Analysis of the decomposition rate of litter in the Ecological Reserve Forest of Pau Ferro, Areia-PB

Abstract

Litter is the layer of waste that accumulate on the soil of forest ecosystems. The decomposition rate of litter is an important component in establishing the cycling of nutrients in ecosystems, being dependent on climatic conditions and abundance of microbial decomposers in the soil. Based on this, the present study aimed to analyze and study the estimates of litter decomposition in a remnant fragment of rainforest in the Ecological Reserve Forest of Pau Ferro, located in Areia, Paraiba, Northeast of Brazil. For this, we used buried in the ground surface and litterbags. The results evidenced that really time and place influence on the decomposition of litter , where the longer the material is in contact with the soil surface , the greater its rate of decomposition , and location , depending on biotic and abiotic conditions , also influences the cycling of nutrients .