<i>Pseudowintera colorata</i>

Litterfall, nutrient concentrations and decomposability of litter in a New Zealand temperate montane rain forest

Litterfall reflects forest productivity and is an important pathway of nutrient cycling in forests. We quantified litter quantity, nutrient concentrations, and decomposability for 22 permanently marked plots that included gradients of altitude (a range of 320–780 m), soil nutrients and past disturbance in a cool temperate evergreen montane rain forest in the western South Island of New Zealand.