Disentangling Forest Dynamics for Litter Biomass Production in a Biosphere Reserve in Central India

Abstract

Investments in energy sources are scaling up across India to improve climate security and further mitigate future climate change. Forest biomass and litterfall pattern play an important role in the sustainable management of forests and the efficient utilization of resources. This study investigates the seasonal litterfall biomass pattern for five consecutive years (2015–2019) in four different vegetation types in Central India (AABR) using the litter traps method on the forest floor. An ANOVA model was adopted to infer the effects of forest types, litter types, and seasonality on litterfall production. The estimated mean litterfall of the dry tropical forest in Central India was recorded as 4.19 ± 0.305 Mg/ha/y where teak plantations contribute higher values compared to other studied vegetation types. A positive correlation was observed between the litterfall and nutrient storage with soil-adjusted vegetation index and other vegetation indices. The findings of litterfall pattern and turnover rate of nutrients indicated that the vegetation types of AABR have huge potential for carbon sequestration and help to achieve the Conference of the Parties (COP-26) goal of reducing regional and/or global climate change.

Integrated Phytobial Remediation of Dissolved Pollutants from Domestic Wastewater through Constructed Wetlands: An Interactive Macrophyte-Microbe-Based Green and Low-Cost Decontamination Technology with Prospective Resource Recovery

“…A circular bioeconomy (CBE) provides a "conceptual framework for using renewable natural capital to transform and manage our land, food, health, and industrial systems", intending to attain sustainable well-being in balance with nature [213][214][215][216]. The fossil-based economy (FBE) is being replaced by a CBE through better utilization of plant biomass as a feedstock (raw materials) for valued bioenergy/biofuels and chemicals (Figure 9).…”

Prioritization of sub-watersheds based on quantitative morphometric analysis of the Narmada River, India, using SRTM-DEM and GIS techniques

“…"Traditional approaches" refer to the methods used to measure and analyze these properties, which can include field surveys, map interpretation, and analysis of satellite imagery. [12][13][14][15][16] Numerous scholars have examined the morphometric characteristics utilizing RS & GIS methods to investigate the physiographic settings of river basins. [17][18][19][20][21] Thus, a river basin's morphometric analysis offers a first-hand understanding of the geomorphology and watershed characteristics.…”

Metagenomic insights into the development of microbial communities of straw and leaf composts

“…While the recirculation of plant litter in agricultural ecosystems receives increasing attention (6)(7)(8), the knowledge about biomass turnover in natural ecosystems remains limited (9). Yet, leaf litter, as a major component of the annual forest litterfall (10), and the primary component of soil formation, takes longer periods to decompose than straw, a part of agricultural waste, which is linked to the differences in their chemical composition (11,12).…”