Relationships between litterfall rate,litter mass and decomposition rate in Eucalyptus forests in southeastern Australia

Measurements of annual litterfall rate and mean annual litter mass for various indigenous open-forests are listed, along with the consequent decomposition constant (k) and mean annual rainfall. Using data only from sites considered valid for comparison (i.e. all those with a sclerophyllous plant understorey, not recently burnt, grazed or invaded by an exotic decomposer, and where for accuracy of assessment the litter layer has been sampled on several occasions) a quadratic relationship between litterfall rate and litter mass was significant, with decomposition rates at sites increasing with increasing litterfall rate. The existence of such a relationship may be useful for future studies: if litter data obtained lie appreciably outside the values on the line of quadratic regression, it would be worthwhile checking the accuracy of litterfall and mass estimates, site past history and the validity of the decomposition constant estimate. There was a significant positive linear relationship between the decomposition constant and mean annual rainfall at sites where rainfall was within the range 600–1800 mm y^-1, the general limits for open-forest site development. However, more data are required to increase the predictive value of relationship.