Abstract
Litterfall (LF) is usually collected by means of opentraps. However, this litter will be subject toleaching by the throughfall which passes through theaccumulated litter in the traps. The nutrients lostduring this leaching are not taken into account in thecalculation of LF nutrient fluxes. We report theresults from a 2-month (August–September) studycarried out in 8 northern coniferous forest stands toassess the possible importance of leaching from litterin LF traps. Compared to throughfall (TF), thelitterfall leachate (LFLgross), which includes athroughfall component, had significantly (p < 0.05)higher concentrations and fluxes of Ca, Mg, Na and S.The average net LFL (i.e., LFLnet = LFLgross-TF) fluxes were 21 (Ca), 7 (Mg), 57 (K), 10 (Na), 10 (N), and 19 (S) mg m-2 mo-1. LFLnet accounted for 42%, 37% and 50% of the LFLgross flux, and for 91%, 51% and 49% of the total litterfall flux (i.e.,LF + LFLnet) of Na, S and K, respectively. ForCa, Mg and N, the LFLnet flux accounted for 64%,58% and 29% of the LFLgross flux, and for< 14% of the total litterfall flux. Compared to TF,LF was the dominant return pathway for Ca, Mg and N tothe forest floor regardless of whether LFLnet wasincluded or not. However, for K and S, takingLFLnet into account determined whether TF or LFwas the dominant pathway. TF remained the dominantpathway for Na even when LFLnet was included.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Aber, J.D. and Melillo, J.M. (eds): 1991, Terrestrial Ecosystems, Saunders College Publishing. ISBN 0-03-047443-4.
Attiwill, P.A. and Adams, M.A.: 1993, 'Tansley review No. 50: Nutrient cycling in forests', New Phytol. 124, 561–582.
Bergström, I., Mäkelä, K. and Starr, M. (eds): 1995, Integrated Monitoring Programme in Finland. First National Report, Ministry of the Environment, Environmental Policy Department, Helsinki. Report 1.
Cole, D.W. and Rapp, M.: 1981, 'Elemental cycling in forest ecosystems', in Reichle, D.E. (ed.), Dynamic Properties of Forest Ecosystems, Cambridge University Press, Inter. Biol. Programme 23, 341–409.
Cronan, C.S. and Reiners, W.A.: 1983, 'Canopy processing of acidic precipitation by coniferous and hardwood forests in New England', Oecologia 59, 216–223.
Dise, N.B., Matzner, E. and Gundersen, P.: 1998, 'Synthesis of nitrogen pools and fluxes from European forest ecosystems', Water, Air and Soil Pollution 105, 143–154.
Finér, L.: 1995, 'Variation in the amount and quality of litterfall in a Pinus sylvestris L. stand growing on a bog', For. Ecol. Manage. 80, 1–11.
Flower-Ellis, J.: 1985, 'Litterfall in an age series of Scots pine stands: summary results for the period 1973–1983', in Lindroth, A. (ed.), Klimat, fotosuntes och förnafall I tallskog på Sedimentmark-ekologiska basmätningar i Jädraås. Institutionen för Ekologi och Miljövård, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, Uppsala, Rapport 19, 75–74.
Helmisaari, H-S.: 1992, 'Nutrient retranslocation within the foliage of Pinus sylvestris', Tree Physiol. 10, 45–58.
ICP IM Programme Centre.: 1998, Manual for Integrated Monitoring, August 1998. UN ECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution. International Cooperative Programme on Integrated Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Ecosystems. ICP Programme Centre, Finnish Environment Institute.
Johansson, M.B.: 1995, 'The chemical composition of needle and leaf litter from Scots pine, Norway spruce and white birch in Scandinavian forests', Forestry 68(1), 49–62.
Kulmala, A., Leinonen, L., Ruoho-Airola, T., Salmi, T. and Waldén, J.: 1998, Air quality trends in Finland, Air quality measurements. Finnish Meteorological Institute.
Kurka, A-M. and Starr, M.: 1997, 'Relationship between decomposition of cellulose in the soil and tree stand characteristics in natural boreal forests', Plant and Soil 197, 167–175.
Lovett, G.M.: 1992. 'Atmospheric deposition and canopy interactions of nitrogen', in Johnson, D.W. and Lindberg S.E (eds), Atmospheric deposition and forest nutrient cycling, Ecological studies 91, 152–166.
Mahendrappa, M.K. and Ogden E.D.: 1973, 'Effects of fertilization of a black spruce stands on nitrogen contents of stemflow, throughfall and litterfall', Can. J. For. Res. 3(54), 54–60.
Miller, H.G. and Miller, J.D.: 1980, 'Collection and retention of atmospheric pollutants by vegetation', in: Drabløs, D. and Tollan, A. (eds), Ecological impacts of acid precipitation, SNSF-projekt. Oslo-As, 33–40.
Mälkönen, E.: 1974, 'Annual primary production and nutrient cycle in some Scots pine stands', Commun. Inst. For. Fenn. 84(5), 1–87.
Nordén, U.: 1994, 'Leaf litterfall concentrations and fluxes of elements in deciduous tree species', Scand. J. For. Res. 9(1), 9–16.
Nykvist, N.: 1963, 'Leaching and decomposition of water-soluble organic substances from different types of leaf and needle litter', Studia Forestalia Suecica 3, 1–31.
Parker, G.G.: 1983, 'Throughfall and stemflow in the forest nutrient cycle', Adv. Ecol. Res. 13, 58–133.
Piirainen, S., Finér, L. and Starr, M.: 1998, 'Canopy and soil retention of nitrogen deposition in a mixed boreal forest in eastern Finland', Water, Air and Soil Pollution 105, 165–174.
Raitio, H., Starr, M. and Ukonmaanaho, L.: 1995, 'Needle chemistry', in Bergström, I., Mäkelä, K. and Starr, M. (eds), Integrated Monitoring programme in Finland, First National Report, Ministry of the Environment, Environmental Policy Department, Helsinki. Report 1, 88–89.
Segal, D.S., Jones, R.H. and Sharitz, R.R.: 1990, 'Release of NH4-N, NO3-N and PO4-P from litter in two bottomland hardwood forests', Am Midl. Nat. 125, 160–170.
Starr, M. and Ukonmaanaho, L.: 1994, 'The role of canopy leaching and litterfall in the return of nutrients to the soil in Finnish boreal forests', in E. Helios Rybicka and W.S. Sikora (eds)., Abstracts. 3rd International Symposium on Environmental Geochemistry, 12-15 September, 1994, Kraków, Poland. University of Mining and Metallurgy in Kraków, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection in collaboration with SEGH and IAGC. 387–388.
Starr, M., Ukonmaanaho, L., Ruoho-Airola, T. and Forsius, M.: 1995, 'Some aspects of the nitrogen cycle in the Finnish Integrated Monitoring catchments', in Forsius, M. and Kleemola, S. (eds), Effects of Nitrogen Deposition on Integrated Monitoring Sites. Proceedings from an international workshop in Oslo, 6–7 March 1995. ICP IM Programme Centre, Finnish Environm. Agency, Helsinki. 147–151.
Tukey, H.B.: 1970, 'The leaching of substances from plants', Annual Review of Plant Physiology and Molekylar 20, 305–324.
Ukonmaanaho, L., Starr M. and Ruoho-Airola T.: 1998, 'Trends in sulfate, base cations and HC concentrations in bulk precipitation and throughfall at Integrated Monitoring sites in Finland 1989–1995', Water, Air and Soil Pollution 105, 353–363.
Viro, P.J.: 1955, 'Investigations in forest litter'. Commun. Inst. For. Fenn. 45(6), 1–65.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ukonmaanaho, L., Starr, M. The Importance of Leaching from Litter Collected in Litterfall Traps. Environ Monit Assess 66, 129–146 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026432315707
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026432315707