Litterfall dynamics along a successional gradient in a Brazilian tropical dry forest

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the influence of soil traits, vegetation structure and climate on litterfall dynamics along a successional gradient in a tropical dry forest (TDF) in southeastern Brazil. We used a chronosequence design consisting of three successional stages (early, intermediate, and old-growth) defined based on forest age and vertical and horizontal structures. Methods: Litterfall was recorded monthly for three years in 12 plots of 50 × 20 m (four plots per stage) where vegetation parameters (species richness, basal area, density and height for trees with diameter at breast height ≥ 5 cm) and soil chemical and physical traits were previously obtained. We placed eight 0.5-m 2 litter traps in each plot, totalling 96 traps. Samples were sorted into leaves, twigs, reproductive parts, and debris. Results: Litterfall mass was composed mainly of leaves and varied slightly among years (4 to 4.5 Mg•ha − 1), within the range observed for other TDFs. Annual litterfall mass was higher at the old-growth forest than at the early and intermediate forest stages and this successional pattern was driven by vegetation characteristics (forest structural parameters and plant functional groups) and soil traits related to water-holding capacity. Litter amount in the intermediate stage was lower than expected for its forest structure (and similar to the early stage), possibly because its higher soil clay content increased the water holding capacity and leaf retention during the dry season. Seasonal variations in monthly litterfall were strongly driven by forest deciduousness and affected by climatic factors related to water availability. This pattern was consistent across the successional gradient, although differences for each litterfall component were observed. Conclusions: Our results suggest that litter production in the studied TDF is influenced by multiple factors along succession, such as above-ground biomass and the degree of leaf retention mediated by soil water-holding capacity. Further studies on community phenological patterns can allow a better understanding of successional changes on litterfall and how fast this fundamental function recovers in secondary forests.

Litterfall dynamics and soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in the Brazilian palm swamp ecosystems

“…3b), several studies have also reported the The mean values followed by the same letters (lowercase among the three areas in the same season and uppercase in each area between the two seasons) did not differ statistically by the Tukey Test (p < 0.05). AD = Agua Doce palm swamp; CV = Capivara palm swamp; BG = Buriti Grosso palm swamp maximum litter production in the dry period (Klinge and Rodrigues 1968;Luizão and Schubart 1987;Boinskis 1989;Martins 2010;Brasil et al 2017;Souza et al 2019). The leaf deciduousness of the Cerrado species in the dry season constitutes a plant protection mechanism to minimize the effects of water shortage, increases the litter deposition in the months with low rainfall (Souza et al 2019) and reduces loss of water through evapotranspiration and thereby maintains plant metabolism (Herbohn and Congdon 1993;Franco et al 2005), We observed that, even considering the distinct anthropization processes of the three ecosystems evaluated, there is a seasonal pattern of litterfall deposition in the Cerrado surrounding the palm swamps.…”

“…In natural ecosystems of palm swamps, most of the organic matter accumulated on the soil surface mainly consists of plant matter coming from the litterfall decomposition process, which is highly relevant to the nutrient cycling (Souza et al 2019). The decomposition process results in accumulation of soil organic matter (SOM) and release of its nutrients (Sousa Neto et al 2017), maintaining the soil fertility and ecosystem productivity.…”

Different Patterns Of Nutrient Cycling In Contiguous Phytophysiognomies Of Atlantic Forest, Brazil

“…The sandy textures of Mussununga soils apparently also influenced the higher contribution of leaves to total litterfall in relation to the Mata Alta forest. Soils with higher sand content and lower clay content retain less water (Pastor & Post, 1986) and allow increased litter deposition from plants (Souza et al, 2019). Thus, the arboreal community in the Mussununga phytophysiognomy likely demonstrates higher leaf abscission than the Mata Alta area to reduce water loss through evapotranspiration.…”

Litterfall, Decomposition and Nutrient Release in Sacred Forests of Western Odisha, India.

“…Tropical forests are characterized by a strong seasonality in their leaf litterfall pattern (Zhang et al 2014;Becker et al 2015;Wagner et al 2016;Nakagawa et al 2019), and the seasonality depends on the vegetation characteristics, species composition and plant phenological responses to environmental variation (Cuevas and Lugo 1998;Zalamea and Gonzalez 2008;Schilling et al 2016;Souza et al 2019). In tropical dry forests leaf loss mostly occurs during the dry season (Barlow et al 2007;Zhang et al 2014).…”