Leaf-litter decomposition and nutrient dynamics of five selected tropical tree species

Abstract

The dead plant materials such as leaves, bark, needles, and twigs that have fallen on the ground are called litter. As the majority of organic matter (OM) produced by plants is returned to the soil as litter, the transfer of nutrients and energy from living biological components to the soil is the important mechanism of nutrient recycling. In the cycling of such nutrients, decomposition processes have a crucial role by releasing a complex organic compounds into the simple usable form for proper growth and development of plants (Saha et al., 2016). Litter has thus occupied the attention of ecologists as it is an important factor in ecosystem dynamics to determine ecological productivity and may be useful in predicting soil fertility (Guendehou et al., 2014).