Leaf litter disappearance in a tropical montane rain forest

Technical Report · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1982

OSTI ID:5570716

La Caro, F

The time course of leaf litter disappearance of six rain forest tree species was monitored for 32 weeks at the El Verde lower montane rain forest study site in northeastern Puerto Rico. Dacryodes excelsa, Sloanea berteriana and Drypetes glauca were chosen to represent primary climax species while Cecropia peltata, Inga vera and Ixora ferrea were selected to represent the secondary successional species for this forest. The string non-confined tethered leaf method was employed in this study. Dry weights and concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium were determined through seven segments of time. Leaf litter fall and standing crop were estimated and general soil characteristics were measured to provide background data. The secondary species Cecropia peltata and Inga vera were found to have slower rates than the primary species Dacryodes excelsa and Sloanea berteriana. The same pattern appeared to emerge between the understory secondary Ixora ferrea and the understory primary Drypetes glauca. The interacting effects of the leaf structural characteristics such as % lignin and % fiber were found to be best correlated with the observed decay rates. Nutrients were considered important in establishing resource quality factors but did not appear to influence decay rates. Instead, nutrient dynamics reflected intervals of element immobilization, mineralization and importation. 82 refs., 13 figs., 12 tabs.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Inc., TN (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-76OR00033
• OSTI ID: 5570716
• Report Number(s): DOE/OR/00033-T152; ON: DE85015023
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510100* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Basic Studies-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DATA
DECOMPOSITION
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FEDERAL REGION II
FOREST LITTER
GREATER ANTILLES
INFORMATION
ISLANDS
LEAVES
MATERIALS
MINERAL CYCLING
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
NUTRIENTS
PUERTO RICO
TIME DEPENDENCE
TROPICAL REGIONS
USA
WEST INDIES