The contributions of woody debris to some biogeochemical functions of forested
wetlands was examined in the Atchafalaya River Basin in Louisiana following
disturbance by Hurricane Andrew. Woody debris decomposition processes were characterized
in terms of mass, C, N, and P dynamics. These were compared between different
diameters of debris, areas receiving different intensities of disturbance, and
between different positions relative to the soil. Disturbance intensity (as
defined by canopy closure) had little effect on decomposition processes when
compared with soil orientation (i.e., whether in contact with or suspended above
the soil). Rates of mass loss varied between 0.055 and 0.068 for suspended and
ground-contact coarse woody debris, respectively. Fine woody debris rate coefficients
averaged 0.060 and 0.085 for the same respective orientations. In general, woody
debris displayed strong source activity for P but a greater tendency toward
sink behavior for N. In terms of biogeochemical transformations, these data
suggest that woody debris might act as a phosphate source during sheet flow
events but could provide short-term retention of inorganic N associated with
floodwaters.