Decomposition and the annual flux of detritus from fallen timber in tropical mangrove forests
Abstract
Single exponential decay models fitted to dry mass and carbon decomposition data for tree trunks in mixed Rhizophora mangrove forests in tropical Australia had decay constants of 0.083 and 0.108 yr −1 respectively. Decay of twigs and small branches was more rapid with decay constants of 0.276 (dry mass) and 0.310 yr −1 (carbon). Aboveground standing stocks of dead wood components in young and mature forests were (g C m −2 ): trunks, 15.3 and 221.9; prop roots, 5.7 and 86.8; branches, 3.5 and 32.2; twigs, 3.2 and 3.1. Combining decomposition and standing stock data gave flux estimates for wood detritus of 4 and 44 g C m −1 yr −1 in young and mature forests. By comparison, leaf burial by crabs, a major pathway by which mangrove detritus is retained in these forests, has previously been estimated at 62 g C m −2 yr −1 .
Reference
Alistar I. Robertson; Paul A. Daniel. (1989). Decomposition and the annual flux of detritus from fallen timber in tropical mangrove forests. Limnology and Oceanography. https://doi.org/10.4319/lo.1989.34.3.0640
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