Litter production was studied in 10 natural gaps of Santa Genebra Municipal Reserve (22°49'45"S and 47°06'33"W) in Campinas, São Paulo state. Thirty wooden litter traps of 0.5 x 0.5 m with nylon screen bottoms and 1.0 mm² mesh were used, placed 10 cm above the surface of the soil. Collections took place on a monthly basis, from January to December of 1997. In laboratory, the material deposited in the traps was separated in the fractions of leaves, branches (up to 2.0 cm of diameter), flowers and fruits, dried in stove to 70°C and weighed in analytic scale. The annual litter production for the gaps as a whole was estimated in 5968 kg.ha1, the fraction leaves accorenting for 75.87% of the total dry weight, followed by branches, fruits and flowers with 19.27%, 3.17% and 1.69%, respectively. Litter production was uniform throughout the year, thus showing a seasonal pattern with the largest values at the end of the dry season, reaching a maximum value in September. Among gaps, litter production was significantly and positively correlated with the dominance of pioneer species.
Litterfall; gaps; semideciduous forest