Aporte e decomposição de serapilheira em um fragmento de cerrado sensu stricto

Abstract

Considering the importance of nutrient cycling as an indicator in the maintenance of the productivity of the ecosystem, the present study aimed to assess the seasonal dynamics of production and decomposition rate of litter in a fragment of Cerrado sensu stricto. For evaluation of supply of burlap were used 50 circular collectors with 112.8 cm diameter, distributed systematically. Litter collections were performed monthly June 2016-may 2017 and the collected material was packed in plastic bags, then taken to the laboratory where the separation was carried out in fractions leaves, twigs and reproductive material. After that, the material was packed in paper bags and washed the greenhouse at the 70 C, for the determination of the dry weight. The decomposition of leaf litter was evaluated using the method of litter bags, with random distribution of 288 litter bags containing 20 grams of leaves and 24 litter bags containing 20 grams of branches. The annual production of litterfall was quantified in 6.042,50 kg. ha-1. yr- 1, in which the leaf was prevalent fraction presented a production of 4.644,40 kg. ha-1. yr-1, then the fractions branches (1.084,10 kg. ha-1. yr-1) and reproductive material (329,90 kg. ha-1. yr-1). The litterfall obtained higher production in July with 1.464,00 kg. ha-1 and lower production in the month of December (138,70 kg. ha-1). A significant negative correlation was observed between litterfall and its fractions with the precipitation and relative humidity. The decomposition of foliar mass reached 49% and 50% of twigs during the nine-month period, in which the decomposition constant (k) for leaf mass and for branches was 0.0030 g g-1-1day.For this constant, the estimate for the disappearance of total mass has been estimated to be 1.000 days (29 months). It can be concluded that the litterfall presented seasonality well marked, with higher output during the dry season and lower in the rainy season with strong influence of precipitation and relative humidity in the deposition of the leaves. The breakdown proved slow for both leaves as for branches to get the value of the constant of decomposition 0.0030 g g-1-1 day for both.