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Recovering from forest-to-pasture conversion: leaf decomposition in Central Amazonia, Brazil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2013

Leda Lorenzo ,
Natalia Pérez-Harguindeguy ,
Fernando Casanoves  and
Alexandre Adalardo de Oliveira
Leda Lorenzo*
Affiliation:
Ecology Department, São Paulo University (USP), Rua do Matão, trav.14, n°321. São Paulo. SP. CEP: 05508-090
Natalia Pérez-Harguindeguy
Affiliation:
Instituto Multidisciplinario de Biología Vegetal (CONICET-UNC), Velez Sarsfield 1611 (X5016GCA), Ciudad Universitária, Córdoba, Argentina
Fernando Casanoves
Affiliation:
Unidad de Bioestadística, Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza (CATIE), 7170 Turialba, Costa Rica
Alexandre Adalardo de Oliveira
Affiliation:
Ecology Department, São Paulo University (USP), Rua do Matão, trav.14, n°321. São Paulo. SP. CEP: 05508-090
*
1Corresponding author. Email: ledalomo@gmail.com
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Abstract:

Land-use change in tropical forests can affect the micro-environment for decomposition under modified canopies. In turn, decomposition may have consequences for soil fertility and ecosystem sustainability. The effects of the conversion from primary forest to pastures on leaf-litter decomposition and its recovery in secondary forests 20 y after pasture abandonment were evaluated using litterbags and a general mixed model approach. Litterbags containing leaf-litter of two contrasting qualities were placed in those three ecosystems and the mass remaining after 90 d was quantified. The mass remaining was 50% lower in high- than in low-quality leaves. The effects of the decomposition environment depended on the substrate quality. Although differences among ecosystems were not significant for low-quality leaves, high-quality leaves decomposed more slowly in pastures than in forests (mean dry mass remaining was 38% in pastures, 14% in secondary and 12% in primary forest). The decomposition of common substrates did not differ among forests. Results show that the conversion of primary forest to pasture may produce conditions for slower decomposition; however, these conditions appear be restored to a great extent in 20-y-old secondary forests.

Keywords

decomposition-environmentland-useleaf-littermass-lossrain forestsecond-growth
Type
Short Communication
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 30 , Issue 1 , January 2014 , pp. 93 - 96
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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