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Leaf Litter Fall and Leaf Decomposition in BRIS Vegetation in Setiu,
Terengganu
Joey Choy Zhu Er
Supervisor: Dr. Rohani Shahrudin
Bachelor of Applied Science
(Biodiversity Conservation and Management)
School of Marine and Environmental Sciences
Heath vegetation in Beach Ridges Interspersed with Swales (BRIS) soil of
Terengganu is dominated by stunted and dwarf vegetation that distributed in
clumping soil resources due to its oligotrophic physical conditions. This study is
undertaken to investigate the nutrient cycling of heath vegetation in BRIS
ecosystems via litter fall and leaf decomposition. Total litter fall production was
1.64 t ha −1 year −1 , which 75% of litter was contributed by leaves while the
remaining is non-leaf. Abiotic variables such as temperature, precipitation and
light intensity showed a positive correlation with litter fall production. A
decomposition experiment was conducted for the duration of 151 days. Result
showed that the dry mass of leaf litter remained approximately 70% from its
original mass. The ratios of lignin/N and C/N were found negatively correlated
with mass loss rate of litter decomposition.
1695 | UMT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY 2018