ABSTRACT
The study aimed at evaluating litterfall production in a forest fragment adjacent to a limestone mining pit, in Ribeirão Grande (SP - Brazil). The material was collected monthly between the months of February 2011 to January 2012. Fourteen timber collectors (0,25 x 0,25 m) were used, suspended 20 cm above the soil surface. In the laboratory, the material intercepted was separated into fractions: leaves, stems, flowers, fruits and seeds, branches up to 2 cm in diameter and debris (fecal material, insects and seedling), dried at 70 °C and weighed on an analytical scale. The mean annual litterfall production for the 7 strips in 14 plots was estimated at 2809.02 g m-2. Among the fractions of litterfall, leaves presented as the largest contributor to total production, representing 73.86% of the total dry weight (2074.74 g m-2), followed by the branches fraction, with 18.89% of total litterfall (530.67 g m-2), fruits and seeds 3.39% (95.18 g m-2) debris 2.65% (74.48 g m-2) and flowers with 1,21% (33.95 g m-2). There is no evidence that the presence of the mine is affecting litterfall production, since the data obtained are similar to data in other studies published on the subject.
Key words:
environmental monitoring; Montane Semideciduous Seasonal Forests; ecosystem functions
