Effect of habitat on decomposition of standard leaf-litter species

Abstract

Decomposition of a standard leaf-litter species, Quercus leucotrichophora, was studied over a 1-year period by enclosing it in 10 × 10-cm litter bags (mesh 1 mm) and placing these at five forest sites located in the northwestern part of the central Himalaya along an altitudinal gradient of 329-2150 m. The annual weight loss ranged from 75% to 99%. Rainfall, litter moisture and mean annual temperature were important factors affecting decomposition. There was a significant inverse relationship between the percentage original mass remaining and the nitrogen concentration of the residual matter. However, in two out of the five sites the data tended to follow an exponential decay curve better than a linear curve.