Abstract
The N and P contents of the litter layer and the return of these nutrients in litterfall were measured in seven stands of Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) ranging in age from 5 years to about 250 years. Both annual litterfall and nutrient return were correlated with stand basal area and were high compared with other productive eucalypt forests. In contrast, the fall of dead eucalypt leaves was constant with stand age, demonstrating that sites are fully occupied at an early age. Similarly, amounts of N and P in total leaf fall (overstorey plus understorey) were constant with stand age, except for low amounts in the stand aged 40 years where Acacia spp., important fixers of atmospheric N, were not prevalent. The decomposition constant (k) of organic matter in the litter layer decreased with stand age, from 0.31 year-1 at age 5 years to 0.23 year-1 at age 250 years. These constants also applied to N and P, indicating a tight coupling between organic matter decomposition and release of these nutrients from litter. The litter layer released about 30 kg ha-1 of N at age 5 years, and about 70 kg ha-1 at age 80 years. These results are discussed in relation to growth of Mountain Ash following fire, and the subsequent retention and accumulation of N during stand development.
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Polglase, P.J., Attiwill, P.M. Nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in relation to stand age of Ecucalyptus regnans F. Muell. Plant Soil 142, 157–166 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010962
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00010962