| Sumario: | Litter production (tree stands, each 12 collectors; sampling every two weeks) and litter decomposition (samples of leaves and branches exposed to enviroment, collection every two months) were studied in a montane forest ecosystem of the Venezuelan Andes.
The total litter production reached an average of 6.97 Oa per year and was distributed as follows:
leaves 3.38 t/ha per year = 48%,
branches 2.27 t/ha per year = 33%,
flowers and fruits 1.09 t/ha per year =16%,
epiphytic plants 0.23 t/ha per year = 3%.
The variation of coefficients of leaves, flowers and fruits were low (14 and 26% ) and that for branches was high (64%).
The annual renewal of leaf-biomass reached 73%. The litter production in form of roots and dead wood yielded 14 and 4.8 t/ha/year.
The transfer of chemical elements with litter depends on the specific soil conditions For N, P and K, values of 69.4 and 33 kg/ha/year were recorded. The decomposition of litter is linear. Total decomposition of leaf litter occurs after 20 months exposition. Branches require 12 1/2 years to disappear. A coefficient of organic matter transformation according to Jenny was calculated and compared with other tropical forest ecosystems.
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