Thickness and mass of the standing leaf litter layer was measured in all CSPs in spring 2009, summer 2009, autumn 2009 and winter 2010. This piece of work will contribute to calculate total carbon and nitrogen pool sizes of the broad-leaved forests stands in Gutianshan. Subsamples of the collected litter were analyzed for carbon and nitrogen and pool sizes for C and N were determined.

Litter layer refers to the surface layer on a forest floor that contains all dead, fresh or dry, and partially decomposed plant tissues above the organic (Oh) and mineral soil surface, including twigs up to 0.6 cm diameter". Thickness of the undisturbed litter layer was measured by a folding rule at 12 points distributed equally along the border of each CSP. To determine biomass, four sample cores were taken with a PVC tube (diameter 19 cm) in undisturbed litter patches in each CSP and pooled together. Litter thickness of each sample core was recorded and litter biomass was corrected using the mean of the 12 single measurements of leaf litter thickness . Litter samples were dried at 70 °C until constant weight and subsamples were analyzed for carbon and nitrogen. --- Litter from the four sample cores were pooled for weighing, total area of the four cores is 0.113411 m2 = (PI*0.095m*0.095m*4)

CSPs of the BEF China Experiment, Gutianshan Nature Reserve 29°08'-29°17'N 118°02'-118°11'E

2009, 2010

Litter

Thickness and mass of the standing leaf litter layer; carbon and nitrogen pool sizes, mind that Moisture of the leaf litter layer could influence the thickness of the leaf litter layer.