Effect of typhoon disturbance on fine litterfall and related nutrient input in a subtropical forest on Okinawa Island, Japan

Typhoons are frequent on Okinawa Island, southwestern Japan. The effects of typhoon disturbance on the patterns of fine litterfall and related nutrient inputs in a subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest were studied over 5 years from May 1996 to April 2001. Annual fine litterfall averaged 7558 kg ha⁻¹ (range from 6188 to 9439 kg ha⁻¹) for six sampling plots over 5 years, which differed significantly among years (p<0.001) but not among plots (p=0.122). A seasonal maximum was most evident for leaf litter component. Woody litter fell more irregularly through the year, and peak fall varied with typhoon and windstorm. The mean ratio of annual litterfall mass of sexual organs to leaves was 0.06, much lower than that in other tropical and subtropical rain forests. Nutrient concentrations varied in litterfall components, but were not significantly different among plots. The lowest concentrations of N and P in leaf litter were observed in March, which is also the month with the greatest leaf fall. However, the highest concentrations were recorded in typhoon season. Nitrogen and P concentrations were 34% and 106% greater in the green leaves that fell during typhoons than in senescent leaves. Mean nutrient inputs by litterfall were: N 83, P 3.2, K 25, Ca 71, Mg 19, Al 12, Na 10, Fe 0.86 and Mn 3.9 kg ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹, and differed significantly among years for all elements (p<0.0005) and among plots only for K (p<0.05) and Mn (p<0.0001). Typhoon disturbance strongly affected annual fine litterfall and related nutrient inputs, which contributed an average of 30% of the annual litterfall mass, and from 30% to 39% (for different nutrient elements) of annual total nutrient inputs. The results from this study suggest that typhoon-driven maintenance of rapid cycling of P and N and their high availability in soil appears to be an important mechanism to maintain productivity in the subtropical forest on Okinawa Island.     

东北地区主要森林生态系统凋落量的比较

以东北地区不同纬度带上4个区域内的典型森林类型为研究对象,采用直接收集法对森林凋落量进行连续3年的观测研究,结果表明,同一地区不同林型间的年凋落量差异显著,凋落量年变化不显著;落叶量占总量的比例最大,在70%以上,落枝和花果皮各占总量的20%以下,落枝量和落叶量之间存在正相关关系,相关系数为0.82;长白山区5种森林类型不同时期内凋落量统计结果显示,秋、冬季的凋落量明显大于春、夏季,前者为后者的2.62～9.14倍.不同凋落组分之间凋落动态不同,落叶以秋季为主,落枝和花果皮则年内分布比较均匀.同一林型的凋落量随纬度增加而减少,并建立了总体森林凋落量和白桦凋落量随纬度变化的数学关系式;总体森林凋落量和白桦林凋落量与温度均呈正相关,相关系数分别为0.95和0.91.     

浙江天童常绿阔叶林演替过程凋落物数量及分解动态

浙江天童常绿阔叶林演替过程森林凋落物量呈增长趋势,其中：乔木叶比例最大,其它器官组分在不同演替阶段的比例不一致,灌木叶和草本、树皮比例随着演替进程而呈减少趋势,树枝和繁殖器官则呈增大趋势。以分解袋法测得凋落物年失重率和指数方程模拟的分解系数Ｋ在演替过程中均呈增长趋势,这与年凋落物数量变化趋势相似。可见,随着演替进程,生物循环加快,群落自肥能力增强。     

Aboveground biomass and litterfall ofPinus pumila scrubs growing on the Kiso mountain range in central Japan

Aboveground biomass and litterfall ofPinus pumila scrubs, growing on the Kiso mountain range in central Japan, were investigated from 1984 to 1985. The biomass of two research plots (P1 and P2) with different scrub heights was estimated by two methods, the stratified clip technique and the allometric method. Aboveground total biomass estimated by the latter method reached 181 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ in P1 and 132 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ in P2. Creeping stems contributed to about half of the total biomass. Although estimates of woody organs differed between the two plots, leaf biomass estimates were almost the same at 15.5 ton d.w. ha⁻¹. The canopies of the twoP. pumila scrubs were characterized by a large mean leaf area density of 5.0 m² m⁻³. Despite this large area density, relatively moderate attenuation of light intensity was observed. Specific leaf area generally increased with reduced leaf height. Annual total litterfall was estimated to be 3.60 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in P1 and 2.39 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in P2. Annual leaf fall in both plots was approximately 2.0 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. Leaves fell mainly in early autumn. Annual loss rates of branches, estimated as the sum of annual branch litterfall and the amount of newly formed attached dead branches, were 0.29 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in P1 and 0.37 ton d.w. ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹ in P2.     

Structure and seasonal distribution of litterfall in young plantations of Populus ‘Tristis#1’

Litterfall was sampled in 3- to 7-year-old irrigated and fertilized plantings of Populus Tristis#1 in northern Wisconsin. Leaves accounted for more than 90 per cent of the total litter and reached an asymptotic value of about 4,000 to 4,200 kg/ha. Leaf litterfall culminated in late September or first half of October. Inadequate light appeared to be responsible for an early (June) leaf fall in dense plantings. The maximum cumulative leaf area index ranged from 8.4 to 8.7. The pattern of foliation and defoliation was similar: it started with small leaves in the lower canopy and ended with large leaves of the upper canopy. Longevity of the small leaves was shorter than that of the large leaves. Leaf size was positively affected by fertilization but was not affected by a discontinuation of irrigation by mid-July during the droughty 1976. The specific leaf weight ranged from 2.6 mg/cm² in the lower canopy to 10.2 mg/cm² in the upper canopy. The specific leaf weight of litter leaves was 4 to 38 per cent lower than that of green leaves of the same size.     

Seasonal nutrient variation in trembling aspen

Summary Variation in concentrations of N, K, Mg, and Ca in vegetative-buds, leaves, twigs, and male catkins of trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), determined throughout a growing season in central Minnesota, reflected the different physiological roles of the nutrients. Practical implications are discussed.     

西双版纳原始热带湿性季节雨林生物量及净初级生产

应用生物量回归模型和生产力方程,研究了西双版纳原始热带湿性季节雨林生物量及净初级生产量（NPP）。雨林总生物量为692．590t·hm-2,总生物量分配为：乔木层占98．66％、灌木层占0．76％、木质藤本层占0．50％、草本层占0．09％,生物量主要集中于乔木层。雨林年平均NPP为25．764t·hm-2·a－1,其中各层次的NPP分别为（t·hm-2·a－1）：乔木层23．972（占总NPP的93．04％）、灌木层0．749（占2．91％）、木质藤本层0．431（占1．67％）和草本层0．612（占2．38％）。乔木层NPP分配为（t·hm－2·a-1）：凋落量11．566、叶虫食量0．694和生物量增量11．712。结果表明：西双版纳虽地处热带北缘,当地原始热带湿性季节雨林同样具有典型热带雨林一样高的生物量和NPP。     

Soil phosphorus fractionation and phosphorus-use efficiencies of tropical rainforests along altitudinal gradients of Mount Kinabalu, Borneo

We studied soil phosphorus (P) fractionation and P-use efficiencies (PUEs) of rainforests along altitudinal gradients (700–3100 m) on two types of parental rocks (sedimentary versus ultrabasic) on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Sedimentary rocks were known to contain more quartz (which does not adsorb P) than ultrabasic rocks. The pool (top 30 cm) of total P was always greater on sedimentary (ranging from 34.9 to 72.6 g m^–2) than on ultrabasic (9.0–29.2 g m^–2) rocks at comparable altitudes. Accordingly, the pools of organic P and labile inorganic P were always greater on sedimentary than on ultrabasic rocks. The pool of primary mineral, calcium P increased upslope from 1.7 to 4.3 g m^–2 on sedimentary rock, suggesting that the altitudinal sequence of the sites reflected a decreasing magnitude of soil weathering upslope. The pool of calcium P on ultrabasic rock did not vary consistently with altitude (1.2–2.8 g m^–2), probably reflecting the greater between-site variability of primary mineral P in parent rocks. When all sites were compared, the pool of most labile, bicarbonate-extracted inorganic P increased (ranging from 0.02 to 1.85 g m^–2) with increasing calcium P. Calcium P was therefore considered to be an important P source to the biota on Kinabalu. Gross patterns in the variation of PUE (indexed as the reciprocal of the P concentration in litter) were best explained by the pool size of actively cycling P (total P minus occluded inorganic P). PUE, however, demonstrated distinct altitudinal patterns to generate an intricate conrol of P use pattern by soil P pools and altitude. Received: 2 August 1998 / Accepted: 28 November 1999     

浙江建德青冈常绿阔叶林凋落量研究

 本文报道了浙江建德青冈常绿阔叶林的凋落量及各类凋落物的凋落特征。 6年的测定结果表明,青冈林的年均凋落量为5547.6kg/(hm2·a),其中枯叶量占68.32%,枯枝、落果、其它凋落物各占14.82%、15.04%和1.82%。各类凋落量具有明显的季节与年际变化规律,其季节分配还具年际波动现象。各类凋落物的凋落特征从一定角度反映了植物群落一般的生物学与生态学特性,以及植物对特殊环境条件的适应性。