Weight and nutrient content of litter during secondary succession on well-drained uplands of the East Gulf Coastal Plain in Mississippi
1991
Hinesley, L.E. | Nelson, L.E. | Switzer, G.L.
Production of forest litter was examined over 2 years in a chronosequence of stands representing four stages of secondary succession on well-drained uplands of the East Gulf Coastal Plain in Mississippi. Average age for these stands was from 22 to 207 years. Early succession was dominated by dense pine stands, whereas mature forests were about 75% hardwood. Litter mass was greatest early in succession, when productivity was highest, and decreased as stands matured. Foliage was approximately 70% of the litter throughout succession. The remaining 30% was mostly large woody material in young pine stands, but a heavy reproductive component in mature stands. Stands dominated by pines produced litter throughout the year, whereas hardwood stands were more cyclic. In young pine stands, the N and P content of litter was already 80-90% of the maximum value realized later in succession, whereas Ca and Mg accumulated in proportion to hardwood basal area. Nutrient concentrations in litter varied by season, component, and stage of succession. Foliar litter that fell in the spring and summer had higher N and P concentrations than that that fell in the fall. Seasonal patterns of litter production, as well as variations in nutrient concentration, made the monthly variation of nutrients returned to the forest floor less extreme than that of foliar litter fall weights.
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