Article
| Article name | ABIOTIC FACTORS INFLUENCE THE TEMPORAL DYNAMICS OF LITTER DEPOSITION IN VEREDA OF THE BRAZILIAN CERRADO |
| Authors | Maria D.M. Veloso, PhD, Professor at Departamento de Biologia Geral, Laboratório of Ecologia Vegetal, Universidade Estadual de Montes Claros (39401-089, Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil); iD ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2692-0249; e-mail: dora.veloso@unimontes.br |
| Reference to article | Veloso M.D.M., Souza L.R., Souza C.S., Arrudas S.R., Figueiredo J.C., Lacerda P.H.S., Sant'Ana G.S., Nunes Y.R.F. 2026. Abiotic factors influence the temporal dynamics of litter deposition in vereda of the Brazilian Cerrado. Nature Conservation Research 11(3): 103–115. https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2026.023 Electronic Supplement 1. Additional information to the paper by Veloso et al. (2026) (Link) |
| Section | Research articles |
| DOI | https://dx.doi.org/10.24189/ncr.2026.023 |
| Abstract | Detecting the growing season variability of terrestrial vegetation is crucial for identifying ecosystem responses to recent climate change at seasonal and interannual timescales. Plant material becomes litter through natural aging or physical damage and subsequently undergoes degradation via various environmental and biological processes. These processes are influenced by abiotic variations, such as photoperiod, variations in temperature and precipitation throughout the year, and variations in the water table level in flooded or flood-prone areas. Here, we determined the composition and dynamics of litter in a vereda (a hygrophilous ecosystem typical of the Brazilian Cerrado, characterised by the presence of the Mauritia flexuosa palm tree emerging in the wetter zones) and evaluated the relationship between this variation and abiotic variables. Thirty biomass interception collectors were installed in delimited plots. The intercepted litter was collected, weighed monthly, and stratified into the following fractions: leaf, stem, reproductive material, and debris. The deposition was compared for all months in two years (2019 and 2020), and circular analyses were performed to identify temporal patterns. To determine the influence of climatic and environmental variables on monthly litter deposition, we used multiple regression analysis. Litter production over the years varied among portions, with the leaf portion being the most representative material, followed by the reproductive material, stem, and detritus. The greatest litter production occurred from August to November, which corresponded to the last months of the driest period of the year and the beginning of the rainy season. However, neither for the total deposition nor for each stratum separately, the phenological pattern showed significant seasonality, but was related to the abiotic analysed here, mainly the water table level. |
| Keywords | hydrological regime, hygrophilous forest, leaf fall, organic matter input, phenology, reproductive material, seasonality |
| Artice information | Received: 10.03.2026. Revised: 12.05.2026. Accepted: 14.05.2026. |
 |
The full text of the article |
| References |
Alvares C.A., Stape J.L., Sentelhas P.C., Gonçalves J.L.M., Sparovek G. 2013. Köppen's climate classification map for Brazil. Meteorologische Zeitschrift 22(6): 711–728. DOI: 10.1127/0941-2948/2013/0507 Anandita K., Sinha A., Jeganathan C. 2024. Understanding and mitigating climate change impacts on ecosystem health and functionality. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 35(8): 793–818. DOI: 10.1007/s12210-024-01259-4 Ávila M.A., Mota N.M., Souza S.R., Santos R.M., Nunes Y.R.F. 2021. Diversity and structure of natural regeneration in swamp forests in southeastern Brazil. Floresta e Ambiente 28(1): e20190110. DOI: 10.1590/2179-8087-FLORAM-2019-0110 Azevedo I.F.P., Nunes Y.R.F., Veloso M.D.M., Neves W.V., Fernandes G.W. 2009. Pandeiros, preservação estratégica na recuperação do São Francisco. Scientific American Brasil 83: 74–79. Azevedo I.F.P., Nunes Y.R.F., Ávila M.A., Silva D.L., Fernandes G.W., Veloso R.B. 2014. Phenology of riparian tree species in a transitional region in southeastern Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Botany 37(1): 47–59. DOI: 10.1007/s40415-014-0046-5 Bahia T.O., Luz G.R., Veloso M.D.M., Nunes Y.R.F., Neves W.V., Braga L.L., Lima P.C.V. 2009. Veredas na APA do Rio Pandeiros: importância, impactos ambientais e perspectivas. MG.BIOTA 2(3): 4–13. Bansal S., Sheley R.L., Blank B., Vasquez E.A. 2014. Plant litter effects on soil nutrient availability and vegetation dynamics: changes that occur when annual grasses invade shrub-steppe communities. Plant Ecology 215(3): 367–378. DOI: 10.1007/s11258-014-0307-1 Boaventura R.S. 2007. Vereda berço das águas. Belo Horizonte: Ecodinâmica. 264 p. Borchert R., Rivera G., Hagnauer W. 2002. Modification of Vegetative Phenology in a Tropical Semi‐deciduous Forest by Abnormal Drought and Rain. Biotropica 34(1): 27–39. DOI: 10.1111/j.1744-7429.2002.tb00239.x Borma L.S., Costa M.H., da Rocha H.R., Arieira J., Nascimento N.C.C., Jaramillo‐Giraldo C., Ambrosio G., Carneiro R.G., Venzon M., Neto A.F., van der Hoff R., Oliveira B.F.A., Rajão R., Nobre C.A. 2022. Beyond carbon: The contributions of South American tropical humid and subhumid forests to ecosystem services. Reviews of Geophysics 60(4): e2021RG000766. DOI: 10.1029/2021RG000766 Bray J.R., Gorham E. 1964. Litter Production in Forests of the World. Advances in Ecological Research 2: 101–157. DOI: 10.1016/S0065-2504(08)60331-1 Burnham K.P., Anderson D.R. 2002. Model selection and multimodel inference: a practical information-theoretic approach. 2nd ed. New York: Springer-Verlag. 515 p. Caldeira M.V.W., Vitorino M.D., Schaadt S.S., Moraes E., Balbinot R. 2008. Quantificação de serapilheira e de nutrientes em uma Floresta Ombrófila Densa. Semina: Ciências Agrárias 29(1): 53–68. DOI: 10.5433/1679-0359.2008v29n1p53 Calvi G.P., Pereira M.G., Espíndula A. 2009. Produção de serapilheira e aporte de nutrientes em áreas de floresta atlântica em Santa Maria de Jetibá, ES. Ciência Florestal 19(2): 131–138. DOI: 10.5902/19805098404 Carvalho A.C.A., Laranja R.E.D.P., Nascimento R.D.O., Rodrigues F.P. 2018. Delimitação e caracterização de um transecto na vertente do subsistema de vereda na Reserva Ecológica do IBGE/RECOR-DF. Caminhos de Geografia 19(68): 233–249. DOI: 10.14393/RCG196816 Carvalho A.R., Marques-Alves S. 2008. Diversidade e índice sucessional de uma vegetação de cerrado sensu stricto na Universidade Estadual de Goiás–UEG, campus de Anápolis. Revista Árvore 32(1): 81–90. DOI: 10.1590/S0100-67622008000100010 Castro-Díez P., Fierro-Brunnenmeister N., González-Muñoz N., Gallardo A. 2012. Effects of exotic and native tree leaf litter on soil properties of two contrasting sites in the Iberian Peninsula. Plant and Soil 350(1–2): 179–191. DOI: 10.1007/s11104-011-0893-9 Cianciaruso M.V., Pires J.S.R., Delitti W.B.C., Silva É.F.L.P.D. 2006. Produção de serapilheira e decomposição do material foliar em um cerradão na Estação Ecológica de Jataí, município de Luiz Antônio, SP, Brasil. Acta Botanica Brasilica 20(1): 49–59. DOI: 10.1590/S0102-33062006000100006 Cordeiro N.G., Pereira K.M.G., Terra M.C.N.S., Silveira E.M.O., Oliveira I.M.S., Acerbi Júnior F.W., van den Berg E., de Mello J.M. 2021. The role of environmental filters in Brazilian savanna vegetation dynamics. Forest Ecology and Management 500: 119645. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119645 Cornwell W.K., Cornelissen J.H.C., Amatangelo K., Dorrepaal E., Eviner V.T., Godoy O., Hobbie S.E., Hoorens B., Kurokawa H., Pérez-Harguindeguy N., Quested H.M., Santiago L.S., Wardle D.A., Wright I.J., Aerts R., Allison S.D., van Bodegom P., Brovkin V., Chatain A., Callaghan T.V., Díaz S., Garnier E., Gurvich D.E., Kazakou E., Klein J.A., Read J., Reich P.B., Soudzilovskaia N.A., Vaieretti M.V., Westoby M. 2008. Plant species traits are the predominant control on litter decomposition rates within biomes worldwide. Ecology Letters 11(10): 1065–1071. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01219.x Drummond G.M. 2005. Biodiversidade em Minas Gerais: um atlas para sua conservação. 2nd ed. Belo Horizonte: Fundação Biodiversitas. 222 p. Giweta M. 2020. Role of litter production and its decomposition, and factors affecting the processes in a tropical forest ecosystem: a review. Journal of Ecology and Environment 44(1): 11. DOI: 10.1186/s41610-020-0151-2 Holdredge C., Bertness M.D. 2011. Litter legacy increases the competitive advantage of invasive Phragmites australis in New England wetlands. Biological Invasions 13(2): 423–433. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-010-9836-2 Hou D.J., He W.M., Liu C.C., Qiao X.G., Guo K. 2019. Litter accumulation alters the abiotic environment and drives community successional changes in two fenced grasslands in Inner Mongolia. Ecology and Evolution 9(16): 9214–9224. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5469 Janssen T., van der Velde Y., Hofhansl F., Luyssaert S., Naudts K., Driessen B., Fleischer K., Dolman H. 2021. Drought effects on leaf fall, leaf flushing and stem growth in the Amazon forest: reconciling remote sensing data and field observations. Biogeosciences 18(14): 4445–4472. DOI: 10.5194/bg-18-4445-2021 Kovach W. 1994. Oriana for Windows, version 1.03. Pentraeth: Kovach Computer Services. Available from https://www.kovcomp.co.uk/oriana/ Letts B., Lamb E.G., Mischkolz J.M., Romo J.T. 2015. Litter accumulation drives grassland plant community composition and functional diversity via leaf traits. Plant Ecology 216(3): 357–370. DOI: 10.1007/s11258-014-0436-6 Lima R.P., Fernandes M.M., Fernandes M.R.D.M., Matricardi E.A.T. 2015. Aporte e decomposição da serapilheira na Caatinga no sul do Piauí. Floresta e Ambiente 22(1): 42–49. DOI: 10.1590/2179-8087.062013 Loydi A., Donath T.W., Eckstein R.L., Otte A. 2015. Non-native species litter reduces germination and growth of resident forbs and grasses: Allelopathic, osmotic or mechanical effects?. Biological Invasions 17(2): 581–595. DOI: 10.1007/s10530-014-0750-x Ma Z., Zeng Y., Wu J., Zhou Q., Hou F. 2022. Plant litter influences the temporal stability of plant community biomass in an alpine meadow by altering the stability and asynchrony of plant functional groups. Functional Ecology 36(1): 148–158. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13935 Ma Z.Y., Liu H.Y., Mi Z.R., Zhang Z.H., Wang Y.H., Xu W., Jiang L., He J.S. 2017. Climate warming reduces the temporal stability of plant community biomass production. Nature Communications 8(1): 15378. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15378 Maman A.P., Silva C.J., Sguarezi E.D.M., Bleich M.E. 2007. Produção e acúmulo de serapilheira e decomposição foliar em mata de galeria e cerradão no sudoeste de Mato Grosso. Revista de Ciências Agro-Ambientais 5(1): 71–84. Marod D., Nakashizuka T., Saitoh T., Hirai K., Thinkampheang S., Asanok L., Phumphuang W., Danrad N., Pattanakiat S. 2023. Long term seasonal variability on litterfall in tropical dry forests, western Thailand. Forests 14(10): 2107. DOI: 10.3390/f14102107 Meirelles M.L., Guimarães A.J., Oliveira R., Araújo G., Ribeiro J.F. 2004. Impactos sobre o estrato herbáceo de áreas úmidas do Cerrado. In: L.M.S. Aguiar, A.J.A. Camargo (Eds.): Cerrado: Ecologia e Caracterização. Planaltina: Embrapa Cerrados. P. 41–68. Mendonça R.C., Felfili J.M., Walter B.M.T., Silva-Jr. M.C., Rezende A.V., Filgueiras T.S., Nogueira P.E., Fagg C.W. 2008. Flora vascular do cerrado: Checklist com 12.356 espécies. In: S.M. Sano, S.P. Almeida, J.F. Ribeiro (Eds.): Cerrado: ecologia e flora. Planaltina: Embrapa Cerrados. P. 417–1279. Mittermeier R.A., Robles Gil P., Hoffmann M., Pilgrim J., Brooks T., Mittermeier C.G. (Eds.). 2004. Hotspots revisited: Earth's biologically richest and most endangered terrestrial ecoregions. Mexico City: CEMEX. 390 p. Moreira F.M.S., Siqueira J.O. 2006. Microbiologia e Bioquímica do Solo. 2nd ed. Lavras: Editora UFLA. 729 p. Morffi-Mestre H., Ángeles-Pérez G., Powers J.S., Andrade J.L., Huechacona Ruiz A.H., May-Pat F., Chi-May F., Dupuy J.M. 2020. Multiple Factors Influence Seasonal and Interannual Litterfall Production in a Tropical Dry Forest in Mexico. Forests 11(12): 1241. DOI: 10.3390/f11121241 Munhoz C.B.R., Eugênio C.U.O., Oliveira R.C. 2011. Vereda: Guia de campo. Vol. 1. Brasília: Rede de Sementes do Cerrado. 224 p. Myers N., Mittermeier R.A., Mittermeier C.G., Fonseca G.A.B., Kent J. 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature 403(6772): 853–858. DOI: 10.1038/35002501 Nunes Y.R.F., Bahia T.O., Ávila M.A., Veloso M.D.M., Santos R.M. 2015. Florística e fitossociologia das comunidades arbóreas de veredas: um estudo de caso no norte de Minas Gerais, Brasil. In: P.V. Eisenlohr, J.M. Felfili, M.M.R.F. Melo, L.A. Andrade, J.A.A. Meira-Neto (Eds.): Fitossociologia no Brasil: métodos e estudos de casos. Vol. 2. Viçosa: Editora UFV. P. 264–287. Nunes Y.R.F., Souza C.S., Azevedo I.F.P., Oliveira O.S., Frazão L.A., Fonseca R.S., Santos R.M., Neves W.V. 2022. Vegetation structure and edaphic factors in veredas reflect different conservation status in these threatened areas. Forest Ecosystems 9: 100036. DOI: 10.1016/j.fecs.2022.100036 Oksanen J., Blanchet F.G., Kindt R., Legendre P., Minchin P., O'Hara R.B., Simpson G., Solymos P., Stevens M.H.H., Wagner H. 2015. Vegan: Community ecology package (R package version 2.2-1). Available from https://cran.r-project.org/web/packages/vegan/index.html Oliveira I.J. 2014. Chapadões descerrados: Relações entre vegetação, relevo e uso das terras em Goiás. Boletim Goiano de Geografia 34(2): 311–336. DOI: 10.5216/bgg.v34i2.31734 Pereira C.C., Kenedy-Siqueira W., Maia L.R., Sperandei V.F., Arantes-Garcia L., Fernandes S., Fernandes G.F.C., de Castro G.C., Rodrigues D.J., Salm R., Fearnside P.M. 2026. The Cerrado crisis review: highlighting threats and providing future pathways to save Brazil's biodiversity hotspot. Nature Conservation 61: 29–70. DOI: 10.3897/natureconservation.61.168273 Phillips C.L., Murphey V., Lajtha K., Gregg J.W. 2016. Asymmetric and symmetric warming increases turnover of litter and unprotected soil C in grassland mesocosms. Biogeochemistry 128(1–2): 217–231. DOI: 10.1007/s10533-016-0204-x Piao S., Liu Q., Chen A., Janssens I.A., Fu Y., Dai J., Liu L., Lian X., Shen M., Zhu X. 2019. Plant phenology and global climate change: Current progresses and challenges. Global Change Biology 25(6): 1922–1940. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14619 Pinto S.I.D.C., Martins S.V., Barros N.F., Dias H.C.T. 2008. Produção de serapilheira em dois estádios sucessionais de floresta estacional semidecidual na Reserva Mata do Paraíso, em Viçosa, MG. Revista Árvore 32(3): 545–556. DOI: 10.1590/S0100-67622008000300015 Queiroz M.G., Silva T.G.F., Zolnier S., Souza C.A.A., Souza L.S.B., Steidle Neto A.J., Araújo G.G.L., Ferreira W.P.M. 2019. Seasonal patterns of deposition litterfall in a seasonal dry tropical forest. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 279: 107712. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2019.107712 R Core Team. 2022. R: A language and environment for statistical computing. Vienna, Austria: R Foundation for Statistical Computing. Available from http://www.R-project.org Ramos M.V.V., Curi N., Motta P.E.F., Vitorino A.C.T., Ferreira M.M., Silva M.L.N. 2006. Veredas do Triângulo Mineiro: Solos, água e uso. Ciência e Agrotecnologia 30(2): 283–293. DOI: 10.1590/S1413-70542006000200014 Ratter J.A., Ribeiro J.F., Bridgewater S. 1997. The Brazilian Cerrado vegetation and threats to its biodiversity. Annals of Botany 80(3): 223–230. DOI: 10.1006/anbo.1997.0469 Ribeiro J.F., Walter B.M.T. 2008. As Principais Fitofisionomias do bioma Cerrado. In: S.M. Sano, S.P. Almeida, J.F. Ribeiro (Eds.): Cerrado: ecologia e flora. Vol. 1. Brasília: Embrapa Cerrados. P. 151–212. Obando Guzmán J.K., Beltrán L.C., Rodríguez-León C.H., Roa-Fuentes L.L. 2023. Pattern of litterfall production throughout a tropical humid forest chronosequence. Ecosystems 26(8): 1620–1635. DOI: 10.1007/s10021-023-00862-0 Rosolen V., de Oliveira D.A., Bueno G.T. 2015. Vereda and Murundu wetlands and changes in Brazilian environmental laws: Challenges to conservation. Wetlands Ecology and Management 23(2): 285–292. DOI: 10.1007/s11273-014-9380-4 Sales G.D.B., Lessa T.A.M., Freitas D.A., Veloso M.D.M., Silva M.L.S., Fernandes L.A., Frazão L.A. 2020. Litterfall dynamics and soil carbon and nitrogen stocks in the Brazilian palm swamp ecosystems. Forest Ecosystems 7(1): 39. DOI: 10.1186/s40663-020-00251-2 Sanches L., Valentini C.M.A., Biudes M.S., Nogueira J.D.S. 2009. Dinâmica sazonal da produção e decomposição de serrapilheira em floresta tropical de transição. Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental 13(2): 183–189. DOI: 10.1590/S1415-43662009000200012 Santos G.L., Silva E.C., Silva T.P., Costa E.M., Beutler S.J., Silva C.G., Delgado R.C., Horák-Terra I., Pereira M.G. 2023. Soil properties changing and carbon losses by anthropic drainage in savanna palm swamp (vereda), central Brazil. Revista Brasileira de Ciência do Solo 47: e0220144. DOI: 10.36783/18069657rbcs20220144 Sayer E.J., Leitman S.F., Wright S.J., Rodtassana C., Vincent A.G., Bréchet L.M., Castro B., Lopez O., Wallwork A., Tanner E.V.J. 2024. Tropical forest above‐ground productivity is maintained by nutrients cycled in litter. Journal of Ecology 112(4): 690–700. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2745.14251 Silva C.J., Sanches L., Bleich M.E., Lobo F.A., Nogueira J.D.S. 2007. Produção de serrapilheira no Cerrado e floresta de transição Amazônia-Cerrado do Centro-Oeste brasileiro. Acta Amazonica 37(4): 543–548. DOI: 10.1590/S0044-59672007000400009 Silva H.F., Barreto P.A.B., Sousa G.T.O., Azevedo G.B., Gama-Rodrigues E.F., Oliveira F.G.R.B. 2014. Decomposição de serapilheira foliar em três sistemas florestais no Sudoeste da Bahia. Revista Brasileira de Biociências 12(3): 164–172. Silva R.B.M. 2008. Aporte de serapilheira e quantificação de nutrientes em áreas de reabilitação, Município de Seropédica, RJ. Seropédica: Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro. 46 p. Singh I., Bukowski J., Marinescu P.J., Grant L.D., van den Heever S.C. 2025. How Spatially Variable Are Tropical and Subtropical Convective Environments?. Geophysical Research Letters 52(22): e2025GL116613. DOI: 10.1029/2025GL116613 Souza B.G., Veloso M.D.M., Sarneel J.M., Falcão L.A.D., Ribeiro J.M., Frazão L.A., Fernandes G.W. 2020. Litter decomposition in wet and dry ecosystems of the Brazilian Cerrado. Soil Research 58(4): 371–378. DOI: 10.1071/SR18317 Souza S.R., Veloso M.D.M., Espírito-Santo M.M., Silva J.O., Sánchez-Azofeifa A., Souza e Brito B.G., Fernandes G.W. 2019. Litterfall dynamics along a successional gradient in a Brazilian tropical dry forest. Forest Ecosystems 6(1): 35. DOI: 10.1186/s40663-019-0194-y Tonin A.M., Lima L.S., Bambi P., Figueiredo M.L., Rezende R.S., Gonçalves J.F. 2021. Litterfall Chemistry Is Modulated by Wet-Dry Seasonality and Leaf Phenology of Dominant Species in the Tropics. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 4: 666116. DOI: 10.3389/ffgc.2021.666116 van der Sande M.T., Arets E.J.M.M., Peña-Claros M., Hoosbeek M.R., Cáceres-Siani Y., van der Hout P., Poorter L. 2018. Soil fertility and species traits, but not diversity, drive productivity and biomass stocks in a Guyanese tropical rainforest. Functional Ecology 32(2): 461–474. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12968 Villa E.B., Pereira M.G., Alonso J.M., Beutler S.J., Leles P.S.S. 2016. Aporte de serapilheira e nutrientes em área de restauração florestal com diferentes espaçamentos de plantio. Floresta e Ambiente 23(1): 90–99. DOI: 10.1590/2179-8087.067513 Vital A.R.T., Guerrini I.A., Franken W.K., Fonseca R.C.B. 2004. Produção de serapilheira e ciclagem de nutrientes de uma floresta estacional semidecidual em zona ripária. Revista Árvore 28(6): 793–800. DOI: 10.1590/S0100-67622004000600004 Wright C.L., de Lima A.L.A., de Souza E.S., West J.B., Wilcox B.P. 2021. Plant functional types broadly describe water use strategies in the Caatinga, a seasonally dry tropical forest in northeast Brazil. Ecology and Evolution 11(17): 11808–11825. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7954 Xiao C., Janssens I.A., Zhou Y., Su J., Liang Y., Guenet B. 2015. Strong stoichiometric resilience after litter manipulation experiments; a case study in a Chinese grassland. Biogeosciences 12(3): 757–767. DOI: 10.5194/bg-12-757-2015 Yang X., Wu J., Chen X., Ciais P., Maignan F., Yuan W., Piao S., Yang S., Gong F., Su Y., Dai Y., Liu L., Zhang H., Bonal D., Liu H., Chen G., Lu H., Wu S., Fan L., Gentine P., Wright S.J. 2021. A comprehensive framework for seasonal controls of leaf abscission and productivity in evergreen broadleaved tropical and subtropical forests. Innovation 2(4): 100154. DOI: 10.1016/j.xinn.2021.100154 Zhou H., Min X., Chen J., Lu C., Huang Y., Zhang Z., Liu H. 2023. Climate warming interacts with other global change drivers to influence plant phenology: A meta‐analysis of experimental studies. Ecology Letters 26(8): 1370–1381. DOI: 10.1111/ele.14259 Zimmermann S., Braun S., Conedera M., Blaser P. 2002. Macronutrient inputs by litterfall as opposed to atmospheric deposition into two contrasting chestnut forest stands in southern Switzerland. Forest Ecology and Management 161(1–3): 289–302. DOI: 10.1016/S0378-1127(01)00477-7 |