Nutrient return by litterfall in evergreen podocarp‐hardwood forest in New Zealand

Summary Annual Iitterfall collected monthly for one year from 69 litter traps on 2.25 ha in the Orongorongo Valley near Wellington totalled 6180 kg/ha. Micro‐litter was 4558 kg/ha (70% leaves, 26% twigs, and 4% seeds)|macro‐litter (large woody material) 1615 kg/ha, and insect litter 7 kg/ha, Accumulated forest floor litter was 143 t/ha. The relative abundance of 10 nutrient elements in the micro‐litter was Ca >N >K > Mg >Al >P >Mn >Fe >Zn >Cu. Nutrient concentrations for the three categories of micro‐litter varied seasonally as a result of specific litterfall contributions by different species in different months. Summer, autumn, and spring each provided about 30% of micro‐litterfall and nutrients with about 8% falling in winter. Phosphorus in annual micro‐litterfall, 2.8 kg/ha or 0.61 g/kg of litter, is low by world standards, but higher than in New Zealand hard beech or Australian eucalypt forests. Podocarp‐hardwood forests may be adapted to sites of slightly higher P and N status than hard beech forests in the study area.