Litter deposition in a fragmented area in the Brazilian Atlantic
Forest
F. R. Gondim, M. G. Pereira, F. M. Pina-Rodrigues;
Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro, Seropedica, Brazil.
Plant litter plays an important role in tropical forest ecosystems and to the
maintenance of diversity, including insects, soil microorganisms and vegetation.
We investigated how litter is distributed in four fragments of different size and
degrees of isolation by agricultural activities. We selected fragments isolated (F3=
3.2 ha; F4= 62 ha) and connected (F2 = 8 ha; F1= 23 ha). Litter traps (16) were
established at four distances from the edge. ANOVA, Tukey post-hoc test,
correlation, PCA, ordination and cluster analysis were carried out to define the
relationships among fragments. The average amount of litter supplied was 13.5 t
ha-1 similar to other studies in Atlantic Forest. Leaves represented 60.4 %,
branches (16.2%) and (6.5%). Neither distance from the edge nor isolation degree
affected the litter deposition pattern along the period.
Fragments` size was the most important variable separating biomass production
among fragments.
(Blumen Project supported by CNPq and BMBF-Germany Agreementhttp://www.tt.fhkoeln.de/blumen )