Effects of fragmentation on forest structure and litter dynamics in Atlantic rainforest in Pernambuco, Brazil

This study evaluates the effects of fragmentation on the spatial and temporal dynamics of small litterfall production in Atlantic rainforest in Pernambuco State, Brazil. Litterfall was collected for 24 months at two 0.2 ha sites, located in the forest edge zone and the forest interior, within a rainforest patch of about 300 ha. Structural parameters of both forest sites were recorded. Litter was sorted into six fractions (foliage, twigs, buds/flowers, fruits/seeds, peduncles, rest), dried and weighed. The interior forest plot contained 314 live trees with a dbh ⩾5 cm and a stand basal area of 41.8±8.7 m2, whereas the forest edge contained 211 live trees and a stand basal area of 23.4±3.6 m2. Total small litterfall was extraordinarily high and totalled 12.62±4.73 t ha−1 yr−1 in interior forest and 14.74±2.78 t ha−1 yr−1 in forest edge. High litterfall rates are probably due to a pronounced periodicity, edge effects alter litterfall strongly.