“Cuantificación de la hojarasca bajo cuatro tipos de cobertura en el Bosque de Llaviuco del Parque Nacional Cajas”

Abstract

Information about litter production is relevant to determine the forest cover dynamics in the Andes of southern Ecuador and in this way, contribute to the conservation and management of the Andean forests. This study aimed to estimate the production of total litterfall material and its components under different forest covers, as well as the evaluation of seasonality over a period of eight months. The studied covers were: 1) Mature Forest (BM), 2) Secondary Forest (BS), 3) Secondary forest with eucalyptus (BSE) and 4) Secondary forest with pine (BSP). Four 20 x 25 m plots were located for each type of cover. Nine leaf - litter traps were systematically installed in each plot. The litterfall material was collected every 15 days. The total average production was computed for each forest cover and also for each fraction of the litterfall. The relationship between litterfall production with slope and altitude was assessed by correlation analysis. The variation of litterfall production for each forest cover during the study period and its relation with the climatic variables of temperature and precipitation was also assessed by correlation analysis. The results showed differences in cover level showing an estimated litterfall production of 4479.3 kg ha-1, 3698.3 kg ha-1, 3578.6 kg ha-1 and 4020.6 kg ha-1 for BM, BS, BSE and BSP, respectively. The leaf litterfall was the component that contributed the most biomass. Seasonality was marked by the influence of precipitation and temperature on litter production of the four types of coverage. But only litterfall production differences were found between the months of study for BSE and BSP. The litterfall components showed no production differences during the study time. Finally, the slope in BM and BSE influenced litterfall production. And the altitude did not show a clear relationship with litter production in the four types of coverage.