Resumo

RAMIREZ-CORREA, Jorge Andrés; ZAPATA-DUQUE, Claudia Marcela; LEON-PELAEZ, Juan Diego  e  GONZALEZ-HERNANDEZ, María Isabel. LITTERFALL AND NUTRIENT RETURN IN MONTANE ANDEAN FORESTS FROM PIEDRAS BLANCAS, ANTIOQUIA (COLOMBIA). INCI [online]. 2007, vol.32, n.5, pp.303-311. ISSN 0378-1844.

In a natural montane oak forest (Quercus humboldtii Bonpl.) and in pine (Pinus patula Schltdl. y Cham.) and cypress (Cupressus lusitanica Mill.) plantations in Piedras Blancas, Antioquia, Colombia, nutrient litterflow was measured over two years. On each ecosystem twenty litter traps (0.5m² each one) were used to collect litterfall to be subsequently separated into fractions and chemically analyzed. Fine litterfall quantities followed the order pine plantation (8362.47kg·ha^-1·year^-1), oak forest (7877.20kg·ha^-1·year^-1) and cypress plantation (3725.97kg·ha^-1·year^-1). Nutrients returning to the forest floor through leaf litter of the dominant species on each forest were C>N>Ca>K>Mg>S>P in oak forest, C>N>P>Ca>Mg>K>S in pine plantation, and C>Ca>N>K>S>Mg>P in cypress plantation. Results show a lower nutrients return reaching forest floor in pine and cypress plantations, and probably a slower real nutrient return as the result of higher C/N ratio values from leaf litter from coniferous species.

Palavras-chave : Bosques Montanos Tropicales; Cupressus lusitanica; Flujos de Nutrientes; Hojarasca; Pinus patula; Plantaciones Forestales Tropicales; Quercus humboldtii.