LITTERFALL AND DECOMPOSITION IN THE PILLIGA STATE FORESTS, NEW-SOUTH-WALES, AUSTRALIA

The annual litterfall and decomposition rate of litter in three semi-a rid vegetation communities (forest, mallee and broom) in the Pilliga S tate Forests, New South Wales, Australia, were measured over a period of 3 years. Annual litterfall was found to vary widely between the com munities, ranging from 1005 to 3409 kg ha(-1)year(-1). Decomposition r ates were measured and the half lives obtained ranged from 2.5 to 5.3 years. In many forests fire removes much of the accumulated litter at regular intervals. Two of the three study sites (the forest and mallee ) had reached steady state after 36 years of litter accumulation after fire, while the broom, with only 20 years accumulation, was not in st eady state. Between fires decomposition of the litter dominates. In th e mallee soil fauna were most active, burying the litter under mineral soil before comminution commenced, demonstrating a cycling of litter which differs markedly from that in more humid climates.