New Zealand Journal of Botany abstract
* Julie Alley died on 8 October 1996.
+ Author for
correspondence.
B97055
Received 11 August 1997; accepted 10 December
1997
Annual and seasonal patterns of litter-fall of hard beech (Nothofagus
truncata) and silver beech (Nothofagus menziesii) in relation to
reproduction
J. C. ALLEY*
Landcare Research
Private Bag 11052
Palmerston North, New Zealand
B. M. FITZGERALD+
Ecological Research Associates of New Zealand
P. O. Box 48-147
Silverstream, New Zealand
P. H. BERBEN
Landcare Research
Private Bag 11052
Palmerston North, New Zealand
S. J. HASLETT
Statistics Research and Consultancy Centre
Department of Statistics
Massey University
Private Bag 11222
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Abstract Vegetative and reproductive components of
litter-fall of hard beech were measured for five years and of silver beech for
four years under mature trees in the Orongorongo Valley, near Wellington, New
Zealand. Mean annual total litter-fall of hard beech
(477 g m
-2) included 318 g of leaves and 109 g
of twigs; that of silver beech (463 g m
-2) included
295 g of leaves and 164 g of twigs. In one year only (1994/95) both
species flowered and seeded prolifically. The two species produced similar
numbers of seeds (hard beech 4866 seeds m
-2; silver beech 5551
seeds m
-2) but litter from male flowers, seeds, and cupules of
hard beech weighed 232 g m
-2 compared with only
59 g m
-2 for silver beech. Seasonal patterns of leaf-fall
of the two species also differed substantially; peak leaf-fall of hard beech
was in November and of silver beech in April/May. These differences in the
amounts and timing of the components of litter-fall between species and years
will have important ecosystem effects.
Keywords Nothofagus truncata; hard beech;
Nothofagus menziesii; silver beech; litter-fall; leaf-fall; flowering;
seed; Orongorongo Valley
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