Quantification of litter in the forest fragment national park Serra de Itabaiana, Sergipe State

Abstract

Natural forests are areas rich in biodiversity that contribute to the maintenance of environmental sustainability through the production of litter and nutrient cycling. Litter is a major route of nutrient return to the system plant – soil – plant and its determination to analyze the restructuring of anthropogenic forest environments. The knowledge of litterfall is critical to determine the potential for regeneration of an area through the intake and nutrient cycling. We quantified litter production in areas of white sand with vegetation in different stages of regeneration the National Park Sierra de Itabaiana, Sergipe State. In each of the areas of white sands open (ABA), white sands intermediary (ABI) and white sands closed (ABF) was installed 15 litter traps and litter fall was collected monthly from January to December 2011. The total contribution of litter on the White Sand Closed (2092 kg ha-1) was more than double the contribution in Areia Branca Open (881 kg ha-1) and White Sand Intermediate (687 kg ha-1). The leaf fraction contributed the largest mass in all areas and periods, and was the one with greater seasonal variation related to variation in precipitation. Precipitation was one of the factors that determined the seasonality of litter deposition in natural vegetation of the National Park of Sierra de Itabaiana, Sergipe State.

Keywords

• Nutrient cycling; Carbon; Nitrogen; Native vegetation