A new instrument for measurement and collection of quantitative samples of the litter layer in forests

Marimon‐Junior, Ben Hur; Hay, John Du Vall

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2008.01.037

Cited by 22 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Measurements of litter depth were done during the rainy and dry seasons, in April and September 2010 respectively. We measured depth using an instrument developed by Marimon-Júnior & Hay (2008), which was shown to be a less subjective method for comparative measures. Litter depth was measured at every 5 m in each vegetation plot, at the left side along the central line of 250 m, totalling 51 measurements per vegetation plot.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Litter as a filter of emergence for herbaceous seedlings and sporophytes in central Amazonia

Rodrigues

Costa

2012

J. Trop. Ecol.

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Abstract:We conducted a study in 30 plots distributed uniformly in an area of 25 km2 at Ducke Reserve, Manaus, to test the hypothesis that understorey herb richness and abundance are mediated by litter, manipulating experimentally the amount of litter in the field. Over 10 mo, we followed the emergence of herbaceous seedlings and sporophytes in control, litter-addition and litter-exclusion treatments, covering an area of 1.2 m2 per plot in each treatment. We also assessed the relationship between topography and litter depth and frequency of bare-soil patches; and the influence of density of reproductive individuals on the emergence of herbs. Litter depth decreased, and the frequency of bare-soil patches increased with terrain slope in the wet season, but were not related with the soil clay content. Neither was related to the topography in the dry season. Emergence of pteridophytes was four times higher in the litter-exclusion treatment (3.7 ± 1.1 individuals m−2) than in the litter-addition treatment (0.9 ± 0.28 indiv. m−2) and increased with soil clay content. Seedlings from monocot herbs emerged twice more frequently in the litter exclusion (0.71 ± 0.25 indiv. m−2) than in the litter-addition treatment (0.33 ± 0.11 indiv. m−2), and also more in sites with high density of fruiting plants. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that regeneration of herbs with very small propagules is strongly affected by the physical barrier imposed by litter. Given that litter is shallower on slopes during the wet season, this creates a pattern of higher density and richness of pteridophytes in these areas. Monocot herbs, although also limited by litter, were more highly limited by availability of propagules, and their distribution patterns are at least in part explained by dispersal limitation. We conclude that litter is an important causal factor behind the herb distribution patterns along topographical gradients.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Litter as a filter of emergence for herbaceous seedlings and sporophytes in central Amazonia

Rodrigues

Costa

2012

J. Trop. Ecol.

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“…We collected litter samples during the four field data collection efforts. For this procedure, we used the Marimon-Hay device (Marimon Junior & Hay, 2008), which provides thickness, density and volume data for the collected material. We randomly collected samples at one point in each plot for a total of 25 samples per study site.…”

Section: Litter Biomass Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collapse of ecosystem carbon stocks due to forest conversion to soybean plantations at the Amazon-Cerrado transition

Bonini

Marimon

Matricardi

et al. 2018

Forest Ecology and Management

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Deforestation to establish monocrops in the tropics is causing massive reductions in ecosystem C stocks. Amazonia is a principal target of this process, owing to the expansion of the agribusiness frontier throughout the transition with the Cerrado biome, the zone known as the "Arc of Deforestation". In this vast contact region between the two largest South American biomes, conversion of primary forest to soybean and pasture systems has led to the deforestation of nearly five million hectares since 1980. Despite this, we lack precise understanding of the effects of land use on ecosystem C stocks and pools in this region. Addressing this knowledge gap is crucial to improve predictions and fit models for different land use scenarios in Amazonia. To reduce uncertainty regarding the magnitude of the impacts of deforestation on the C cycle, we evaluated ecosystem C stocks in contrasting land-use systems across a topographically, climatically, and edaphically near-homogeneous landscape in southern Amazonia. We investigated the soil, litter, fine root and aboveground biomass (AGB) C stocks of soybean plantations and compared them to those of remnant native forests and rubber plantations; the latter is considered a priori as a cropping system with low impact on the C cycle. We found that the conversion of native forest to soybean plantation caused a 130.5 Mg C ha-1 loss, about threefold higher than the loss when forest is converted to rubber plantations, 48.5 Mg C ha-1. While 30-year old rubber plantations had recovered 84% of forest carbon stocks, all plantation types induced sustained losses of at least onethird of the original soil carbon. Fine root allocation changed sharply in the two crops following conversion, indicating an alteration in plant nutrient dynamics. Our results show that perennial and annual monocrops have very different impacts on the C cycle, which need to be accounted for in carbon-climate models as well as in public policies regulating land use in Amazonia. Our results show that while silviculture has the potential to restore most of the above-ground C stocks of previously forested areas, neither silviculture nor conventional agriculture may ever restore Amazon soil C stocks once they become vulnerable and oxidized after deforestation. If such conversion-driven soil carbon losses were scaled across the Amazon they would induce a cumulative loss of more than 5 Pg in soil carbon by 2050.

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“…Litter layer: For each area and during the same period previously described, we collected 25 monthly samples of litter layer (one in each subplot) using a Marimon-Hay collector-measurer (Marimon-Junior and Hay 2008). The material was dried in a forced-air oven at 65°C for 72 h and weighed on a precision scale.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the effects of rainfall reduction on litterfall and the litter layer in phytophysiognomies of the Amazonia–Cerrado transition

Peixoto¹,

Marimon‐Junior

Cavalheiro

et al. 2018

Braz. J. Bot

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The tropical vegetation growing in dystrophic soils is capable of recycling nutrients through litterfall and thus maintaining soil fertility. However, climate changes can alter this production and, consequently, the litter layer over the soil, affecting the carbon cycle and the integrity of the ecosystem. In this study, we investigated whether a reduction in rainfall increased the litterfall and the litter layer (stock) and, if so, whether the effects are more evident in degraded environments. We compared the litterfall and the litter layer in years with higher (1575.3 mm) and lower (1360.8 mm) rainfall rates in three environments: ''cerradão'' (CD; savanna woodland), typical ''cerrado'' (savanna-like vegetation) and successional area (SA). We recorded increasing litterfall in the SA and in the litter layer in the three environments during the year with lower rainfall rates. We also detected alterations to the seasonal variation in the litter layer and the production of reproductive parts. The reduction in rainfall increased the return of carbon to the soil, especially in open areas. Our results indicate that climatic extremes (e.g., reduced rainfall) can modify the availability of nutrients and their absorption by plants and therefore compromising important ecosystem functions, such as carbon cycle.

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A new instrument for measurement and collection of quantitative samples of the litter layer in forests

Cited by 22 publications

References 24 publications

Litter as a filter of emergence for herbaceous seedlings and sporophytes in central Amazonia

Litter as a filter of emergence for herbaceous seedlings and sporophytes in central Amazonia

Collapse of ecosystem carbon stocks due to forest conversion to soybean plantations at the Amazon-Cerrado transition

Assessing the effects of rainfall reduction on litterfall and the litter layer in phytophysiognomies of the Amazonia–Cerrado transition

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