Seasonal variation in the litter chemical quality of a wet evergreen forest in the Western Ghats

Seasonal pattern in the resource quality of freshly fallen leaves in a wet evergreen forest floor of Western Ghats was assessed. High resource quality litter was shed during monsoon seasons and low quality litter during the summer season. We propose that the observed variations are related to nutrie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current science (Bangalore) 2007-08, Vol.93 (3), p.391-394
Main Authors: Anu, Anto, Sabu, Thomas K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Forest litter
Leaves
Lignin
Plant litter
Plant nutrition
Rainy seasons
RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
Seasons
Soil nutrients
Tropical forests
Tropical rain forests
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Summary:Seasonal pattern in the resource quality of freshly fallen leaves in a wet evergreen forest floor of Western Ghats was assessed. High resource quality litter was shed during monsoon seasons and low quality litter during the summer season. We propose that the observed variations are related to nutrient source–sink interactions during summer periods and pulse of increased soil nutrient availability and uptake during rainy season, resulting from wind-mediated green leaf fall. Significant seasonal variations in the nutrient content of fresh litter suggest complex decomposition patterns during different seasons of a year.
ISSN:0011-3891