What is leaf litter depth?

Leaf litter is a conspicuous part of any tropical forest. Litter depth reflects the balance of litterfall and decomposition. At the global scale, both rates increase with the co-availability of water and solar energy (Rosenzweig 1968; Gholz et al.

How is litterfall measured?

Litterfall is measured both for its biomass and for its chemical composition, and is collected in either conical traps or long troughs. Neither the conical traps nor the long troughs are very large (80 – 100 cm in diameter for the cones), and many of them will be spread throughout the area marked for observation.

Does leaf litter improve soil?

Soil and leaf litter organisms help decompose organic material, spreading it around and releasing nutrients for new growth. The leaf litter layer is vital for protecting the underlying soil from erosion, maintaining good soil structure and fertility, and aiding moisture retention.

How long does it take for leaf litter to decompose?

Make your leaf heap as large as possible to hasten decay, and moisten it periodically if it becomes dry. Most leaves take about two years to break down.

What happens to leaf litter?

Microscopic organisms like bacteria and fungi then decompose the litter, converting it into beneficial chemicals and minerals that can be absorbed by plants. Animals you may find living in leaf litter include slugs and snails, worms, animals with jointed legs (like millipedes and centipedes), spiders and beetles.

Is litterfall a carbon sink?

3.3. Litterfall plays pivotal role as C sink pathway for the mangroves. A 2-year comprehensive monitoring by Ray et al.

What is the importance of litterfall?

In the forest ecosystems, litterfall is an important component of the nutrient cycle that regulates the accumulation of soil organic matter (SOM), the input and output of the nutrients, nutrient replenishment, biodiversity conservation, and other ecosystem functions.

What is soil Duff?

Litterfall, plant litter, leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, or duff, is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground.

What is leaf litter used for?

Leaf litter reduces the amount of exposed soil, which helps keep weeds from popping up in spring. It also insulates the ground and provides moisture, structure and nutrients for beneficial soil organisms such as earthworms.

Can you mulch too many leaves?

He’s done some research into this, and found no evidence that too much leaf mulch will alter your soil in a way that hurts your grass. A: You could allow this many leaves to cover the lawn over winter, but they can be easily mulched before that.

Do dead leaves make good mulch?

Fallen leaves are great for using as natural mulch. Not only will they save you the expense of purchasing mulch, but they will also help to enrich your soil, lock in moisture and protect your plants from winter’s fluctuating temperatures.

What is the litterfall pattern in tropical forests?

On the other hand, in most tropical forests, the amount of litter on the soil varies depending on the seasons (Zhang et al. 2014 ), and the litterfall pattern could be unimodal, bimodal, or irregular (Scheer 2009 ).

What determines the decomposition rate of leaf litter?

Soil properties and leaf litter quality are among the major factors, which determine the decomposition rate of litter (Zhang et al. 2014 ).

How does the amount of carbon in the litter change over time?

Since organic carbon in the litter is the primary energy source for decomposers, the amount of C in the litter decreases over time; however, the loss of C in the litter is determined by the growth rate and efficiency of decomposers (Liu 2012; Giebelmann et al. 2013 ).

What is the role of litter litter in the ecosystem?

Litter is directly involved in plant-soil interaction because it helps to incorporate carbon and nutrients from plants into the soil (Cuevas and Lugo 1998 ). Carbon and nutrient cycling are the key ecosystem processes, which are driven by the decomposition of plant litter (Cornwell et al. 2008 ).