Abstract
Extensive areas of inland dunes are commonly overplanted with Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). However, thus far the pine litterfall has not been investigated in detail in Scots pine stands overgrowing the landforms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyse the mass and chemical composition of litterfall in a dune Scots pine forest, paying special attention to the differences in the properties of the particular categories of litterfall (needles, twigs, bark, cones, residue) occurring in different seasons. The secondary goal of the research was to investigate the possible effect of contrasting slope aspect on litterfall properties. Litterfall was examined for three years on a north- and south-facing dune slope using the litter trap method. The mass and chemical composition (C, N, P, K, Mg, Mn, Ca, Fe, Al) of each litterfall category was analysed. Average annual mass of litterfall ranged from 322.0 ± 2.6 (slope N) to 361.9 ± 34.2 (slope S) g m−2 year−1. Fluctuations in the annual concentrations of N, P, K and Mg were determined, which was the result of their gradual withdrawal from needles before they were dropped in autumn. Immobile or poorly mobile elements (i.e., Mn, Ca, Fe and Al) were found to be steadily accumulated during the year in fallen tissues. The studied elements can be set in the following order as regards the annual pools which return to a topsoil with litterfall: C > N > Ca > K > Mg > Mn > Al > P > Fe on slope N and C > Ca > N > K > Mg > Al > P > Mn > Fe on slope S. Despite the fact that the residue (seeds etc.) constitutes a much smaller part of the total litterfall mass than the needles, comparable amounts of N, P, K, Al and Fe return to a topsoil with both these categories. The only element for which we determined differences in concentrations regarding slope aspect was Mn: the concentrations were significantly higher for needles, twigs, bark and cones on the N than the S slope.
Highlights
Litterfall is a significant pathway for the return of nutrients from plants to the forest floor and, subsequently, to the mineral soil [1]
Other species of the genus Pinus growing in tropical climates have a much greater total annual litterfall mass, e.g., 598.8 ± 64.7 g m−2 year−2 for Pinus caribaea in Ibadan in Nigeria [40], 800 g m−2 year−2 for Pinus luchuensis in the north of Okinawa Island [41], and 1430 g m−2 year−2 for Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis in Puerto Rico [9]
Our study showed the detailed characteristics of pine litterfall on inland dunes regarding litterfall categories, seasons as well as slope aspect, which far have not been reported
Summary
Litterfall is a significant pathway for the return of nutrients from plants to the forest floor and, subsequently, to the mineral soil [1]. It provides the soil surface with plant debris (e.g., needles, broadleaves, twigs, branches, cones, bark, seeds, flowers, fruits) that gradually decays with the participation of decomposer communities (bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi and invertebrates) during the decomposition process [2,3]. Nutrients gradually become available for plant uptake, and nutrient turnover in the vegetation–soil system is crucial for the productivity of forest ecosystems [4]. Some authors [8] even suggest that litterfall can be used as an indicator of forest stand condition, especially in a coniferous ecosystem
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