Litter Accumulation in a Eucalyptus grandis Plantation, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Abstract

This study aimed at quantifying the accumulation of litter in formative compartments (bark, branches, leaves, and miscellaneous) above the soil in a 23-year-old Eucalyptus grandis plantation, located on the campus of the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul. We installed four parallel plots on the settlement lines, measuring 3.0 m × 6.0 m. In order for litter collection, we utilized a 25 cm × 25 cm iron frame and randomly collected 15 samples of each plot, totaling 60 samples. The burlap consisted predominantly of branches (39%) and miscellaneous (29%) fraction, followed by leaves (23%) and bark (6%). Such accumulation may be associated with the age of the Eucalyptus grandis, the density of the forest, and the stability achieved by the plantation.The analyzed burlap consisted primarily of branches (39%) and the miscellaneous fraction (29%). This accumulation may be related to the age of the Eucalyptus grandis (23 years), forest density, and the stability reached by the settlement.The leaf fraction was minimally representative (23%) in the accumulated litter. This fact may have occurred due to the period of collection, which was performed at the end of winter, in which leaf fall is reduced. The bark fraction was also poorly representative, contributing only with 6% in the accumulation of burlap.

Interaction of macroinvertebrates in leaf litter in forest ecosystems: a review

“…This decomposition is influenced mainly by the temperature and the relative humidity of the air. In tropical forests, in winter, there is a decrease in the deposition rate (Santos et al, 2020) and decomposition of leaf litter due to low temperatures, making the process of nutrient cycling difficult and, therefore, there is a decrease in the return of these nutrients to vegetation (Terror, Sousa & Kozovits, 2011).…”