Table 2. Initial chemistry of the investigated litter substrates.
| Litter substrate | C (g kg–1) | N (g kg–1) | P (g kg–1) | K (g kg–1) | Ca (g kg–1) | Mg (g kg–1) | Lignin (g kg–1) | Cellulose (g kg–1) | C/N | N/P | Lignin/N |
| Lv_BD | 374±2 | 13.10±0.03 | 1.06±0.01 | 3.66±0.13 | 2.23±0.05 | 14.13±0.12 | 111±2 | 245±2 | 29±0 | 12.3±0.0 | 8.5±0.2 |
| Lv_BL | 440±7 | 9.11±0.10 | 0.27±0.01 | 7.15±0.25 | 0.58±0.01 | 1.90±0.09 | 337±4 | 241±9 | 48±1 | 33.7±0.5 | 37.0±1.5 |
| Lv_EG | 452±6 | 12.06±0.25 | 0.65±0.03 | 4.64±0.24 | 0.35±0.09 | 1.75±0.02 | 211±2 | 152±6 | 37±1 | 18.6±1.1 | 17.5±0.4 |
| Lv_NA | 456±13 | 22.28±0.44 | 1.75±0.03 | 3.75±0.11 | 2.28±0.34 | 25.28±0.99 | 200±5 | 236±8 | 20±0 | 12.7±0.8 | 9.0±0.3 |
| Lv_PA | 389±6 | 3.88±0.10 | 0.35±0.01 | 2.75±0.12 | 1.15±0.15 | 2.68±0.10 | 208±10 | 135±5 | 100±1 | 11.2±0.0 | 53.8±3.5 |
| St_NA | 514±5 | 1.94±0.15 | 0.23±0.01 | 2.10±0.04 | 0.88±0.01 | 5.39±0.75 | 184±8 | 265±0 | 265±0 | 8.4±0.1 | 108±5.2 |
| St_PA | 465±6 | 5.19±0.05 | 0.11±0.01 | 3.61±0.11 | 0.17±0.02 | 0.16±0.02 | 190±12 | 212±12 | 90±0 | 46.7±3.0 | 36.6±2.0 |
| Tg_EG | 468±7 | 2.47±0.05 | 0.23±0.02 | 1.22±0.09 | 0.21±0.02 | 0.86±0.15 | 243±4 | 201±10 | 189±3 | 10.7±0.3 | 98.4±4.2 |
| Tg_NA | 493±4 | 1.57±0.03 | 1.11±0.15 | 1.66±0.08 | 0.59±0.01 | 6.13±0.12 | 225±11 | 115±1 | 115±1 | 3.8±0.1 | 127±6.5 |
| Tg_PA | 482±6 | 3.53±0.03 | 0.18±0.01 | 3.84±0.20 | 0.04±0.00 | 0.35±0.03 | 180±2 | 324±6 | 137±2 | 19.4±1.4 | 51.0±0.1 |
Values are expressed as mean ± s.d. (n = 9).
Lv_BD, Lv_BL, Lv_EG, Lv_NA and Lv_PA indicate leaf litter at the BD, BL, EG, NA and PA sites, respectively; St_NA and St_PA indicate sheath litter at the NA and PA sites, respectively; Tg_EG, Tg_NA and Tg_PA indicate twig litter at the EG, NA and PA sites, respectively.