The Loss of Elements from Decomposing Litter

Abstract

The rates of loss of dry matter, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and sodium during decomposition of plant materials were studied in mature Eucalyptus obliqua (L'Herit.) forests in southeastern Australia. The loss of elements follows the order Na > K > Ca > Mg > P, and can be largely explained by the behavior of these elements in terms of both mobility within the living biomass and of leaching from the forest canopy. The difference with respect to phosphorus between the mobility series for E. obliqua litter and that for the litter of some Russian hardwoods suggests that the two plant systems differ also with respect to the cycling and mobility of phosphorus within the living biomass.