Litterfall production, decomposition and
nutrient use efficiency in three different tropical forest
ecosystems in SW China were studied for 10 years.
Annual mean litterfall production in tropical seasonal
forest (TSF) (9.47±1.65Mg ha−1) was similar to that in
man-made tropical forest (MTF) (9.23±1.29 Mg ha−1)
(P>0.05) but both were significantly lower than that in
secondary tropical forest (STF) (12.96±1.71 Mg ha−1)
(P<0.05). The annual variation of litterfall was greater
in TSF (17.4%, P<0.05) than in MTF (14.0%) or STF
(13.2%). The annual mean decomposition rate of
litterfall increased followed the order of MTF
(2.72)