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Steady State and the Continuous Input Model of Litter Accumulation and Decompostion in Australian Eucalypt Forests
Author(s) -
Birk Elaine M.,
Simpson R. W.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1937411
Subject(s) - litter , environmental science , eucalyptus , context (archaeology) , ecology , forest floor , plant litter , ecosystem , atmospheric sciences , forestry , biology , geography , geology , paleontology
The continuous input litter accumulation and decomposition model of Olson (1963) is examined in the context of periodically burned eucalypt forests. Eucalypt forests are generally not in steady state since fires regularly deplete the pool of accumulated litter. A decay constant calculated assuming steady state would considerably overestimate the forest floor turnover rate if based on data collected much less than 10 yr after a fire. The approximate magnitude of the error has been determined for jarrah (Eucalyptus marginata Sm.) and karri (E. diversicolor F. Muell.) forests as a function of time since fire. The predicted decay constants could also vary by up to 25% due to annual variations in the rate of litter input.