Litter Production, Decomposition, and Nutrient Release in Subalpine Forest Communities of the Northwest Himalaya

Table 3

Rate of decomposition, percent mass loss, and decay constant (k^−etyear⁻¹).

Stands	Leaf litter				Nonleaf litter
	Mass loss (%)		Total mass loss (%)	Decay constant (k^−et)	Mass loss (%)		Total mass loss (%)	Decay constant (k^−et)
	Autumn-winter	Summer rainy			Autumn-winter	Summer rainy
PAR	1.8 (0.3 ± 0.10)	39.7 (6.6 ± 3.5)	41.5	1.7	0.7 (0.1 ± 0.1)	24.2 (4.0 ± 1.4)	24.9	1.3
PQQ	3.5 (0.6 ± 0.2)	36.0 (6.0 ± 4.3)	39.5	1.6	0.4 (0.05 ± 0.01)	19.3 (3.2 ± 1.3)	19.7	1.2
PAQ	1.0 (0.2 ± 10.1)	36.3 (6.0 ± 3.5)	37.0	1.6	0.3 (0.05 ± 0.01)	19.4 (3.2 ± 1.9)	19.7	1.2
PRS	1.3 (0.2 ± 0.1)	45.5 (7.6 ± 5.3)	46.8	1.9	1.1 (0.2 ± 0.1)	28.9 (4.8 ± 2.2)	30.0	1.4
SD (±)	1.1	4.4	4.2	0.1	0.3	4.6	4.9	0.1
CD0.05 value	0.6^ns	11.4^ns	6.0^*	0.3^ns	0.7^*	11.8^*	12.8^ns	0.2^ns

Values in parenthesis are average for per month; ^*significant; ^nsnot significant.