Litter Fall and Leaf Decomposition in a Tropical Forest Succession in Eastern Guatemala

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The amounts of litter fall and rates of leaf decomposition were measured in young second-growth stands and in mature seasonally deciduous forests in the lowlands of eastern Guatemala (15.degree. 30''N, 89.degree. 10''W). The dry weights and concentrations of N, P, K, Ca and Mg were determined. Litter fall increased with increasing age of vegetation, to a maximum of 10 t ha-1 yr -1 produced by a 14-yr-old stand; this was not significantly different from the litter fall in mature forest nearby. The decomposition of leaves from 4 spp. (Cochlospermum vitifolium, Heliconia latispatha, Orbignya cohune, Paspalum fasciculatum and Trema micrantha) was measured under 6 ages of vegetation (0, 3, 6, 9 and 14 yr, plus mature forest) and on 2 soil types: alluvial and serpentine/limestone-derived upland. Four of the species were successional and their leaves decomposed more rapidly than those of the mature-forest species used: O. cohune, a palm. Decomposition occurred at about the same rate under all ages of vegetation, except that it was significantly slower on sites which were cleared of all vegetation. The rate of loss of dry matter did not differ between the alluvial and upland soils, but the losses of N and P were more rapid on the depauperate upland soil and the vegetation may actively remove these elements from the litter.