Leaf and decomposition of litter in the riparian forests Manantial de Cañaverales, Guajira, Colombia

We analyzed the contribution of particulate organic matter to the spring Cañaverales (La Guajira, Colombia) over a period of six months (dry and rainy). The monthly litterfall was 0.17 t·ha-1·month-1, which represented 2.08 t·ha-1·year-1 when extrapolated to one year. This is an intermediate value with respect to others reported from tropical dry forests. The correlation between litter production and precipitation was statistically significant. Litterfall was dominated by the leaf fraction (66.61 %), followed by the reproductive material (15.92 %), the woody (11.12 %) and miscellaneous materials (6.36 %). The highest production of leaf litter was registered for Prosopis juliflora (1.31 t·ha-1·year-1) and the lowest for Brosimum alicastrum (0.46 t·ha-1·year-1). P. juliflora and Anacardium excelsum, presented the major contributions of foliar leaf litter, what suggests they could be potential species for inclusion in restoration activities in riparian areas. P. juliflora was the species that presented the highest rates of litter decomposition (0.242 year-1), while the Sterculia apetala was the most persistent (0.079 year-1). The results indicate that litterfall and litter decomposition rates depend on forest composition and climatic variations.