Multiple Factors Influence Seasonal and Interannual Litterfall Production in a Tropical Dry Forest in Mexico
| Autor: | Astrid Helena Huechacona Ruiz, Filogonio May-Pat, Gregorio Ángeles-Pérez, José Luis Andrade, Francisco Chi-May, Jennifer S. Powers, Juan Manuel Dupuy, Hernán Morffi-Mestre |
|---|---|
| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
Tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests precipitation Atmospheric sciences 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences Basal area medicine Ecosystem vegetation structure Precipitation leaf litter interannual variation seasonality temperature Forestry topographic position Vegetation lcsh:QK900-989 Plant litter Evergreen Seasonality medicine.disease successional age lcsh:Plant ecology Environmental science wind speed 010606 plant biology & botany |
| Zdroj: | Forests Volume 11 Issue 12 Forests, Vol 11, Iss 1241, p 1241 (2020) |
| ISSN: | 1999-4907 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/f11121241 |
| Popis: | Litterfall production plays a fundamental role in the dynamics and function of tropical forest ecosystems, as it supplies 70&ndash 80% of nutrients entering the soil. This process varies annually and seasonally, depending on multiple environmental factors. However, few studies spanning several years have addressed the combined effect of climate variables, successional age, topography, and vegetation structure in tropical dry forests. In this study, we evaluated monthly, seasonal, and annual litterfall production over a five-year period in semideciduous dry forests of different successional ages growing on contrasting topographic conditions (sloping or flat terrain) in Yucatan, Mexico. Its relationship with climate and vegetation structural variables were also analyzed using multiple linear regression and generalized linear models. Litterfall was measured monthly in 12 litterfall traps of 0.5 m2 in three sampling clusters (sets of four 400 m2 sampling plots) established in forests of five successional age classes, 3&ndash 5, 10&ndash 17, 18&ndash 25, 60&ndash 79, and > 80 years (in the latter two classes either on slopping or on flat terrain), for a total of 15 sampling clusters and 180 litterfall traps. Litterfall production varied between years (negatively correlated with precipitation), seasons (positively correlated with wind speed and maximum temperature), and months (negatively correlated with relative humidity) and was higher in flat than in sloping sites. Litterfall production also increased with successional age until 18&ndash 25 years after abandonment, when it attained values similar to those of mature forests. It was positively correlated with the aboveground biomass of deciduous species but negatively correlated with the basal area of evergreen species. Our results show a rapid recovery of litterfall production with successional age of these forests, which may increase with climate changes such as less precipitation, higher temperatures, and higher incidence of hurricanes. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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