Litter Fall and Decomposition in Stands of Mature Pinus radiata

Abstract

SYNOPSISRates of litter fall in mature stands of Pinus radiata D. Don have been monitored at the Jonkershoek Forestry Research Station since 1976. Decomposition trials were laid out in June 1977. Litter fall has been collected on six sites in the Bosboukloof experimental catchment, subdivided into its constituent components, and each component examined for production and annual variation. Total annual litter fall for Bosboukloof is estimated at 3 721 kg/ha. Of this, needle fall constitutes 2 645 kg/ha or 71 %. Seasonality of some components is very marked but difficult to express quantitatively. An harmonic analysis on needle fall is included.Rates of litter decomposition have been monitored by means of needle samples in glass-fibre and shade-cloth mesh bags, and branches and cones pegged out in the field. The mass loss for needles after two years was between 40 and 50 %, that for branches 10 %, and that for cones 3,5 %. The mass of accumulated litter on the forest floor has also been sampled to obtain an estimate of turnover.The few chemical analyses which have been done indicate N, Ca, and Mg to be the most abundant elements in needle fall with a return to the forest floor of 17, 12 and 7 kg/ha respectively over one year. No significant seasonal variation in the nutrient content of returning needles was found. A further paper will be required to detail the results of nutrient analyses once these are complete.

Pine and eucalypt litterfall in a pine-invaded eucalypt woodland: The role of fire and canopy cover

“…This generally results from high temperatures and lack of water during the warmer months (Ananthakrishnan, 1996) and will be more pronounced in areas with strong seasonal differences in rainfall (Cromer et al, 1984;Turner et al, 2001). Strong seasonal trends in litterfall have also been recorded within P. radiata plantations (Versfeld, 1981). Water stress is a good indicator of the timing of needle loss rather than of total litterfall (Raison et al, 1992).…”

Litterfall and Nutrient Release in MaturePinus radiatain the South-western Cape

“…Fifteen branches from each size class and 15 cones were retrieved annually for four years, mass loss determined, and samples prepared for chemical analysis. Full details of the experimental layout are given by Versfeld (1981).…”

“…All remaining litterfall plots were monitored over five years. Full details on plot layout, stand characteristics, and litterfall trap design are given by Versfeld (1981).…”

“…The experimental design together with preliminary litterfall and decomposition rate data are given by Versfeld (1981). This paper covers five years of data for all separable components of litterfall, three years of decomposition data for needles, and four years for branches and cones.…”

Prediction of decomposition of litter under eucalypts and pines using the FullCAM model

“…It is expected that short-term rates of decomposition (as observed in litterbag studies) will be greater than Pande (1999), Wedderburn and Carter (1999), Hooda (1998), Maheswaran and Attiwill (1987), O'Connell (1988, 1994, 1997), O'Connell and Menagé (1983, Cox et al (2001), Gholz et al (1985Gholz et al ( , 2000, Chadwick et al (1998), Spain and le Feuvre (1987), Rovira and Vallejo (1997), Crockford and Richardson (1998a,b), Kavvadias et al (2001), Polglase and Attiwill (1992), Woods and Raison (1983), Theodorou and Bowen (1990), Versfeld (1981), Briggs and Maher (1983), Cortina and Vallejo (1994) and Baker et al (1986). Superscript indicates the number of observations from which the average was obtained while values in parenthesis indicate the standard error of the mean.…”