Monthly Litterfall Dynamics in Three Different Forest Types in Jeju Island, South Korea

Abstract

In a forest ecosystem, the major pathway for carbon and nutrient cycling is through litterfall, which has been influenced by physical and biological factors. The purpose of this study was to investigate monthly litterfall production in three forests in Jeju Island differentiated based on precipitation and forest composition: Chungsu (<i>Quercus glauca</i> as the dominant species; low precipitation), Seonheul<sub>b</sub> (<i>Q. glauca</i> as the dominant species; high precipitation), and Seonheul<sub>m</sub> (<i>Q. glauca</i> and <i>Pinus thunbergii</i> as the dominant species; high precipitation). Litterfall was collected monthly from April to December 2015 and divided into leaf litter, twig, bark, seeds, and unidentified materials. The amount of leaf litter by species varied by stand, but leaf litter and total litterfall were very similar among stands, ranging from 362 g m<sup>-2</sup> to 375 g m<sup>-2</sup> for leaf litter and 524 g m<sup>-2</sup> to 580 g m<sup>-2</sup> for total litterfall. However, oak leaf litter was the highest in May, but needle litter was the highest in December. Forest type and climate factor had no influence on the amount of litterfall in the studied forests while the litterfall production by species showed considerable seasonal variation, resulting in varying effects on carbon and nutrient cycling in these forests.