Plant Litter: Light Interception and Effects on an Old‐Field Plant Community

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Abstract
We studied the effects of litter of the annual grass Setaria faberii, the perennial herb Solidago spp. (mostly S. canadensis), and leaves of the hardwood tree Quercus alba on a successional plant community. We also assessed light interception by these litter types in the laboratory. Light extinction followed the Beer—Lambert exponential law. Solidago litter had the highest transmittance constant and Quercus litter the lowest. The three types of litter produced different light mosaics at the microsite (0.8 cm diameter) scale. In the field, all three litter types affected community structure, by the effect of Quercus was the strongest. Litter reduced the density of the two dominant grasses, Setaria faberii and Panicum dichotomiflorum. Quercus and Setaria litter resulted in biomass compensation (i.e., fewer but larger individuals) by S. faberii but not by P. dichotomiflorum, which probably was always outcompeted by S. faberii. Solanum carolinense, the main dicot in the community, was unaffected by litter addition. Setaria and Solidago litter enhanced the establishment of Erigeron annuus, but Quercus litter reduced it. Litter reduced the number of flowering individuals of S. faberii and the number of seeds per plot; Quercus litter increased the production of seeds per individual. We conclude that species—dependent effects of litter on plant populations may significantly alter interspecific interactions and change plant community structure through direct and indirect effects.

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