Dynamics of leaf litter decomposition and macronutrient mineralisation of dominant tree species in urban subtropical reserve forests

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorMalunguja, Gisandu K.
dc.contributor.authorDevi, Ashalata
dc.date.accessioned2025-07-09T11:37:33Z
dc.date.available2025-07-09T11:37:33Z
dc.date.issued2024-09-25
dc.descriptionThis journal article was published by Elsevier B.V
dc.description.abstractOver the past decade, the northeastern regions of India have seen a significant increase in forested areas near urban centres, known as urban reserve forests (RFs). The increase in area is attributed to the implementation of green urban planning and initiatives aimed at adapting to climate change. Dominant tree species in these forests have a sig- nificant impact on nutrient dynamics and mineralisation through litter decomposition, but the specific extent of their contributions is not well understood. Thus, to address this gap, a year-long experiment was conducted using litter bags and trap techniques on 48 trees representing eight dominant species: Shorea robusta, Tectona grandis, Dalbergia sissoo, Lagerstroemia speciosa, Syzygium cumini, Altingia excelsa, Artocarpus heterophyllus, and Ficus hirta. The study found that annual litter production ranged from 0.62 to 3.3 Mg ha−1 year−1 , with Tectona grandis producing the highest litter pro- duction while Lagerstroemia speciosa had the least. The decomposition rates exhibited variation, with Ficus hirta decomposing at the highest rate of 99.2 % and Shorea robusta at the slowest rate of 62.4 %. However, Shorea robusta had the highest decay constant (k = 0.38) and Ficus hirta had the lowest (k = 0.01). Ficus hirta took the least time (1.04 years) to decay 95 % of their litter, while Shorea robusta took the most (5.11 years). The decomposition of litter resulted in significant variations in the return of macronutrients (N, P, and K), with N being the highest (85.26 %), followed by K (83.3 %) and P (33.58 %). Macronutrients in the litter showed a positive correlation with the levels of N, P, and K in the soil, increasing linearly throughout the experiment. This indicates a continuous release of nutrients from decomposing litter. The study found that planting a mix of Ficus hirta, Tectona grandis, Dalbergia sissoo, and Lagerstroemia speciosa is the most effective way to restore nutrients and make the soil more fertile rapidly. Introducing these species in new reserve forests has the potential to improve soil fertility, promote forest sustainability, and provide long-term resilience in mineralisatio
dc.description.sponsorshipPrivate
dc.identifier.issn45 (2025) 295–306
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.must.ac.tz/handle/123456789/346
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier B.V
dc.titleDynamics of leaf litter decomposition and macronutrient mineralisation of dominant tree species in urban subtropical reserve forests
dc.typeArticle
Files
Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
Malunguja & Devi 2025_1-s2.0-S2950509724000881-main - Shortcut.lnk
Size:
1.49 KB
Format:
Unknown data format
Download
License bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
No Thumbnail Available
Name:
license.txt
Size:
1.71 KB
Format:
Item-specific license agreed to upon submission
Description:
Download
Collections
Journal Articles