LITTER QUALITY OF NATIVE HERBACEOUS LEGUMES IN A BURNED PINE FOREST OF THE GEORGIA PIEDMONT

The objectives of this study were to compare the nitrogen retranslocation efficiency and the litter substrate quality of eight native and one naturalized herbaceous legume species growing in a periodically burned pine forest of the Georgia Piedmont. A survey of the nine species revealed a wide range of nitrogen retranslocation (8.3-51.9%) from senescent leaf tissue, as well as differences in nitrogen concentrations (0.9-2.5%), C:N ratios (17.7-51.2), and initial lignin contents (8.6-20.1%) of senescent leaves. Intraspecific differences in Desmodium viridiflorum L., Lespedeza hirta L., and Lespedeza procumbens Michx. were found in the leaf, stem, coarse- and fine-root tissue C:N ratio and in the lignin concentrations. Overall, the litter of these nitrogen-fixing herbaceous legumes is predicted to decompose at moderate rates and may have a significant effect upon the long-term soil organic matter and soil nitrogen accumulations of frequently burned forest sites.