Litterfall pattern in a fresh -water swamp forest in India

Litter on forest floor plays a major role in the structure and function of a terrestrial ecosystem in the tropics (Bray and Gorham, 1964). Studies on litter production indicate that it serves as a nutrients reservoir and as substrates for detritus food web. It alters the microenvironment and may affect the structure and dynamics of plant communities. Clements (1916) considered litter accumulation as a part of successional reaction , i.e., environmental changes produced by the action of colonizing organisms. The litter on the forest floor acts as input-output system of nutrient and the rates at which forest litter falls and subsequently, decomposes contribute to the regulation of nutrient cycling and primary productivity, and to the maintenance of soil fertility in forest ecosystems (Olson, 1963; Singh et al., 1999; Fioretto et al., 2003; Onyekwelu et al., 2006; Pandey et al., 2007). Therefore, it is critical to understand the amount and pattern of litterfall in these forest ecosystems.