Litterfall production and nitrogen content in an intertropical semi-arid Mexican scrub

We explored relations among environmental factors and litterfall production, nitrogen resorption, and nitrogen use efficiency for 3 years in a semi-desert scrub in Mexico. Average litterfall production was 25 g m−2 year−1 and leaves made up 81.2% of total production. Average nitrogen content in litterfall was 0.65 g m−2 year−1. Nitrogen resorption in the dominant species Mimosa luisana (Mimosaceae) averaged 15.8% and the remaining species averaged 10.9%. Litterfall production in the community occurred in pulses whose magnitude depended on the amount of rainfall during the plant growth period. There was a significant relationship between rainfall and the nitrogen content in litterfall for the dominant species, which showed higher N use and lower NUE with increasing rainfall.