A model of wind-influenced leaf litterfall in a mixed hardwood forest

Abstract

Litterfall is an important ecological process in forest ecosystem functioning. Some attempts have been made to develop spatially explicit models of litterfall, but wind influence has never been included. Therefore, we studied the effect of wind on litterfall in an intimately mixed birch-oak forest using tree diameter and position as input data. After testing a litterfall model that assumed isotropic leaf dispersal, an anisotropic dispersal module was developed to account for wind influence. Using leaf fall data of 104 litter traps, isotropic and anisotropic models were optimized for silver birch (Betula pendula Roth), pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L.), and red oak (Quercus rubra L.) and model quality was compared. The anisotropic leaf litterfall model proved to be relevant because (i) the estimated litterfall directions corresponded very well to prevailing wind directions during leaf fall and (ii) including directionality significantly increased the goodness of fit of the models for both oak species but not for birch. Consequently, prevailing wind directions during leaf fall affected leaf dispersal in a broad-leaved deciduous forest. Insight into the spatial variability of the litter layer in forest ecosystems can benefit from the improved understanding of small-scale litterfall processes.