Litter Production and Nutrient Contents of Litterfall in Oak and Pine Forests at Mt. Worak National Park

Abstract

Litter production, nutrient contents of each component of litterfall and amount of nutrients returned to forest floor via litterfall were investigated from May 2005 through April 2006 in Quercus mongolica, Quercus variabilis and Pinus densiflora forests at Mt. Worak National Park. Total amount of litterfall during one year in Q. mongolica, Q. variabilis and P. densiflora forests was 542.7, 459.2 and <TEX>$306.9\;g\;m^{-2}\;yr^{-1}$</TEX>, respectively. Of the total litterfall, leaf litter, branch and bark, reproductive organ and the others occupied 50.3%, 22.7%, 10.1 % and 16.9% in Q. mongolica forest, 81.9%, 7.2%, 3.1% and 7.9% in Q. variabilis forest, 57.4%, 12.8%, 5.6% and 24.1 % in P. densiflora forest, respectively. Nutrients concentrations in oak litterfall were higher than those in needle litter. N, P, K, Ca and Mg concentration in leaf litterfall were 13.8, 1.1, 7.2, 4.2 and 1.3 mg/g for Q. mongolica forest, 10.5, 0.7, 3.2, 3.7 and 1.6 mg/g for Q. variabilis forest, 5.3, 0.4, 1.2, 2.8 and 0.6mg/g for P. densiflora forest, respectively. The amount of annual input of N, P, K, Ca and Mg to the forest floor via litterfall was 43.36, 2.89, 21.38, 23.31 and <TEX>$5.62\;kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$</TEX> for Q. mongolica forest, 32.28, 2.01, 10.23, 20.29 and <TEX>$7.78\;kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$</TEX> for Q. variabilis forest, 15.80, 1.04, 3.99, 9.70 and <TEX>$2.10\;kg\;ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$</TEX> for P. densiflora forest, respectively.