Effect of litter on the surface runoff of a forest fragment in the Atlantic Forest

Abstract

The objective of study was to characterize the litter and quantify its effect on runoff during the dry and rainy season in a forest fragment of the Atlantic Forest. Six plots, three with and three without litter, were used to assess runoff. Runoff and open precipitation were measured after rain events and compared using the Wilcoxon test. Litter collection was performed to quantify it and measure its water retention capacity (WRC). The litter WRC was 3.75 mm kg-1 (5.44 mm) and was in the retention range for tropical forests (4.57-16.29 mm). Total open precipitation was 1,013.47 mm and runoff values corresponded to 1.79 and 2.54% of open precipitation for plots with and without litter, respectively. The runoff of plots with litter was lower by 16.72%, this was also recorded during the dry season. This lower runoff can be explained by the litter function of delaying and reducing runoff by protecting the soil from rain and increasing surface roughness. The presence of litter has reduced the runoff in the forest fragment at an early stage of regeneration in the Atlantic Forest.