Nutrient transfer by leaf litterfall during a sugar maple decline episode at Lake Clair watershed, Québec, Canada

Abstract

In a declining sugar maple (SM) stand, we tested the hypothesis that an increasing relative abundance of American beech (AB) and yellow birch (YB) would improve litter quality by providing a higher proportion of litterfall richer in base cations and lower in acidity. From 1989 to 2006, SM leaf fall diminished from 59% (1,718 kg ha−1 year−1) to 36% (915 kg ha−1 year−1) of the total leaf fall biomass. Overall, the increase in AB and YB litterfall compensated for the SM decrease, resulting in constant annual leaf litterfall fluxes (2,803 kg ha−1 year−1) over the period studied. However, because the leaf litter for AB and YB had Ca and Mg concentrations 2–3 times higher than did SM, Ca and Mg concentrations and fluxes in leaf litterfall significantly increased between 1989 and 2006. Leaf litterfall of AB and YB also has a higher base/acid ratio than SM. Consequently, changes in forest composition following SM decline led to a clear improvement in litterfall quality in terms of base cations content and fluxes and acid–base properties.