Nutrient cycling in two south-east Brazilian forests. I Litterfall and litter standing crop

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Abstract
Litterfall (leaves, woody < 5 cm diameter, flowers and fruits) was estimated monthly using 20 litter traps, each 1 m2, and litter standing crops were collected every three months using 20 samples of 0 5 m2, for Altitudinal forest (AF) and Semideciduous forest (SF) in south-east Brazil (Serra do Japi, Jundiaí, Sāo Paulo State) from March 1985 to March 1986 The total litterfall was 7 t ha−1 for AF: 4 9 leaves, 1 8 woody, 0 13 flower, 0 16 fruits; and the total for SF was 8 6 t ha−1 y−1: 5 5 leaves, 2 1 woody, 0 5 flower, 0 4 fruits Litter standing crop was 5 5 t ha−1 y−1 for the two forest sites studied with a turnover coefficient (K1) of 1 3 for AF and 1 6 for SF Litterfall occurred throughout the year but was greater during the dry season (August–September); seasonality of litter and leaf fall was greater in SF than in AF but in both followed the litterfall patterns of other southeast Brazilian forests