Litter Fall and Leaf Decomposition in a River Red Gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) Swamp

1983 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 307 ◽  
Author(s):  
SV Briggs ◽  
MT Maher
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis ◽  
Leaf Decomposition ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Nutrient Input ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Flood Period ◽  
Important Food Source ◽  
River Red Gum

Litter fall and leaf decomposition rates were measured in Murrumbidgil Swamp, a river red gum (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) swamp near Booligal, New South Wales. Total litter fall, excluding large branches, was about the same as in other eucalypt and overseas hardwood forests (369-580 g m-2 year-1), but the proportion of leaf fall (21-29%) was lower. Litter fall was greater after the swamp dried out following a prolonged period of flooding than during the flood period. Ionic concentrations in the leaf litter were higher than in other eucalypts, but accessions were similar because leaf fall was lower in the red gum forest. The order of nutrient input was Ca > N > Mg ≈ Na ≈ K > S > P > Fe. Decomposition of red gum leaves submerged in the swamp was rapid at first (up to 19.2% loss in weight in 24 h) and then slowed down. The half life of the leaves decomposing over 4 months was 80 days. It is suggested that E. camaldulensis litter may provide an important food source for detritivorous invertebrates and hence for waterfowl in red gum swamps.

Evaluation of tree establishment treatments on saline seeps near Wellington and Young in New South Wales

2000 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 99 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. E. Marcar ◽  
A. K. M. A. Hossain ◽  
D. F. Crawford ◽  
A. T. Nicholson
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Eucalyptus Camaldulensis ◽  
Stem Diameter ◽  
Tree Establishment ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Crown Volume ◽  
Casuarina Cunninghamiana ◽  
Atriplex Nummularia ◽  
The Individual

The success of tree establishment on both saline and non-saline sites is dependent on the use of appropriate pre- and post-planting procedures. The 4 trials reported here on 2 dryland saline sites, near Wellington and Young in New South Wales, deal with the individual and combined effects of mulch, fertiliser, tree guards and pre-conditioning with salt and waterlogging, alone and in combination, on survival and growth of Acacia stenophylla, Atriplex nummularia, Casuarina cunninghamiana, Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Melaleuca halmaturorum. Each trial included 1 or more of these species. Soil salinity was assessed at the plot level using a hand-held electromagnetic induction device (EM38). Treatments had variable effects, depending on species, site, experiment and treatment combinations. Mulch application significantly improved height in 2 trials and, in combination with plastic guard and fertiliser, produced the best results. Treatments generally increased basal stem diameter or stem diameter at breast height, and crown volume, but the differences were usually not statistically significant. The combined effect of mulch, fertiliser and plastic guard on growth was usually greater than any single treatment.

Litter Fall and Nutrient Turnover in Two Eucalypt Woodlands

1985 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ Lamb
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Shrub Species ◽  
Soil Nutrient Status ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Nutrient Turnover ◽  
Eucalypt Woodlands ◽  
Soil Interface

The components and chemical composition of litter fall and the litter layer of two woodlands growing close together near Narrabeen Lagoon, New South Wales, were examined over a 5-year period. Total litter fall peaked in the summer but some tree and shrub species in both communities showed peaks of litter fall in summer and autumn. Litter fall averaged 540 g m-2 year-1 for a hillside Angophora costata-Eucalyptus gummifera-dominated woodland on a gradational sand, and 745 g m-2 year-1 for a E. botryoides-E. robusta-A. floribunda-dominated community on podzolized sand at the slope foot. The accumulated litter masses averaged 2100 and 1900 g m-2, respectively: calculated litter half-lives were 2.7 years and 1.8 years. The higher rates of litter fall and turnover of organic matter and nutrients in the E. botryoides-E. robusta-A. floribunda community, despite its poorer soil nutrient status, are postulated to result from a more reliable water supply and differing microbial activity at the litter-soil interface, leading to more rapid recycling of nutrients.

Long-term Variation of Litter Fall, Canopy Leaf Area and Flowering in a Eucalyptus maculata Forest on the South Coast of New South Wales

1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 737 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. W. Pook ◽  
A. M. Gill ◽  
P. H. R. Moore
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
The South ◽  
Flower Buds ◽  
Area Index ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Eucalyptus Maculata

Litter fall, canopy leaf area and environmental conditions were monitored in a regrowth stand of Eucalyptus maculata Hook. in Kioloa State Forest on the south coast of New South Wales, from spring 1977 to winter 1992. Litter fall during the first half of the study period was strongly influenced by two of the most serious droughts that had occurred in 100 years. Canopy renewal and, hence, leaf fall and changes of leaf area index (LAI), were also influenced by the flowering phenology of E. maculata. Total annual litter fall (including bark shed from lower boles) averaged 5.7 t ha-1 and ranged from 3.1 up to 7.5 t ha-1. The respective means (plus absolute ranges) of annual leaf, twig and bark fall were 2.8 (1.5–4.2), 0.9 (0.3–1.4) and 1.6 (0.5–3.1) t ha-1. Forest LAI varied between 0.7 and 5 m2 m-2. Leaves comprised 50% of the average annual litter fall; bark shed from lower boles of E. maculata contributed 0.63 t ha-1 to average annual bark fall. Flower buds were produced by a proportion of overstorey trees of E. maculata about every second year. Synchronous production and flowering of buds on all trees was observed only once in 15 years. Less than 15% of flower buds (overall) produced fruit.

Seasonal variations in the leaf fall and quality of the leaves of four Australian fodder trees.

1978 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 137 ◽  
Author(s):  
JH Leigh ◽  
AD Wilson ◽  
WE Mulham
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variations ◽  
Nutritive Value ◽  
New South ◽  
Leaf Fall ◽  
Fodder Trees ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Drought Conditions ◽  
Fallen Leaves ◽  
Common Tree

The effect of season of year on the extent of leaf fall, and the nutritive value of plucked and fallen leaves of four tree species growing in a Belah-Rosewood woodland in western New South Wales was examined over four years. Leaf fall was not correlated with rainfall but tended to a maximum in summer and autumn. There were substantial differences between species in the extent of leaf fall and in nutritive value of the leaves. Fallen leaves were of lower nutritive value than leaves plucked from the trees. The most digestible species, Wilga, yielded 21 kg/ha of leaf fall per year, whereas the least digestible, Belah, yielded 113 kg/ha. The low digestibility of the most common tree, Belah, renders it of little value as a drought reserve, but the less abundant Wilga and Rosewood are of value in supplying protein and energy in drought conditions. The amount of phosphorus returned to the soil via leaf fall would be insufficient to enhance herbaceous production beneath the trees.

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