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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 56(6)

Estimating production of gilvin from catchment leaf litter during seasonal rains

Song Qiu A B , Arthur J. McComb A , Richard W. Bell A and Jenny A. Davis A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: s.qiu@murdoch.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 56(6) 843-849 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF04297
Submitted: 7 December 2004  Accepted: 26 April 2005   Published: 27 September 2005

Abstract

The yellow substance, gilvin, is an important component of water quality in natural waters. Quantitative study of gilvin production is difficult since gilvin is not a well defined substance. In the present study, leaf litter from four common tree species of south-western Australia were exposed to rainy weather for 183 days and leachate properties were monitored. The gilvin leaching from litter was estimated using a ‘humic acid (HA) equivalent’ concept, derived by drawing an analogy between the spectrophotometric properties of gilvin and that of humic acid. Gilvin (g440, m−1) was leached from litter primarily during the first few weeks after the commencement of the wet season. On average, 13% less gilvin was leached under ‘flooded’ conditions compared with ‘non-flooded’ conditions. Litter leaching in the presence of soil caused a significant time lag (about a month) for the peak load to occur, and reduced the total gilvin in the leachate through soil–litter interactions. Banksia menziesii leaves produced little gilvin, equivalent to 6.6% of that leached from the flooded gum. The Eucalyptus species, such as flooded gum and jarrah, common in wooded catchments in the region, appeared to be a major player producing yellow-coloured substances under annual rainfall conditions in south-western Australia.

Extra keywords: absorption coefficient, CDOM, g440, leaf litter, yellow substance.


Acknowledgments

This work forms a part of on-going study supported by ARC Large Grant A00105241. The Department of Conservation and Land Management of Western Australia issued permits for field studies.


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