PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #31: Climate Change.
Wednesday, August 8, 2001. Presentation from 3:30 PM to 5:00 PM. Exhibition Hall

Latitudinal variability of litter fall and decay in pine forest ecosystems: transect studies along 52N parallel .

Breymeyer, Alicja¹, ¹

ABSTRACT- The spatial variability of two ecosystem processes: annual rates of organic matter fall and decomposition were measured in 13 pine forest stands across the North European plain along parallel 52 N, between 12-32 E. For each stand the geographical position was measured and climatic characteristics from the nearest meteorological posts assigned. The largest difference in average annual temperature between the western (warmer) and eastern (cooler) stands reaches 3.7°C; while the temperature amplitudes between the coldest and warmest months range between 18.5°C in the west and 26oC in the east. The transect extends across 20 deg. of latitude and is 1500 kilometers long. In the studied climatic zone of Central Europe, annual litter fall and decomposition in pine forests is followed by the distinct accumulation of organic matter: 350-450 g d.w. of litter is accumulated annually per 1 m sq. The litter-decomposition rate is dependent on continentality of climate, which gradually changes along the W-E transect. The processes of decomposition and litterfall are correlated; however, the latter one does not show a significant relationship with climatic elements examined.This transect study suggests that in pine forests the ABVG (above-ground) budget of organic matter depends on climatic continentality via the decomposition rate (significant correlations between decomposition rate and temperature amplitudes, temperature of the coldest month); however it depends mainly on forest productivity as expressed by the biomass of annual litterfall.

KEY WORDS: ecosystem response to climate change, organic matter accumulation, pine ecosystem, litterfall/decomposition budget