Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
9447976 | Journal of Arid Environments | 2005 | 13 Pages |
Abstract
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 mâ2 yearâ1 and leaves made up 81.2% of total production. Average nitrogen content in litterfall was 0.65 g mâ2 yearâ1. 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.
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Authors
N.P. Pavón, O. Briones, J. Flores-Rivas,