Table 1.
Comparisons of leaf litter traits between Proustia and Porlieria following 5 months of photodecomposition in the field.
|
Proustia |
Porlieria |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trait | UV- | UV+ | t test (d.f.) | UV- | UV+ | t test (d.f.) |
| LMA (g. m-2) | 143.2 (3.6) | 129.7 (1.65) | 6.44 (70)*** | 264.8 (3.59) | 263.1 (4.07) | 0.31 (70) |
| C% | 49.4 (0.49) | 38.1 (0.33) | 18.5 (63)*** | 51.1 (0.57) | 50.5 (0.25) | 1.86 (54) |
| N% | 1.07 (0.07) | 1.06 (0.04) | 0.03 (64) | 1.11 (0.11) | 1.12 (0.09) | 1.00 (70) |
| C:N | 45.5 (0.57) | 35.3 (0.32) | 14.9 (57)*** | 46.8 (0.68) | 44.3 (0.39) | 1.99 (58) |
| Lignin (%) | 9.87 (0.13) | 7.36 (0.14) | 14.2 (72)*** | 11.17 (0.19) | 11.05 (0.15) | 0.55 (72) |
| Lignin:N | 9.34 (0.12) | 6.82 (0.13) | 13.4 (72)*** | 10.05 (0.18) | 9.80 (0.16) | 1.01 (70) |
Intraspecific comparisons of litter traits after a rainless period of exposure to natural UV radiation in semiarid Chile (UV- implies a reduction of 96–98% of natural UV radiation; UV+ is the control treatment with less than 10% reduction of UV levels). Values are means ± 1 SE, and student-t tests are given for intraspecific comparisons. ***P < 0.0001.