This research aimed to evaluate the amount of litter fall, the seasonal distribution and the influence of precipitation on the fall. It also intended to determine the nutrient contents and estimated the nutrient input according to time and plant structure. The research was carried out in an Atlantic Forest remnant in Recife-PE metropolitan region. The litter fall was equal to 10.07 tons/ha/year, and the leaf component contributed with 6.74 tons/ha/year (66.9 % of the total). Litter fall was higher during the dry season. Seasonality influenced the leaf component of the litter fall. The amount of K was low in the rainy season for the leaf and miscellaneous components. The contents of nutrients in g/kg in the litter were Ca, 15.73; K, 4.74; Mg, 2.42; and P, 0.50. The input of nutrients through the litter was 170.7; 26.4; 5.2; and 49.7 kg/ha/year for Ca, Mg, P and K, respectively.
Atlantic forest; litter; temporal distribution
