• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.94 no.5 s.162
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• pp.302-306
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• 2005

Litterfall and nutrient inputs were measured in even-aged coniferous plantations (a 31-year-old Pinus rigida and a 31-year-old Larix leptolepis) on a similar site condition in the Forest Practice Research Center, Gyeonggi Province. Litterfall was collected monthly from circular littertraps (collecting area: $0.50m^2$) for three years between April 1997 and February 2000. Average total annual litterfall was significantly higher for pine (5,802 kg/ha/yr) than for larch (4,562 kg/ha/yr) plantations. Needle litter in both plantations accounted for about 63% of total litterfall. Litterfall in the larch was distributed as follows: needle > other leaf > branch > miscellaneous > bark, while it was needle > miscellaneous > other leaf > branch > bark in the pine plantation. There was no temporal variation in needle litter, other leaf and bark during the 3 year study period. The concentrations of all nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) in needle litter were significantly higher in the larch than in the pine plantations. The annual nutrient concentration of needle litter in the larch varied among the years, whereas no year variation of needle litter was in the pine except for phosphorus (P). Nitrogen (N) and P inputs by needle litter were significantly higher for larch than for pine plantations established on a similar soil. The differences in N and P inputs were attributed to lower nutrient concentration in pine needle litter compared with larch needle litter, not to total needle litter mass. Annual inputs of nutrient in both plantations were not significantly different among years except for K of the larch although there was yearly different in needlefall mass and nutrient concentration during the 3-year observed period. The results indicate that the mechanisms of litterfall and nutrient inputs vary considerably between pine and larch plantations established on a similar site condition.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2016

This study was conducted to examine litter fall, litter decomposition, and a short-term nutrient (C, N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) status for one year at various levels of basal area (21.4, 27.0, 30.8, 37.0, 42.1, and 46.7 m² ha^-1) in approximately 40-yearold red pine (Pinus densiflora S. et Z.) stands in the Hwangmaesan mountain forest in Korea. Monthly fluxes of litter fall components such as needles, broad leaves, branches, bark and total litter fall followed a similar pattern at various levels of basal area. Mean annual needle, bark and total litter fall fluxes were positively correlated with increased basal area (p<0.05), but the woody litter such as branches and cones was not correlated with basal area. Carbon and K concentrations of needle litter were negatively correlated with increased basal area, while nutrient (C, N, P, K, Ca, and Mg) fluxes were positively correlated with the basal area treatments. Remaining mass, N and P concentration and remaining N and P stocks in decomposing needle litter were not affected by the basal area. However, the concentration and stocks remaining of K, Ca, and Mg from decomposing litter were positively correlated with increased basal area during the initial three months of decomposition. The results indicate that basal area has an impact on nutrient cycles through change in litter fall and litter decomposition processes; thus, the dynamics of nutrient cycles based on a stand scale could differ considerably with different levels of basal area in red pine stands.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.80 no.3
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• pp.303-310
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• 1991

Seasonal patterns of decomposition and nutrient release from the needle litter were examined using litter-bags in coastal Pinus thunbergii forests in nothern Kyushu, Japan. Dry matter losses from decomposing needle litter were smillar in all standsover a experimental period. Mass loss in dry weight is lost rapidly during the first year, and thereafter the rate of loss slows. Litter lost approximately 40% of initial mass in 1 yr. The predicted decay constant, k values ranged from 0.5 to 0.6 Decomposition half-times($t_{0.50}$) ranged from 1.1 to 1.4 year. In the decomposing needle litter, the concentrations of N and P generally increased with time while the concentration of K decreased. A decrease in absolute amount was noted for K during decomposition while in an increase was found for N. The order of mobility of elements was K>P>N. Mineralization phase of N had not appeared during the experiment.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.147-155
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• 1992

Litterfall, decomposition, and dynamics of n and p in decomposing litter were investigated for 2 years in red pine ( pinus densiflora) and chinese thuja( thuja orientalis)stands in the limestone area. Average litterfall in red pine and chinese thuja stands were 4, 535kgDM ha-1 yr-1 and 5, 010 kgDM ha-1 yr-1, respectively. Seasonal litterfall in red pine and chinese thuja stands showed peaks in November. concentrations of N and P in the needle litter were lowest in the winter when the greast litterfall occurred, and highest in the summer when the least litterfall occurred. However, those in chinese thuja scale leaf litter showed litter seasonal variation.amount of N and P returned to the forest floor through litterfall were 29.02kgN ha-1 yr-1 , 2.81 kg P ha-1 yr-1 for red pine stand, and 31.06 kg N ha-1 yr-1 , 2.86kgP ha-1 yr-1 for chinese thuja stand, respectively. After 21 mounts elapsed, needle and chinese thuja scale leaf litterbags lost 34.8% and 32.5% of the initial weight, respectively. N concentrations in the docomposing needle and chines thuja scale leaf litter decreased by 19% and 30%, respectively, after 1 month elapsed, and then gradually increased to exceed the initial concentration after 9 months elapsed and then gradually increased to exceed the initial concentration after 9 months elapsed in both of them, P in needle and chines thuja scale leaf litter decreased by 54% and 57% of the initial concentration, respectively, after 1 month elapsed. unlike N, P concentration in the decomposing litter did not exceed that of initial ones. Neyt immobilization period of N and P in decomposing litter did not occur over the study period.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.69 no.1
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• pp.13-18
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• 1985

Forest soils mixed with organic matters (green needle, flesh needle litter and needle litter in F layer of Pinus koraiensis, and green leaf of Quercus dentata and Q. variabilis) were incubated under a constant $30^{\circ}C({\pm}1)$ for 53 days to measure the changes of inorganic nitrogen and $CO_2$ evolution rate. The results obtained were summarized as follows; 1) In the early incubation period the amounts of total inorganic nitrogen in soils by mixture of organic matters decreased rapidly because of immobilization by microbial uptake, and thereafter their amounts increased with further incubation. 2) The rate of immobilization of organic nitrogen in mixed organic matters was the highest in green needle among green needle, flesh needle litter and needle litter in F layer of P. koraiensis, but lower than that of green leaf of Q. variabilis and Q. dentata. 3) The rates of $CO_2$ evolution from soils mixed with organic matters increased sharply in the early time, and then decreased slowly with increasing time. The order of the $CO_2$ evolution rate was green leaf of Q. variabilis > green leaf of Q. dentata > green needle of P. koraiensis > flesh needle litter of P. koraiensis > needle litter of P. koraiensis in F layer from the largest to the least. 4) Nitrate nitrogen concentrations showed a tendency to increase throughout incubation time, so that their concentrations after 53 days were higher than that of ammonium nitrogen.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.591-607
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• 2020

This study was aimed to investigate the changes of chemical composition of the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from red pine needles in the process of needle abscission or senescence. The VOCs in intact, senescent, and litter red pine needle samples were analyzed by headspace-solid phase microextraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-SPME-GC/MS). And then, multivariate statistical interpretation of the processed data sets was conducted to investigate similarities and dissimilarities of the needle samples. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to investigate the dataset structure and discrimination between samples, respectively. From the data preview, the levels of major components of VOCs from needles were not significantly different between needle samples. By PCA investigation, the data reduction according to classification based on the chlorophyll a / chlorophyll b (Ca/Cb) ratio were found to be ideal for differentiating intact, senescent, and litter needles. The following OPLS-DA taking Ca/Cb ratio as y-variables showed that needle samples were well grouped on score plot and had the significant discriminant compounds, respectively. Several compounds had significantly correlated with Ca/Cb ratio in a bivariate correlation analysis. Notably, the litter needles had a higher content of oxidized compounds than the intact needles. In summary, we found that chemical compositions of VOCs between intact, senescent, and litter needles are different each other and several compounds reflect characteristic of needle.

• Journal of Forest and Environmental Science
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2022

This study was conducted to examine litter inputs and litter decomposition rates following thinning, which is among the most important forest management activities that enhance the beneficial functions in Korean forests. Litter inputs and litter decomposition rates following a 2-year elapse from thinning in Pinus densiflora and following a 7-year elapse from thinning in Quercus variabilis stands were measured for 2 years from 16 sites in three regions (Sancheong-gun, Uiryeong-gun, and Jinju-si) in Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea. Annual needle litter inputs in P. densiflora stands were significantly decreased following thinning, whereas annual broadleaved leaf litter inputs in Q. variabilis stands were not significantly different between thinned and unthinned treatments. The annual mean total litter inputs in both tree species were significantly lower in the thinned (P. densiflora: 3,653 kg ha^-1 year^-1; Q. variabilis: 4,963 kg ha^-1 year^-1) compared to the unthinned stands (P. densiflora: 5,138 kg ha^-1 year^-1; Q. variabilis: 5,997 kg ha^-1 year^-1) during the study period. The mass loss rates from decomposing needle litter in P. densiflora stands were significantly lower (p<0.05) in the thinned stands than in the unthinned stands for two sampling dates of the eight included in the study, whereas the decomposition rates from decomposing leaf litter in Q. variabilis stands were not affected by thinning. The results indicate that thinning effects on total litter inputs remained clear following a 2-year elapse from thinning in P. densiflora stands and following a 7-year elapse from thinning in Q. variabilis stands.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.501-511
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• 1994

Dynamics of nutrients, non-polar, water solubles, acid solubles and acid insolubles (lignin) in decomposing litter were investigated for 2 years in the oak, Quercus acutissima, and the pitch pine, Pinus rigida, stands in the vicinity of Kongju, Chungnam Province. Nitrogen and phosphorus conetrations in decomposing litter increased with time elapsed, however, potassium decreased rapidly within three months and then remined constant with time elapsed. Calcium concentration in needle litter during experimental period was lower than that of initial concentration in needle litter during experimental period was lower than that of initial concentration, and showed no significant variation with time elapsed. Calcium concentration in oak litter during the experimental period, however, were higher than that of initial concentration. Magnesium concentration in oak litter decreased repidly during six months, and then remaines constant thereafter. Annual amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium which returned to soil via litter decomposition in the oak and the pitch pine stands was $3.3g/m^2$ and $0.9g/m^2$ for N, $0.03g/m^2$ and $0.01g/m^2$ for P, $1.3g/m^2$ and $0.7g/m^2$ for K, $0.7g/m^2$ and $1.2g/m^2$ for Ca, $0.9g/m^2$ and $0.4g/m^2$ for Mg, respectively. Non-polar, and water- and acid-soluble fractions in decomposing litter decreased and lignin increased with time.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.97-102
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• 2009

This study was carried out to evaluate litterfall dynamics in three adjacent coniferous tree plantations (larch: Larix leptolepis; red pine: Pinus densiflora; rigitaeda pine: P. rigitaeda) planted in the same year (1963), and growing under similar environmental conditions in the Sambong Exhibition Forests, Hamyang-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. Litter was collected monthly between July 2006 and June 2008. Needle, broad leaf and total litter inputs followed a similar monthly pattern in the three coniferous plantations. The amounts of needles, flowers, and miscellaneous litter were significantly lower in the larch than in the two pine plantations, while branch litter was significantly higher in the larch than in the two pine plantations. Average total litterfall for two years was significantly higher for the pine (5,475 kg $ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$ for red pine and 5,290 kg $ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$ for rigitaeda pine) plantations than for the larch (3,953 kg $ha^{-1}\;yr^{-1}$ plantation. Needle litter comprised about 73.1% of total litterfall for the rigitaeda pine, 70.8% for the red pine and 62.9% for the larch plantations. Our results demonstrate that litterfall inputs can be affected by tree species.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.333-339
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• 2009

Using a novel pine needle agar, fifteen bacterial species were isolated from pine litter. These bacteria were able to degrade aromatic hydrocarbons derived from lignin and utilize the ortho-cleavage of the $\beta$-ketoadipate pathway to degrade protocatechuate or catechol. A different utilization array of aromatic hydrocarbons by these bacteria was also determined. This study provides the information on bacterial species living in pine litter and suggests that these bacteria have metabolic abilities to utilize aromatic hydrocarbons derived from lignin biodegradation.