Welcome to the InfoSci Platform
Reference Hub7
Litter Production and Decomposition in Tropical Forest

Litter Production and Decomposition in Tropical Forest

Sumit Chakravarty, Prakash Rai, Vineeta, Nazir A. Pala, Gopal Shukla
Copyright: © 2020 |Pages: 20
ISBN13: 9781799800149|ISBN10: 1799800148|ISBN13 Softcover: 9781799800156|EISBN13: 9781799800163
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-0014-9.ch010
Cite Chapter Cite Chapter

MLA

Chakravarty, Sumit, et al. "Litter Production and Decomposition in Tropical Forest." Handbook of Research on the Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Dry Forests, edited by Rahul Bhadouria, et al., IGI Global, 2020, pp. 193-212. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0014-9.ch010

APA

Chakravarty, S., Rai, P., Vineeta, Pala, N. A., & Shukla, G. (2020). Litter Production and Decomposition in Tropical Forest. In R. Bhadouria, S. Tripathi, P. Srivastava, & P. Singh (Eds.), Handbook of Research on the Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Dry Forests (pp. 193-212). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0014-9.ch010

Chicago

Chakravarty, Sumit, et al. "Litter Production and Decomposition in Tropical Forest." In Handbook of Research on the Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Dry Forests, edited by Rahul Bhadouria, et al., 193-212. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2020. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-0014-9.ch010

Export Reference

Mendeley
Favorite

Abstract

Plant litter production and decomposition is a crucial ecosystem process that defines and governs the plant-soil relationships by regulating the nutrient turnover and the build-up of soil organic matter. Litter is the principal source of organic matter for soils in the forest ecosystem. The litter, upon decomposition, makes available essential nutrients for the growth and development of a forest stand. Different tree components contain different amounts of nutrients; and build up of soil organic matter. The amount of nutrients added through litter decomposition varies with forest types, species, stand attributes, and variation in seasonal environmental conditions. Nutrient return from organic matter is estimated by the physico-chemical properties of the litter. Moreover, the rate of decomposition and the nutrient releases are highly influenced by magnitude of litter produced, litter quality and nutrients release, as well as, by climatic conditions and existing microbial communities in the soil system. Ecological impact of carbon and nutrient dynamics in the litter layer is considerable in a forest ecosystem.

Request Access

You do not own this content. Please login to recommend this title to your institution's librarian or purchase it from the IGI Global bookstore.