Nutrient composition of mature and litter leaves and nutrient mobilization in leaves of tree species from secondary rainforests in the South of Brazil

Abstract

The aim of this work was to analyze the concentration of N, P, K, Ca and Mg in mature and litter leaves and nutrient mobilization in leaves of different tree species from secondary forests of the Atlantic Forest. At the study site, located in Floresta do Palmito (Paranaguá, PR), three different forest typologies namely Initial, Intermediary and Advanced were selected. The predominant sequence of nutrients in litter leaves was: N > Ca > Mg > K > P. This sequence was very similar to that found for mature leaves, the difference being only the change in order between Mg and K. Nutrients mobilized in leaves were higher in the typology Advanced compared to the typology Initial, mainly N, P and K. The majority of the species studied did not mobilize Ca to other parts of the plant, except Clusia criuva (typology Intermediary) and Ocotea pulchella (typology Advanced).