Litterfall plays a key role in the dynamic of forest ecosystems, ultimately determining forest productivity and carbon and nutrient cycling. Increasing our understanding on the role of structural and environmental factors controlling litterfall amount and seasonality is of paramount importance for modelling and estimating soil carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling under climate change scenarios. However, the effect of climatic conditions on litterfall has been scarcely studied, especially in Mediterranean ecosystems. Here, we used nine years of seasonally collected litterfall data in two contrasting Mediterranean cork oak forests to evaluate the effect of climatic variables on leaf fall and litterfall. First, we isolated the litterfall seasonal trend and the between-sites differences in production by using linear mixed models. Then, we evaluated the effect of climatic variables and whether this effect was site-specific. We found a consistent litterfall seasonal pattern, mainly determined by leaf shedding (70% of litterfall). Leaf fall mainly occurs in spring with a second but much smaller peak in autumn some years. Mean temperature, precipitation and mean wind speed strongly influenced litterfall, but this effect was site-specific. In the forest site located at higher latitude and altitude, leaf fall increased linearly with temperature and showed a positive quadratic response to precipitation. In the water-limited site, leaf fall was reduced as temperature increased and did not respond to precipitation. These results have implications for modelling and predicting soil carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and the forest ecosystem productivity. Specifically, carbon and nutrient cycling models can be improved by incorporating idiosyncratic forest sites responses to climatic variability.
Keywords
, , , , , ,
Citation
Andivia E, Bou J, Fernández M, Caritat A, Alejano R, Vilar L, Vázquez-Piqué J (2018). Assessing the relative role of climate on litterfall in Mediterranean cork oak forests. iForest 11: 786-793. - doi: 10.3832/ifor2825-011
Academic Editor
Andrea Cutini
Paper history
Received: Apr 24, 2018
Accepted: Oct 15, 2018
First online: Dec 14, 2018
Publication Date: Dec 31, 2018
Publication Time: 2.00 months
© SISEF - The Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology 2018
Open Access
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.
Breakdown by View Type
(Waiting for server response...)
Article Usage
Total Article Views: 40827
(from publication date up to now)
Breakdown by View Type
HTML Page Views: 34931
Abstract Page Views: 2675
PDF Downloads: 2447
Citation/Reference Downloads: 18
XML Downloads: 756
Web Metrics
Days since publication: 2169
Overall contacts: 40827
Avg. contacts per week: 131.76
Article Citations
Article citations are based on data periodically collected from the Clarivate Web of Science web site
(last update: Feb 2023)
Total number of cites (since 2018): 6
Average cites per year: 1.00
Publication Metrics
by Dimensions ©
Articles citing this article
List of the papers citing this article based on CrossRef Cited-by.
(1)
Andivia E, Fernández M, Alejano R, Vázquez-Piqué J (2015)Tree patch distribution drives spatial heterogeneity of soil traits in cork oak woodlands. Annals of Forest Science 72: 549-559.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(2)
Andivia E, Fernández M, Vázquez-Piqué J, González-Pérez A, Tapias R (2010)Nutrients return from leaves and litterfall in a mediterranean cork oak (
Quercus suber L.) forest in southwestern Spain. European Journal of Forest Research 129: 5-12.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(3)
Andivia E, Vázquez-Piqué J, Fernández M, Alejano R (2013)Litter production in Holm oak trees subjected to different pruning intensities in Mediterranean
dehesas. Agroforestry Systems 87: 657-666.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(4)
Barbeta A, Mejía-Chang M, Ogaya R, Voltas J, Dawson TE, Peñuelas J (2015)The combined effects of a long-term experimental drought and an extreme drought on the use of plant-water sources in a Mediterranean forest. Global Change Biology 21: 1213-1225.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(5)
Bellot J, Sánchez JR, Lledó MJ, Martínez P, Escarré A (1992)Litterfall as a measure of primary production in Mediterranean holm-oak forest. In: “
Quercus ilex L. Ecosystems: Function, Dynamics and Management” (Romane F, Terradas J eds). Advances in Vegetation Science, vol 13, Springer, Dordrecht, Netherlands, pp. 69-76.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(6)
Berg B, Laskowski R (2005)Litter fall. Advances in Ecological Research 38: 19-71.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(7)
Bisi F, Chirichella R, Chianucci F, Von Hardenberg J, Cutini A, Martinoli A, Apollonio M (2018)Climate, tree masting and spatial behaviour in wild boar (
Sus scrofa L.): insight from a long-term study. Annals of Forest Science 75: 46.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(8)
Bou J, Caritat A, Vilar L (2015)Litterfall and growth dynamics relationship with the meteorological variability in three forests in the Montseny natural park. Folia Forestalia Polonica 57: 145-159.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(9)
Bussotti F, Borghini F, Celesti C, Leonzio C, Cozzi A, Bettini D, Ferretti M (2003)Leaf shedding, crown condition and element return in two mixed holm oak forests in Tuscany, central Italy. Forest Ecology and Management 176: 273-285.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(10)
Caritat A, Bertoni G, Molinas M, Oliva M, Dominguez-Planella A (1996)Litterfall and mineral return in two cork-oak forests in northeast Spain. Annales des Sciences Forestières 53: 1049-1058.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(11)
Caritat A, García-Berthou E, Lapeña R, Vilar L (2006)Litter production in a
Quercus suber forest of Montseny (NE Spain) and its relationship to meteorological conditions. Annals of Forest Science 63: 791-800.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(12)
Caritat A, Oliva Estanyol M, De Ferrer M (1992)Variación estacional del desfronde en dos parcelas de alcornocal [Litterfall seasonality in two Cork oak sites]. Scientia Gerundensis 18: 121. [in Spanish]
Gscholar
(13)
Chen HY, Brant AN, Seedre M, Brassard BW, Taylor AR (2017)The contribution of litterfall to net primary production during secondary succession in the boreal forest. Ecosystems 20: 830-844.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(14)
Christensen JH, Christensen OB (2007)A summary of the PRUDENCE model projections of changes in European climate by the end of this century. Climatic Change 81: 7-30.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(15)
DeForest JL, Chen J, McNulty SG (2009)Leaf litter is an important mediator of soil respiration in an oak-dominated forest. International Journal of Biometeorology 53: 127-134.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(16)
Erkan N, Comez A, Aydin AC, Denli O, Erkan S (2018)Litterfall in relation to stand parameters and climatic factors in
Pinus brutia forests in Turkey. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 33: 338-346.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(17)
Escudero A, Del Arco JM (1987)Ecological significance of the phenology of leaf abscission. Oikos 49: 11-14.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(18)
Estiarte M, Peñuelas J (2014)Alteration of the phenology of leaf senescence and fall in winter deciduous species by climate change: effects on nutrient proficiency. Global Change Biology 21: 1005-1017.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(19)
Falge E, Baldocchi D, Tenhunen J, Aubinet M, Bakwin P, Berbigier P, Bernhofer C, Burba G, Clement R, Davis KJ, Elbers JA, Goldstein AH, Grelle A, Granier A, Gumundsson J, Hollinger D, Kowalski AS, Katul G, Law BE, Malhi Y, Meyers T, Monson RK, Munger JW, Oechel W, Paw UKT, Pilegaard K, Rannik U, Rebmann C, Suyker A, Valentini R, Wilson K, Wofsy S (2002)Seasonality of ecosystem respiration and gross primary production as derived from FLUXNET measurements. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 113: 53-74.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(20)
Farooq M, Wahid A, Kobayashi N, Fujita D, Basra SMA (2009)Plant drought stress: effects, mechanisms and management. Agronomy for Sustainable Development 29: 185-202.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(21)
Giorgi F (2006)Climate change hot-spots. Geophysical Research Letters 33 (8): 89.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(22)
Han T, Huang W, Liu J, Zhou G, Xiao Y (2015)Different soil respiration responses to litter manipulation in three subtropical successional forests. Scientific Reports 5 (1): 81.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(23)
Hobbie SE (2015)Plant species effects on nutrient cycling: revisiting litter feedbacks. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 30: 357-363.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(24)
Hoff C, Rambal S (2003)An examination of the interaction between climate, soil and leaf area index in a
Quercus ilex ecosystem. Annals of Forest Science 60: 153-161.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(25)
Ito A, Oikawa T (2002)A simulation model of the carbon cycle in land ecosystems (Sim-CYCLE): a description based on dry-matter production theory and plot-scale validation. Ecological Modelling 151: 143-176.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(26)
IUSS/WRB (2007)World reference base for soil resources 2006, first update 2007. FAO, Rome, Italy, pp. 116.
Gscholar
(27)
Jonard M, Andre F, Ponette Q (2006)Modeling leaf dispersal in mixed hardwood forests using a ballistic approach. Ecology 87: 2306-2318.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(28)
Kelly D, Geldenhuis A, James A, Penelope Holland E, Plank MJ, Brockie RE, Cowan PE, Harper GA, Lee WG, Maitland MJ, Mark AF, Mills JA, Wilson PR, Byrom AE (2013)Of mast and mean: differential-temperature cue makes mast seeding insensitive to climate change. Ecology Letters 16: 90-98.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(29)
Körner C (2015)Paradigm shift in plant growth control. Current Opinion in Plant Biology 25: 107-114.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(30)
Limousin JM, Rambal S, Ourcival JM, Rocheteau A, Joffre R, Rodríguez-Cortina R (2009)Long-term transpiration change with rainfall decline in a Mediterranean
Quercus ilex forest. Global Change Biology 15: 2163-2175.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(31)
Lindner M, Maroschek M, Netherer S, Kremer A, Barbati A, Garcia-Gonzalo J, Seidl R, Delzon S, Corona P, Kolström M, Lexer MJ, Marchetti M (2010)Climate change impacts, adaptive capacity, and vulnerability of European forest ecosystems. Forest Ecology and Management 259: 698-709.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(32)
Liski J, Palosuo T, Peltoniemi M, Sievänen R (2005)Carbon and decomposition model Yasso for forest soils. Ecological Modelling 189: 168-182.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(33)
Liu D, Ogaya R, Barbeta A, Yang X, Peñuelas J (2015)Contrasting impacts of continuous moderate drought and episodic severe droughts on the aboveground-biomass increment and litterfall of three coexisting Mediterranean woody species. Global Change Biology 21: 4196-4209.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(34)
Mediavilla S, Escudero A (2009)Ontogenetic changes in leaf phenology of two co-occurring Mediterranean oaks differing in leaf life span. Ecological Research 24 (5): 1083-1090.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(35)
Metcalfe D, Liddell M, Bradford MG, Green PT (2014)Tropical rainforests of eastern Australia. In: “Biodiversity and Environmental Change: Monitoring, Challenges and Direction” (Lindenmayer D, Burns E, Thurgate N, Lowe A). CSIRO Publishing, Collingwood, Australia pp. 111-165.
Online |
Gscholar
(36)
Misson L, Degueldre D, Collin C, Rodriguez R, Rocheteau A, Ourcival J, Rambal S (2011)Phenological responses to extreme droughts in a Mediterranean forest. Global Change Biology 17: 1036-1048.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(37)
Monks A, Monks JM, Tanentzap AJ (2016)Resource limitation underlying multiple masting models makes mast seeding sensitive to future climate change. New Phytologist 210: 419-430.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(38)
Ogaya R, Penuelas J (2006)Contrasting foliar responses to drought in
Quercus ilex and
Phillyrea latifolia. Biologia Plantarum 50: 373-382.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(39)
Oliveira G, Martins-Loução MA, Correia O, Catarino F (1996)Nutrient dynamics in crown tissues of cork-oak (
Quercus suber L.). Trees 10: 247-254.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(40)
Pausas JG (1997)Litter fall and litter decomposition in
Pinus sylvestris forests of the eastern Pyrenees. Journal of Vegetation Science 8: 643-650.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(41)
Pedersen LB, Bille-Hansen J (1999)A comparison of litterfall and element fluxes in even aged Norway spruce, sitka spruce and beech stands in Denmark. Forest Ecology and Management 114: 55-70.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(42)
Pinheiro J, Bates D, DebRoy S, Sarkar D, R Core Team (2017)nlme: linear and nonlinear mixed effects models. R package version 3: 1-131.
Online |
Gscholar
(43)
Rapp M, Santa Regina I, Rico M, Gallego HA (1999)Biomass, nutrient content, litterfall and nutrient return to the soil in Mediterranean oak forests. Forest Ecology and Management 119: 39-49.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(44)
Roig S, Del Río M, Cañellas I, Montero G (2005)Litter fall in Mediterranean
Pinus pinaster Ait. stands under different thinning regimes. Forest Ecology and Management 206: 179-190.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(45)
Sá C, Madeira M, Gazarini L (2005)Produção e decomposição de folhas da folhada de
Quercus suber L. e
Q. rotundifolia Lam. [Leaf litter and decomposition in
Quercus suber L and
Q. rotundifolia Lam.]. Revista de Ciências Agrárias 28: 257-272. [in Portuguese]
Gscholar
(46)
Sardans J, Peñuelas J (2013)Plant-soil interactions in Mediterranean forest and shrublands: impacts of climatic change. Plant and Soil 365: 1-33.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(47)
Sayer EJ (2005)Using experimental manipulation to assess the roles of leaf litter in the functioning of forest ecosystems. Biological Reviews 81: 1-31.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(48)
Sitch S, Smith B, Prentice IC, Arneth A, Bondeau A, Cramer W, Kaplan JO, Levis S, Lucht W, Sykes MT, Thonicke K, Venevsky S (2003)Evaluation of ecosystem dynamics, plant geography and terrestrial carbon cycling in the LPJ dynamic global vegetation model. Global Change Biology 9: 161-185.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(49)
Tognetti R, Longobucco A, Raschi A (1998)Vulnerability of xylem to embolism in relation to plant hydraulic resistance in
Quercus pubescens and
Quercus ilex co-occurring in a Mediterranean coppice stand in central Italy. New Phytologist 139: 437-447.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(50)
Zhang H, Yuan W, Dong W, Liu S (2014)Seasonal patterns of litterfall in forest ecosystem worldwide. Ecological Complexity 20: 240-247.
CrossRef |
Gscholar
(51)
Zuur AF, Ieno EN, Walker N, Saveliev AA, Smith GM (2009)Mixed effects models and extensions in ecology with R. Springer-Verlag, New York, USA, pp. 574.
Gscholar
