Predicting leaf production, litterfall mixtures and decomposition from tree distribution by modelling leaf dispersal process

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26850101
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Forest science
• Research Institution: Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute
• Principal Investigator: Matsushita Michinari 国立研究開発法人森林総合研究所, 林木育種センター, 主任研究員 (70624899)
• Research Collaborator: HOSHIZAKI Kazuhiko 公立大学法人・秋田県立大学, 生物資源科学部, 准教授 (30322655)
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 樹木群集 / 落葉分解 / 機能的形質 / 散布カーネル / 統合的モデリング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Leaf litter provides essential soil nutrients via its decomposition in forest ecosystems. Therefore, understanding leaf dispersal process is a key to incorporate spatial variation in decomposition in forests with diverse species. In this study, we developed a spatially-explicit model for the leaf production, dispersal and decomposition process in a temperate riparian mixed-species forest, by using the data of tree distribution patterns and data of species composition in the litterfall mixture. The result showed that the spatial variation in the species composition of leaf litterfall mixture was strongly affected by distribution patterns of source trees and species-specific leaf dispersal pattern. The modeling approach of this study is useful to unify the structural feature of the community and functional process in nutrient cycling.

Free Research Field

森林生態学