LEAF LITTER DECOMPOSITION FROM THREE SPECIES PRESENT IN A TROPICAL DRY FOREST STREAM OVER A RIPARIAN QUALITY GRADIENT.

Riparian litter fall decomposition is an important topic when we are considering restoration projects, especially in vulnerable regions such as tropical dry forests. Despite this, we do not know how litter decomposition in dry forests can be influenced by variables like water physicochemical or species plants. To understand this process, we propose two hypotheses: The litter decomposition is different according with the plant species, where higher leaf cellulose and secondary compounds are related to slower decomposition rate. And litter decomposition rates will reflect differences in seasonal and stream physicochemical changes according with the riparian quality. We select leaves from three common species in the area (G. angustifolia, G. ulmifolia, and Z. longifolia) to record the decomposition rate according to the negative exponential regression model, with the environmental characterization (climatic physicochemical and QBR index data) to find significant differences. We observe differences in decomposition rates according to litter plant species, due to leaves chemical composition. In contrast, there were no significant relations between decomposition rates and environmental data according to sampling zones and seasons. We reinforce the idea that in neotropical systems, litter decomposition is influenced by leaf species. This help to understand the importance of plant diversity, and supports that dry forest stream restoration projects need to focus on increasing the riparian diversity to set an adequate litter input.