Litter production in two sites of forest (initial forest and mature forest) was evaluated during twelve months, between November/2003 and October/2004, for the estimation of annual litter production, evaluating the time variation of litter deposition and investigating the existence of correlations between vegetation structure and litter production. The study was carried out in the Mata do Paraíso Forest Reserve, nearby Viçosa, MG. Twenty 1 m2 litter traps were placed 20 cm above the soil surface. The litter traps were distributed in the center of the 10 x 30 m plots, ten litter traps in each forest site. Sampling was carried out on monthly basis. The material deposited in the traps was separated into leaves, branches, flowers and seeds. The annual litter production was estimated at 6,310 kg.ha-1 for the young forest and 8,819 kg.ha-1 for the mature forest. Leaves were the predominant fraction (64.6% and 55.9%), followed by branches (31.2% and 36.4%), fruits and seeds (3.2% and 6.2%) and flowers (1.0% and 1.5%) for the young forest and mature forest, respectively. Litter production was uniform throughout the period analyzed showing a seasonal pattern with the largest values in the spring. Maximum production for the leaf fraction was found in September, at the end of the dry season. Litter production was more correlated with density of individuals in the plots and biomass than with pioneer species dominance.
Litter; litterfall; tropical semideciduous forest; successional stages
