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Relative effect of litter quality, forest type and their interaction on leaf decomposition in south-east Brazilian forests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 March 2008

Camila de Toledo Castanho  and
Alexandre Adalardo de Oliveira
Camila de Toledo Castanho*
Affiliation:
Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo – Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
Alexandre Adalardo de Oliveira
Affiliation:
Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo – Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
*
1Corresponding author. Email: ctcbio@yahoo.com.br
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Abstract:

Decomposition was studied in a reciprocal litter transplant experiment to examine the effects of forest type, litter quality and their interaction on leaf decomposition in four tropical forests in south-east Brazil. Litterbags were used to measure decomposition of leaves of one tree species from each forest type: Calophyllum brasiliense from restinga forest; Guapira opposita from Atlantic forest; Esenbeckia leiocarpa from semi-deciduous forest; and Copaifera langsdorffii from cerradão. Decomposition rates in rain forests (Atlantic and restinga) were twice as fast as those in seasonal forests (semi-deciduous and cerradão), suggesting that intensity and distribution of precipitation are important predictors of decomposition rates at regional scales. Decomposition rates varied by species, in the following order: E. leiocarpa > C. langsdorffii > G. opposita > C. brasiliense. However, there was no correlation between decomposition rates and chemical litter quality parameters: C:N, C:P, lignin concentration and lignin:N. The interaction between forest type and litter quality was positive mainly because C. langsdorffii decomposed faster than expected in its native forest. This is a potential indication of a decomposer's adaptation to specific substrates in a tropical forest. These findings suggest that besides climate, interactions between decomposers and plants might play an essential role in decomposition processes and it must be better understood.

Keywords

Atlantic forestcerradãoCopaifera langsdorffiileaf decompositionlocal adaptationrestinga forestsemi-deciduous forestsubstrate qualitytropical forest
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , March 2008 , pp. 149 - 156
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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