• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.26 no.1
• /
• pp.17-23
• /
• 2010

The present study was conducted to quantify wood and leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release of a dominant tree species, Tectona grandis Linn. F. in a tropical dry deciduous forest of Rajasthan, Western India. The mean relative decomposition rate was maximum in the wet summer and minimum during dry summer. Rainfall and its associated variables exhibited greater control over litter decomposition than temperature. The concentrations of N and P increased in decomposing litter with increasing retrieval days. Mass loss was negatively correlated with N and P concentrations. The monthly weight loss was significantly correlated (P < 0.05) with soil moisture and rainfall in both wood and leaf litter. Tectona grandis was found to be most suitable tree species for plantation programmes in dry tropical regions as it has high litter deposition and decomposition rates and thus it has advantages in degraded soil restoration and sustainable land management.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.37 no.2
• /
• pp.128-140
• /
• 2021

Tropical dry forests are one of the most threatened, widely distributed ecosystems in tropics and estimation of forest biomass is a crucial component of global carbon emission estimation. Therefore, the present study was aimed to quantify the biomass and carbon storage in trees on large scale (10, 1 ha plots) in the dry mixed evergreen forest of Javadhu forest of Eastern Ghats. Biomass of adult (≥10 cm DBH) trees was estimated by non-harvest methods. The total biomass of trees in this tropical dry mixed evergreen forest was ranged from 160.02 to 250.8 Mg/ha, with a mean of 202.04±24.64 Mg/ha. Among the 62 tree species enumerated, Memecylon umbellatum accumulated greater biomass and carbon stocks (24.29%) more than the other species in the 10 ha study plots. ANOVA revealed that there existed a significant variation in the total biomass and carbon stock among the three plant types (Evergreen, brevi-deciduous and deciduous (F (2, 17)=15.343, p<0.001). Basal area and density was significant positively correlated with aboveground biomass (R² 0.980; 0.680) while species richness exhibited negative correlation with above ground biomass (R² 0.167). Finding of present study may be interpreted as most of the trees in this forest are yet to be matured and there is a net addition to standing biomass leading to carbon storage.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.47 no.3
• /
• pp.134-145
• /
• 2023

Background: The flowering and fruiting periods play an important role in biological processes. The deciduous dipterocarp forest is an important forest type in Thailand, however the phenological studies are still limited, particularly in different plant life forms. Thus, the present study focused on the flowering and fruiting phenology of herbs, climbers, shrubs, and trees in the deciduous dipterocarp forest at Lampang province of Northern Thailand. Field visits were made to record plant life forms and observe reproductive phenological events at monthly intervals from November 2018 to October 2019 and September to December 2020. Results: The phenological observations were based on 126 species of 45 families and 102 genera. Flowering and fruiting periods showed similar patterns in herbaceous plants, climbers, and shrubs. Most of these species produced flowers and fruits from the end of the rainy season (October) to the winter season (November-January). Whereas most of flowering and fruiting trees were found from the summer season (March-April) to the beginning of the rainy season (May-June). Most of the dry-fruited species occurred during the dry period (winter and summer seasons), while the majority of fleshy-fruited species dominated in the wet period (rainy season). The statistical analysis supported the phenological patterns of flowering and fruiting in the present study. There were significant negative correlations between the number of flowering and fruiting species and temperature. The number of flowering and fruiting species is significantly impacted by the interaction between seasons and plant life forms. Conclusions: Plant life form seems to be the important factor that affects the different phenological patterns in the studied plants. The abiotic and biotic factors play major roles in reproductive phenology. However, long-term study and in-depth phenological observations are necessary for better understanding.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.83-93
• /
• 2016

This study purposed to examine the water retention capacity of floor litter in deciduous forests. Water holding capacity(WHC) and interception storage capacity of Alnus hirsuta Turcz. ex Rupr., Quercus acutissima, Quercus mongolica litters were experimentally estimated. Physical characteristics of litters were also obtained to understand the relationships between water-retention capacity and litter characteristics. Experiments showed that WHC increases with specific volume of litter, varying 244.4% to 416.8% of its dry mass. Interception storage have estimated with rainfall simulation experiments. Maximum interception storage ($C_{max}$) and minimum interception storage ($C_{min}$) of litters were 220% and 138% of dry mass in Alnus hirsuta Turcz. ex Rupr., 218% and 137% in Quercus acutissima, and 240% and 156% in Quercus mongolica. Both $C_{max}$ and $C_{min}$ increased linearly with litter mass, and the values of $C_{min}$ in broadleaf litters have also linear relation to leaf area.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.313-319
• /
• 2003

Dry weight loss and nutrient release from leaf litter for six tree species were studied using litter bag methods. The litter bags were incubated for f6 months on the forest floor in temperate deciduous forest in Mt. Cheonma, located at the middle part of Korean Peninsula. The changes in nutrient content and the rate of dry weight loss in leaf litter varied with litter types. The litter of Pinus densiflora showed the lowest rate of mass loss (k=0.33), nitrogen concentration (0.89%) and ash concentration (2.50%), while showed the highest C/N ratio (63.40). On the other hand, the litter of Acer pseudo-sieboldianum showed the fastest rate of mass loss (k=0.82), the highest nitrogen concentration (1.11%), and the lowest C/N ratio (49.40). During the decomposition, nitrogen, phosphorus and calcium in the leaf litters showed relatively slow decreasing pattern compared to other elements (carbon, potassium, magnesium, manganese and sodium), but potassium and sodium decreased at early stage of the decomposition for all leaf litters. Differences in annual decomposition rates of litter among species were consistent with the particular chemical characteristics of their leaf litters. The initial concentration of nitrogen was positively correlated with litter decomposition rate for six species, while litter decomposition rate of six species was negatively correlated with C:N ratio of initial leaf litters.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.203-208
• /
• 2003

Losses in the dry weight of leaf litter from six tree species were studied during 16 months on the forest floor in temperate deciduous forest of Mt. Cheonma in the vicinity of Seoul in Korea by using litter bag method. The decomposition rate of each leaf litter varies with each species. After 16 months elapsed, the leaf litter of Acer pseudo-sieboidianum showed the highest decomposition constant (0.82) as Olson´s decomposition constant, while that of Pinus densiflora showed the lowest decomposition constant (0.33). The decomposition constant of Quercus mongolica, Q. serrata, Betula ermani and Carpinus laxiflora showed 0.43, 0.37, 0.66 and 0.75, respectively. The decomposition constant of leaf litter was considered with temperature and precipitation which accumulated daily during each term of litter bag collection. The decomposition constant of leaf litter showed closely positive correlation with daily accumulative temperature and precipitation. The relationships between decomposition constant and the daily accumulative temperature and precipitation at each period of litter bag collection were analyzed through multi-regression analysis. The correlation coefficients as a result of multi-regression analysis in Q. mongolica, Q. serrata, P densiflora, B. ermani, C. laxiflorais and A. pseudo-sieboldianum were 0.83, 0.81, 0.69, 0.77, 0.77 and 0.62, respectively. The precipitation showed higher effect, about 10 times, on the leaf litter decomposition than the daily accumulative temperature.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.6 no.4
• /
• pp.246-258
• /
• 2012

Particulate matter deposited on leaf surfaces may cause erosion/abrasion of epicuticular wax and the malfunction of stomata. However, the deposition processes of particulate matter, such as elemental carbon (EC), has not been studied sufficiently in Asian forest ecosystems. Deposition processes for particulate ${SO_4}^{2-}$ and EC were studied in a Japanese cedar forest in Kajikawa, Niigata Prefecture, Japan, and in a dry evergreen forest and a dry deciduous forest in Sakaerat, Nakhon Ratchasima province, Thailand. The ${SO_4}^{2-}$ fluxes attributed to rainfall outside the forest canopy (RF), throughfall (TF), and stemflow (SF) showed distinct seasonalities at both sites, increasing from November to February at the Kajikawa site and in March/April at the Sakaerat site. Seasonal west/northwest winds in winter may transport sulfur compounds across the Sea of Japan to the Kajikawa site. At the Sakaerat site, pollutants suspended in the air or dry deposits from the dry season might have been washed away by the first precipitations of the wet season. The EC fluxes from RF and TF showed similar variations by season at the Kajikawa site, while the flux from TF was frequently lower than that from RF at the Sakaerat site. Particulate matter strongly adsorbed onto leaf surfaces is not washed away by rainfall and contributes to the EC flux. At the Kajikawa site, Japanese cedar leaf surfaces accumulated the highest levels of particulate matter and could not be neglected when calculating the total flux. When such leaf-surface particles were considered, the contribution of dry deposition to the total EC flux was estimated to be 67%, 77%, and 82% at the Kajikawa site, and at the evergreen and deciduous forests of the Sakaerat site, respectively. Leaf-surface particles must be included when evaluating the dry and total fluxes of particulate matter, in particular for water-insoluble constituents such as EC.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
• /
• v.11 no.1
• /
• pp.72-80
• /
• 1995

Altitudinal effects on the accumulation of O layer were examined for deciduous broad-leaved forests in the experimental forest of Kangwon National University. There found a marked increased towards the higher altitudes in the thickness of O layer. These trends could be observed conspicuously on the F2 and H layers. The relation between thickness (X, cm) and dry weight (Y, $kg/m^2$) of O layer was approximated by linear regression equations;Y($kg/m^2$ = aX(cm). The values of coefficient "a" for the F2, H and F2+H layers were 0.43, 0.61 and 0.53, respectively. Bulk densities of the accumulated organic matter estimated nearly to be $45g/dm^2$ in F2 layer, $60g/dm^2$ in H layer and $55g/dm^2$ in F2+H layer. The amount of O layer ranged from 13ton/ha for the forest at 280m in altitude to 41ton/ha for the upper forest at 710m in altitude. Among these total amount of the O layer, F1, F2 and H layer occupied to be 5~10ton/ha, 5~11ton/ha and 13~40ton/ha, respectively.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.5 no.2
• /
• pp.134-143
• /
• 2011

The present study aimed to investigate the diurnal variations in air concentrations and exchange fluxes of ammoniacal nitrogen ($NH_x$: ammonia ($NH_3$) and particulate ammonium) in a subalpine deciduous forest in central Japan during a week in summer. The $NH_3$ concentrations ($0.50\;{\mu}g\;N\;m^{-3}$ on average) showed a clear circadian variation, i.e., high and low in the daytime and nighttime, respectively. The concentration of particulate ammonium in the coarse fractions was extremely low, whereas that for the PM2.5 fraction was relatively high $0.55\;{\mu}g\;N\;m^{-3}$ on average). The main inorganic ion components of PM2.5 at the study site were ammonium and sulfate. The exchange fluxes of $NH_x$ were bidirectional. Both the maximum and minimum values occurred in the daytime, i.e., $0.39\;mg\;N\;m^{-2}\;hr^{-1}$ of downward flux and $0.11\;mg\;N\;m^{-2}\;hr^{-1}$ of upward flux for $NH_3$ and $0.25\;mg\;N\;m^{-2}\;hr^{-1}$ of downward flux and $0.13\;mg\;N\;m^{-2}\;hr^{-1}$ of upward flux for PM2.5 ammonium. The exchange fluxes of $NH_x$ at night could be considered as zero. The mean deposition velocity during the research period was almost zero for both $NH_3$ and PM2.5 ammonium. The atmosphere-forest exchange of $NH_x$ in the forest during the study period was balanced. The remarkably large deposition of $NH_x$ was attributable to meteorological events such as showers the night before that thoroughly washed the forest canopy and subsequent clear skies in the morning, which enhanced convection. The cleaning effect of rainfall and the rapid change in convection in the early morning should be monitored to evaluate and generalize the gas and particle exchange in a forest.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
• /
• v.106 no.1
• /
• pp.63-69
• /
• 2017

This study aimed to investigate orographic precipitation and green dam (water conservation function) characteristics in a deciduous forest watershed in the region of Mt. Ungseok, Sancheong, Gyeongnam, South Korea. The rainfall and runoff of the watershed were monitored for six years (2011~2016) at the weather station and at the weir of the watershed, respectively. During the study period, the rainfall in the watershed (mountainous area) was larger than that of the meteorological station (flat area) nearest to the watershed. Besides, compared to the normal year (1981~2010), the rainfall has increased and the seasonal distribution of rainfall of the mountainous area has changed. These changes might have been caused by climate change. The runoff ratio was highest in spring, followed by winter, summer and fall, whilst the runoff was highest in summer, followed by spring, fall and winter. This difference seems to be due to the melting of snow in dry spring and intensive rainfall in summer. The total runoff in the watershed was calculated as $10,143.8ton{\cdot}ha{\cdot}yr^{-1}$.