ecosystem development.

Postharvest forest floor manipulation effects on nutrient dynamics in a loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plantation

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (9) ◽  
pp. 1058-1067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose L. Zerpa ◽  
H. Lee Allen ◽  
Blair C. McLaughlin ◽  
Jennifer Phelan ◽  
Robert G. Campbell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Taeda ◽  
Forest Floor ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Nutrient Release ◽  
N Availability ◽  
Nutrient Pools ◽  
Nutrient Pool ◽  
Available N ◽  
Positive Effects

The synchronization of nutrient release and demand in early stand establishment is important to maximizing resource use in forest plantations. We explored the impacts of forest floor manipulations on the dynamics of forest floor and mineral soil nutrient pools in a Pinus taeda L. plantation in North Carolina prior to and during 2 years following harvest and replanting. We present a novel method to estimate forest floor decomposition that avoids the exclusion of large detritivores. Decomposition and nutrient release rates from the forest floor were higher than rates typically observed in older stands (averaging 81% mass loss and 75% N loss across treatments over the 2-year period), highlighting the potential importance of the forest floor nutrient pool in early stand nutrition. Doubling the forest floor increased available C, N, and P pools in the mineral soil 46%, 47%, and 49%, respectively. Incorporating the forest floor into mineral soil through mixing had only transient positive effects on nutrient pools. Across treatments, an expected postharvest flush of soil available N was observed; however, removing the forest floor caused an earlier flush of available N in comparison with the control treatment, and doubling the forest floor caused a year delay in maximum N availability, better synchronizing the site’s available N with stand demand.

Dietary condensed tannins in bovine faeces and effects on soil microbial dynamics: are there environmental benefits for cattle production systems?

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 690
Author(s):  
Gisele M. Fagundes ◽  
Gabriela Benetel ◽  
Mateus M. Carriero ◽  
Ricardo L. M. Sousa ◽  
Kelly C. Santos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Condensed Tannins ◽  
Nutrient Dynamics ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Microbial Dynamics ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Soil Microbial Population

Context Plant bioactive compounds such as condensed tannins (CT) are seen as an alternative to rumen chemical modulators to mitigate rumen methanogenesis in livestock; however, the presence of CT in ruminant faeces also produces a series of changes in soil microbiomes. Little is known about these effects on soil nutrient dynamics. Therefore, whether CT affect the decomposition process of faecal organic matter, delaying it and consequently increasing soil carbon and nitrogen (N) sequestration, merits study. Aims Our study investigated the effects of a diet rich in CT on bovine faecal composition and on subsequent dynamics of a soil microbial population. Methods Faeces were analysed from cattle fed the following diets: control (no CT), 1.25% CT, 2.5% CT. In a greenhouse pot experiment over a period of 60 days, faeces from the three dietary treatments were applied to soil and the soil microbial populations were measured against a control with no faeces applied. Key results The presence of CT increased the excretion of faecal N and of neutral and acid detergent fibres and lignin, and the higher rate of CT reduced the rate of soil organic matter decomposition. Treatments with dietary CT resulted in greater total numbers of bacteria in the soil than in the no-faeces control and stimulated numbers of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria (α-Proteobacteria) and Firmicutes. Conclusions The study showed that CT alter N recycling and other nutrient inputs in a soil–animal ecosystem by increasing faecal N inputs, delaying organic matter breakdown, and changing soil microbial dynamics. Implications The presence of CT in ruminant diets can be beneficial to the soil environment. Sustainable management practices should be encouraged by providing ruminants with feed including high-CT legumes in silvopastoral systems.

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