Reduced litterfall and decomposition alters nutrient cycling following conversion of tropical natural forests to rubber plantations

•A 3-year study is conducted to assess impacts of forest conversion on litterfall.•Litterfall production, stand litter and nutrient return show distinct seasonality.•Lower litterfall, accumulation and nutrient return occur in MRP than in TNF.•Wind, temperature and solar radiation are major drivers of litterfall production.•MRP develops a better nutrient cycle to adapt oligotrophic soil compared to TNF. Natural tropical landscapes have been continuously altered by land use change and other climate factors. Forest management practices have transformed massive tropical forests into rubber plantations throughout mainland Southeast Asia and Southwest China. However, the effect of the forest-to-plantation conversion on ecosystem functions associated with plant litter is limited. Here, we compare litterfall production, decomposition, nutrient return and nutrient use efficiency between a tropical natural forest (TNF) and a monoculture rubber plantation (MRP) in Xishuangbanna (China) over three years. Annual mean litterfall production was significantly higher in TNF (10.92 Mg ha−1 yr−1) than in MRP (5.23 Mg ha−1 yr−1). Production of leaf litter was positively correlated to that of total litterfall, suggesting that leaf litter could be reliably estimated from total litterfall. Temperature and solar radiation are dominant drivers of seasonal variation of litterfall production. The litterfall production was more sensitive to climate variables in MRP. The average stand litter and the decomposition quotient were 1.8 and 1.2 times greater in TNF than in MRP, respectively. The total nutrient return to the forest floor was 2.1 times higher in TNF (5.66 Mg ha−1 yr−1) than in MRP (2.76 Mg ha−1 yr−1); the return of each mineral element was significantly lower in MRP relative to TNF. The nutrient return preferentially occurred during the cold and dry seasons, which was consistent with the trend of litterfall. Relatively high N, P, Ca, and Mg use efficiencies were observed in MRP in line with their deficiency in the present tropical soils, indicating that rubber trees likely possess an efficient nutrient uptake mechanism to facilitate their adaption to oligotrophic habitats. Our results suggest that the large scale transformation of tropical forests to rubber plantations could alter the biogeochemical cycles related to litterfall, and thus possibly affect the resilience of ecosystems to climate variation. An increasing organic matter input in rubber monoculture may favor the su