Differential effects of canopy trimming and litter deposition on litterfall and nutrient dynamics in a wet subtropical forest

• Tropical storms differentially impact litterfall via canopy opening and litter inputs.
• Canopy trimming decreased litterfall and nutrient inputs for at least 2.5 years.
• Over the 2.5 y post-trim period litterfall P and N decreased by 7 ± 0.2 and 143 ± 22 kg ha−1, respectively.
• Debris deposition did not effect litterfall rates or nutrient content.
• Canopy disturbance drives litterfall NPP and nutrient response to severe storms.

Humid tropical forests have the highest rates of litterfall production globally, which fuels rapid nutrient recycling and high net ecosystem production. Severe storm events significantly alter patterns in litterfall mass and nutrient dynamics through a combination of canopy disturbance and litter deposition. In this study, we used a large-scale long-term manipulation experiment to explore the separate and combined effects of canopy trimming and litter deposition on litterfall rates and litter nutrient concentrations and content. The deposition of fine litter associated with the treatments was equivalent to more than two times the annual fine litterfall mass and nutrient content in control plots. Results showed that canopy trimming was the primary driver of changes in litterfall and associated nutrient cycling. Canopy trimming reduced litterfall mass by 14 Mg ha−1 over the 2.5 year post-trim period. Nutrient concentrations increased in some litter fractions following trimming, likely due to a combination of changes in the species and fractional composition of litterfall, and increased nutrient uptake from reduced competition for nutrients. Declines in litterfall mass, however, led to large reductions in litterfall nutrient content with a loss of 143 ± 22 kg N ha−1 and 7 ± 0.2 kg P ha−1 over the 2.5 year post-trim period. There were no significant effects of litter deposition on litterfall rates or nutrient content, contrary to results from some fertilizer experiments. Our results suggest that large pulsed inputs of nutrients associated with tropical storms are unlikely to increase litterfall production, and that canopy disturbance has large and lasting effects on carbon and nutrient cycling.