FOREST LITTER PRODUCTION VARIES WITH SEASON AND ELEVATION GRADIENT IN CHIAPAS, MEXICO

Abstract

<p><strong>Background.</strong> Forest litterfall is a fundamental process of ecosystem nutrient cycling, also, it is a source of energy for the development and propagation of wildfire. Understanding the temporal dynamics of litter production and storage is critical for sustainable management and conservation of forest ecosystems. <strong>Objective. </strong>To quantify<strong> </strong>the monthly production and storage of forest litter in an elevation gradient. <strong>Methodology.</strong> We selected forest sites at three elevations: 670, 775, and 1010 masl, corresponding to pine, oak, and tropical lowland forest ecosystems in Nambiyugua hill, Chiapas, Mexico. Sixteen sampling sites with a radius of 11.28 m were established for tree measurements, and 48 litter traps of 0.50 m<sup>2 </sup>were installed to collect monthly litterfall for a year. To sample ground litter eight 30 by 30 cm<sup>2</sup> quadrats were used in each site. The fallen woody material was measured with the planar intersection method. Litter samples were oven-dried at 60 °C for 72 h and separated into leaves and other plant parts. One-way ANOVA was used to test the significant differences between forests.<strong> Results.</strong> The highest total loads of litter and fallen woody material were obtained in the pine forests of upper elevation with 29.01 t ha<sup>-1</sup>. The highest litter production was obtained in January and April, with a mean of 1.34 ± 0.19 and 0.74 ± 0.13 t ha<sup>-1</sup> respectively in pine forests. In the oak forest, the highest production occurred in March, with 1.08 ± 0.25 t ha<sup>-1</sup>; while the lowland forest reached the highest production in January with 0.85 ± 0.26 t ha<sup>-1</sup>, with a decreasing trend in June. <strong>Implications.</strong> Understanding the seasonal variability in litter production and forest fuel loads is crucial for forest productivity, carbon sequestration, and wildfire prevention <strong>Conclusions.</strong> The production of forest fuels was different among the ecosystems representing the elevation gradients. The highest monthly production of litter was registered during the January-May period for the pine and oak ecosystems but in November - January in tropical lowland forests.</p>