Any suggestions for recent studies that quantify fallen fruit in terms of percentages of litterfall and/or above ground biomass? Particularly in the Guiana Shield..
Seeds and fruit are separate from litter, which is composed of dead plant material, such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes that have fallen to the ground. It is more usual to define fallen fruit in terms of their annual production, or contribution to the seed bank, rather than including them in litter (above ground biomass is defined usually as the dry mass of leaves and stems). In fact, litter has direct effects on seeds and germination through alteration of the physical and chemical environment, directly and indirectly. For example, the decomposition of litter may release both nutrients and phytotoxic substances into the soil, which affect seed germination. The physical changes produced by litter also alter the activity of decomposers, resulting in an indirect effect on the chemical environment that seeds encounter. And accumulated litter intercepts light, shading seeds and seedlings, and reduces the thermal amplitude in the soil. So I think it is good to keep these aspects separate and not incorporate seed or fruit into the definition of litter imo :)
Thanks for the insight Andrew. I am trying to find studies that have simultaneously looked at the relative contributions. For example mast fruiting can generate a substantial increase/change in nutrients on the forest floor. But I have not encountered any studies that have quantified biomass/organic matter/ carbon/ nitrogen in the same place and at the same time for the different components: litter, fallen fruit, above ground biomass... Amazon and/or Guiana Shield......
You're welcome Darren. I'll see if I can find any studies :)
Actually, I don't think you will find such papers because, as I said, fruit and seeds are studied using other criteria, and litter studies are usually undertaken separately from biomass. You would need to combine separate studies imo :)
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