A two‐year study of leaf litter decomposition as related to macroclimatic factors and microarthropod abundance in the southern Appalachians

Chestnut oak Quercus prinus L. litter in the southern Appalachian Mountains of the United States decomposes slowly during winter and more rapidly in other seasons. This pattern differed from other studies of litter decomposition in more northern environments where decomposition rates were relatively constant throughout the year or more rapid beneath a winter snow cover. The pattern observed can be approximated by using monthly actual evapotranspiration estimates as a correction factor for the decomposition constant, k, in the commonly‐used negative exponential decomposition model. Mean microarthropod densities increased from a seasonally weighted estimate of 18.2 ind. g −1 litter during the first year of decomposition to 73.6 ind. g −1 litter during the second year. In spite of this increase, no difference in the rate of weight loss of the litter was observed between the first and second year of the study.