Dynamic Change Characteristics of Litter and Nutrient Return in Subtropical Evergreen Broad-Leaved Forest in Different Extreme Weather Disturbance Years in Ailao Mountain, Yunnan Province

Abstract

By studying the dynamic change characteristics of litter production, composition, nutrient content, and return amount of different components in different extreme weather interference years of Ailao Mountain evergreen broad-leaved forest, the paper provides theoretical support for the post-disaster nutrient cycle, ecological recovery, and sustainable development of the subtropical mid-mountain humid evergreen broad-leaved forest. Square litter collectors were randomly set up to collect litter. After drying to a constant mass, we calculated the seasonal and annual litter volume and the contents of organic carbon (C), total nitrogen (N), total phosphorus (P), total potassium (k), total sulfur (S), total calcium (Ca), and total magnesium (Mg). Finally, the nutrient return amount is comprehensively calculated according to the litter amount and element content. We tracked dynamic changes in litter quantity, nutrient composition, and nutrient components across different years. The results showed that the amount of litter from 2005 to 2015 was 7704–8818 kg·hm−2, and the order of magnitude was: 2005 (normal year) > 2015 (extreme snow and ice weather interference) > 2010 (extreme drought weather interference); the composition mainly included branches, leaves, fruit (flowers), and other components (bark, moss, lichen, etc.), of which the proportion of leaves was the largest, accounting for 41.70%–61.52%; The monthly changes and total amounts in different years exhibited single or double peak changes, and the monthly litter components in different years showed significant seasonality. In this study, the nutrient content of litter was higher than that of litter branches each year. The total amount of litter and the nutrient concentration of each component are C, Ca, N, K, Mg, S, and P, from large to small. The order of nutrient return in different years was the same as that of litter, and the returns of nutrients in litter leaves were greater than that of litter branches. The ratio of nutrient returns of litter and litter branches from 2005 to 2010 was 2.03, 1.23, and 3.69, respectively. The research shows that the litter decreased correspondingly under the extreme weather disturbance, and the impact of the extreme dry weather disturbance was greater than that of the extreme ice and snow weather disturbance. However, the evergreen broad-leaved forest in the study area recovers well after being disturbed. The annual litter amount and nutrient return amount is similar to that of evergreen broad-leaved forests in the same latitude and normal years in other subtropical regions. The decomposition rate and seasonal dynamics of litter nutrients are not greatly affected by extreme weather.