Mangrove Litter Fall in North-Eastern Australia. I. Annual Totals by Component in Selected Species

Abstract

Annual totals of the components of litter fall (leaves, reproductive parts, stipules, wood and residual debris) are presented for Rhizophora apiculata, R. lamarckii and R. stylosa as well as for Sonneratia alba, Avicennia sp., Ceriops tagal, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and B. parviflora from a large number of sites at Hinchinbrook Island (lat. 18°15'S.; long. 146°15'E.). Annual total litter fall among all species ranged from 3.8 to 19.6 Mg ha-1. The mean value among the Rhizophora spp., the most extensively sampled was 9.6 Mg ha-1 yr-1. Leaves, generally, made up the most important component of all litter materials. The results are compared with records in the literature for tidal as well as non-tidal forests elsewhere in the tropics.