Litterfall and litter Stock in Brazil: a bibliometric analysis of scientific production from 2008 to 2019

Abstract

Nutrient cycling is a key process in maintaining tropical forests. The importance of litter in the cycling of nutrients is a relevant topic and has become the basis of several studies in recent decades. In order to carry out a quali-quantitative analysis of litter studies in Brazil, a bibliometric of scientific production in the period 2008-2019 was carried out. We analyzed 119 articles, distributed in 19 journals. The year 2015 presented the largest number of publications with 18 articles. The state of Rio de Janeiro represented 13.45% of scientific production, and the Atlantic Forest biome concentrated 55.72% of publications, which may be related to the presence of the Research Support Foundations that most invest in Brazilian science. More than half of the publications carried out research in only one ecosystem. Of the total number of publications, 71.4% quantified the litterfall, while 21.9% the stock. The highest values ​​of dry litter mass were recorded in the Amazon biome, with 8.32 ± 2.57 Mg ha-¹ year-¹ and in ecosystems characterized as primary forest, with 8.19 ± 3.27 Mg       ha-¹ year. -¹. For the stock, studies carried out in the Cerrado showed the highest averages, with 7.24 ± 1.98     Mg ha-¹. The results showed that the number of publications is concentrated in certain Brazilian regions. In addition, those who realize that the largest number of studies in monospecific and mixed planting ecosystems may be related to the ecological and economic importance for Brazil.