Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Leaf litter decomposition of dominant tree species of Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Forest Research

Abstract

Rates of weight loss and nutrient (N and P) release patterns were studied in the leaf litter of the dominant tree species (Ailanthus grandis, Altingia excelsa, Castanopsis indica, Duabanga sonneriatioides, Dysoxylum binectariferum, Mesua ferrea, Shorea assamica, Taluma hodgsonii, Terminalia myriocarpa and Vatica lancefolia) of a tropical wet evergreen forest of northeast India. Nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization rate and decay pattern varied significantly from species to species. In general, the decay pattern, characterized by using a composite polynomial regression equation, exhibited three distinct phases of decay during litter decomposition—an initial slow decay phase (0.063% weight loss day−1), followed by a rapid decay phase (0.494% weight loss day−1) and a final slow decay phase (0.136% weight loss day−1). The initial chemical composition of the litter affected decomposition rates and patterns. Species like D. sonneriatoides, D. binectariferum, and T. hodgsonii with higher N and P content, lower carbon and lignin content, and lower C:N ratio and lignin:N ratio exhibited relatively faster decomposition rates than the other species, for example M. ferrea, C. indica and A. grandis. A slow decay rate was recorded for species such as M. ferrea, C. indica, and A. grandis. The initial N and P content of litter showed significant positive correlations with decay rates. Carbon and lignin content, lignin:N, and C:N showed significant negative correlations with decay rates. Soil total N and P, and rainfall, soil temperature, and soil moisture had positive correlations with decay rates. The rapid decomposition rates observed in comparison with other different forest litter decay rates confirm that tropical wet evergreen forest species are characterized by faster decomposition rates, indicating a faster rate of organic matter turnover and rapid nutrient cycling.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aber JD, Melillo JM (1980) Litter decomposition: measuring relative contribution of organic matter and nitrogen to forest soils. Can J Bot 58:416–421

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Abiven S, Recous S, Reyes V, Oliver R (2005) Mineralisation of C and N from root, stem and leaf residues in soil and role of their biochemical quality. Biol Fert Soils 42:119–128

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Allen SE, Grimshaw HM, Parkinson JA, Quarmby C (1974) Chemical analysis in ecological materials. Blackwell, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson JM, Ingram JSI (1993) Tropical soil biology and fertility—a handbook of methods, 2nd edn. C.A.B International, Wallingford

    Google Scholar 

  • Arunachalam A, Maithani K, Pandey HN, Tripathi RS (1998) Leaf litter decomposition and nutrient mineralization patterns in regrowing stands of a humid subtropical forest after tree cutting. For Ecol Manage 109:151–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Arunachalam K, Singh ND, Arunachalam A (2003) Decomposition of leguminous crop residues in jhum cultivation system in northeast India. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci 166:731–736

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berg B (1986) Nutrient release from litter and humus in coniferous forest soils: a mini review. Scand J For Res 1:359–369

    Google Scholar 

  • Berg B, Staff H (1980) Decomposition rate and chemical changes in Scot pine needle litter. 2. Influence of chemical composition. Ecol Bull 32:363–372

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bocock KL (1963) Changes in the amount of nitrogen in decomposing leaf litter of sessile oak (Quercus petraca). J Ecol 51:555–566

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Constantinides M, Fownes JH (1994) Nitrogen mineralization of leaf and litter of tropical plants: relationship to nitrogen, lignin and soluble poly-phenol concentrations. Soil Biol Biochem 26:49–55

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Couteaux MM, Bottner P, Berg B (1995) Litter decomposition, climate and litter quality. Trends Ecol Evol 10:63–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards JP (1977) Studies of mineral cycling of montane rain forest in New Guinea. II. The production and disappearance of litter. J Ecol 65:971–992

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert O, Bocock KL (1960) Changes in the leaf litter when placed on the surface of soils with contrasting humus types. II. Changes in the nitrogen content of oak and ash litter. J Soil Sci 11:10–19

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gillon D, Joffre R, Ibrahima A (1999) Can litter decomposability be predicted by near infrared reflectance spectroscopy? Ecology 80:175–186

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gosz JR, Likens GE, Bormann FH (1973) Nutrient release from decomposing leaf and branch litter in the Hubbard Brook Forest, New Hampshire. Ecol Monogr 43:173–191

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirobe M, Sabang J, Bhatta BK, Takeda H (2004a) Leaf-litter decomposition of 15 tree species in a lowland tropical rain forest in Sarawak: decomposition rates and initial litter chemistry. J For Res 9:341–346

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hirobe M, Sabang J, Bhatta BK, Takeda H (2004b) Leaf-litter decomposition of 15 tree species in a lowland tropical rain forest in Sarawak: dynamics of carbon, nutrients, and organic constituents. J For Res 9:347–354

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Howard PJ, Howard DM (1974) Microbial decomposition of tree and shrub litter. I. Weight loss and chemical composition of decomposing litter. Oikos 25:341–352

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jackson ML (1958) Soil chemical analysis. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

  • Joffre R, Agren GI, Gillon D, Bosatta E (2001) Organic matter quality in ecological studies: theory meets experiment. Oikos 93:451–458

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loranger G, Ponge JF, Imbert D, Lavelle P (2002) Leaf decomposition in two semi-evergreen tropical forests: influence of litter quality. Biol Fert Soils 35:247–252

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maclean DA, Wein RW (1978) Weight loss and nutrient changes in decomposing litter and forest floor material in New Brunswick forest stands. Can J Bot 56:2730–2749

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maithani K, Tripathi RS, Arunachalam A, Pandey HN (1996) Seasonal dynamics of microbial biomass C, N and P during regrowth of a disturbed subtropical humid forest in northeast India. Appl Soil Ecol 4:31–37

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClaugherty CA, Pastor J, Aber JD, Melillo JM (1985) Forest litter decomposition in relation to soil nitrogen dynamics and litter quality. Ecology 66:266–275

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore TR, Trofymow JA, Prescott CE, Fyles J, Titus BD (2006) Patterns of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics in decomposing foliar litter in Canadian forests. Ecosystems 9:46–62

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Myers RJK, Palm CA, Cuevas E, Gunatilleke IUN, Brossard M (1994) The synchronization of nutrient mineralization and plant nutrient demand. In: Woomer PL, Swift MJ (eds) The biological management of tropical soils fertility. A Wiley-Sayce Publication, Chichester, pp 81–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson DW, Sommers LE (1975) A rapid and accurate method for estimating organic carbon in soil. Proc Indian Acad Sci 84:456–462

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson JA (1963) Energy storage and the balance of producers and decomposer in ecological system. Ecology 44:322–331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perez-Harguindegy N, Diaz S, Cornelissen JHC, Vendramini F, Cabido M, Castellanos A (2000) Chemistry and toughness predict leaf litter decomposition rates over a wide spectrum of functional types and taxa in central Argentina. Plant Soil 218:21–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Prescott CE, Vesterdal L, Preston CM, Simard SW (2004) Influence of initial chemistry on decomposition of foliar litter on contrasting forest types in British Columbia. Can J For Res 34:1714–1729

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sangha KK, Jalota RK, Midmore DJ (2006) Litter production, decomposition and nutrient release in cleared and uncleared pasture systems of central Queensland, Australia. J Trop Ecol 22:177–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Songwe NC, Okali DUU, Fasehun FE (1995) Litter decomposition and nutrient release in a tropical rainforest, Southern Bakundu Forest Reserve, Cameroon. J Trop Ecol 1:333–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor BR, Parkinson D, Parson WJF (1989) Nitrogen and lignin content as predictors of litter decay rates: a microcosm test. Ecology 70:97–104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • William ST, Gray TRG (1974) Decomposition of litter on the soil surface. In: Dickinson CH, Pugh GJ (eds) Biology of plant litter decomposition. Academic Press, London, pp 611–632

    Google Scholar 

  • Wood TG (1974) Field investigation under decomposition of leaves of Eucalyptus delegatensis in relation to environmental factors. Pedobiology 14:343–371

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang HS, Janssen BH (2002) Relationships between substrate initial reactivity and residues aging speed in carbon mineralization. Plant Soil 239:215–224

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zar JH (1974) Biostatistical analysis, 2nd edn. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, for financial assistance. Special thanks are due to K. Haridasan for his ungrudging help in identification of plant species and to the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Arunachal Pradesh, for permitting us to work in the Namdapha National Park. Field and laboratory assistance by Shri J. Saikia and Shri M. Ingti is thankfully acknowledged. We thank the three anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Nirjuli, 791109, Arunachal Pradesh, India

    Atiqur Rahman Barbhuiya, Ayyanadar Arunachalam, Prabhat Chandra Nath, Mohammed Latif Khan & Kusum Arunachalam

  2. Department of Forestry, Mizoram University, Aizawl, 796009, Mizoram, India

    Atiqur Rahman Barbhuiya

Authors
  1. Atiqur Rahman Barbhuiya
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ayyanadar Arunachalam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Prabhat Chandra Nath
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Mohammed Latif Khan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Kusum Arunachalam
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Atiqur Rahman Barbhuiya.

About this article

Cite this article

Barbhuiya, A.R., Arunachalam, A., Chandra Nath, P. et al. Leaf litter decomposition of dominant tree species of Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh, northeast India. J For Res 13, 25–34 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-007-0044-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-007-0044-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation