Litterfall: A Bio-indicator for Edge Effect in a Semi-deciduous Seasonal Forest

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the use of litterfall as an indicator of fragmentation in a Semi-deciduous Seasonal Forest in Além Paraíba, MG, Brazil. Litterfall was collected monthly for one year in conical collectors (0.25 m 2 of surface), located at seven distances from the forest edge: 10, 30, 60, 100, 160, 250 and 350 m. The litterfall was dried in an oven and separated (leaves, branches, reproductive structures, miscellaneous). Litterfall was greater near the forest edge, probably due to a predominance of species with high leaf deposition (pioneers and deciduous). Litterfall had peaks at the beginning of the rainy season for the average obtained from the seven distances from the forest edge. The edge effect did not clearly influence the contribution of the fractions or the seasonality of total litterfall.

Contribution of Pseudobombax aff. petropolitanum to Nutrient Cycling in Woody Vegetation from a Neotropical Inselberg

“…The continuous fine litterfall throughout the year in the inselberg woody vegetation, although seasonality is observed in this process, is a phenomenon commonly observed in the Atlantic Forest biome, regardless of phytophysiognomy, successional stage, altitude, and distance from the edge towards the interior of plant community (Martinelli et al, 2017;Sousa-Neto et al, 2017;Camara et al, 2018aCamara et al, , 2018bMachado et al, 2018;Schumacher et al, 2018;Carvalho et al, 2019;Araújo et al, 2020;Dick & Schumacher, 2020;Menezes et al, 2020;Câmara et al, 2021;Lagemann et al, 2022). The maximum monthly litterfall in inselberg (PP, OS, total litterfall) verified in March 2012 (end of the rainy season and beginning of the dry season) was probable a function of low accumulated precipitation, which was only 74.40 mm (approximately 7.2 % of annual precipitation).…”

“…Nutrient cycling is an important soil entry route for nutrients derived from senescent plant material, and studies have focused on litterfall and its nutrient concentration in forest ecosystems, such as Ombrophilous Forest (Bianchin et al, 2017;Camara et al, 2018a;2018b), Semideciduous Forest (Scheer et al, 2011;Machado et al, 2018;Carvalho et al, 2019;Dick & Schumacher, 2020;Menezes et al, 2020;Câmara et al, 2021;Lagemann et al, 2022), and Deciduous Forest (Schumacher et al, 2018;Araújo et al, 2020). Regardless of the forest typology being subject to greater or lesser seasonality, climate conditions influence nutrient cycling (Scheer et al, 2011;Bianchin et al, 2017;Dick & Schumacher, 2020).…”

Aporte e estoque de serapilheira no Brasil: uma análise bibliométrica da produção científica de 2008 a 2019

“…O maior número de estudos sobre o aporte de serapilheira ocorreu por meio do monitoramento dessa variável como indicador dos processos funcionais da comunidade florestal, além de observar as características adaptativas após impactos antrópicos ou naturais que ocorreram em determinado ecossistema [76,82,83]. O aporte destaca-se como um eficaz indicador de restauração florestal pois está diretamente relacionado à Produtividade Primária Líquida (PPL) da floresta [84].…”