To address the knowledge gaps in nutrient cycling under high‐altitude montane climates, this study evaluated leaf litter decomposition of Magnolia cathcartii , Machilus edulis , Magnolia champaca , and Magnolia doltsopa in an agroforestry system at Darla, Chukha district, Bhutan. We hypothesized that decomposition rates would be primarily dependent on climatic factors rather than species identity, and the presence of leathery leaf traits would result in slow leaf decomposition. A litterbag experiment was conducted using a randomized design. The litterbags were incubated 2‐3 cm below the soil surface. This shallow burial depth for incubation was to simulate the litter incorporated into the soil under agroforestry management. A total of 144 samples were retrieved over 416 days at predetermined intervals. Average weight loss ranged from 52.69% to 63.37%. The daily decomposition rate constants ( k ) varied from 0.0027 to 0.0033 day −1 (approximately 0.99–1.2 year −1 ). Although differences in decomposition among species were observed, analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed no significant interspecific variation ( p = 0.750), suggesting climatic factors had a stronger influence than species‐level differences. These results indicate that litters from Magnolia and Machilus act as a gradual‐release nutrient source in Bhutanese agroforestry systems. This influences nutrient timing and soil fertility mediated by soil fauna.
Dorjee et al. (2026) studied this question.