Abstract: From October 2007 to November 2008, an in situ mesh bag experiment was conducted to study the leaf litter decomposition and nutrient release of forest stands Populus alba var. pyramidalis, Amorpha fruticosa, and P. alba  var. pyramidalis + A. fruticosa in a shelter belt in Karamay, Xinjiang. It was observed that the mass loss rate of leaf litter differed with tree species, and was significantly affected by leaf litter composition. The leaf litter of P. alba var. pyramidalis + A. fruticosa was more easily decomposed than that of the other two mono-dominance forest trees. The analysis with improved Olson’s exponential model indicated that P. alba var. pyramidalis leaf litter had the lowest decomposition coefficient (k=0.167), while P. alba var. pyramidalis + A. fruticosa leaf litter had the highest one (k=0.275). According to the model, it would cost for about 2.41-4.19 years and 10.79-17.98 years to have 50% and 95% decomposition of the three kind leaf litters, respectively. The residual rates of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the three kind leaf litters differed with decomposition period. After one year decomposition, potassium was wholly released, while nitrogen and phosphorus were immobilized or enriched via the absorption from surrounding environment. Except that the A. fruticosa leaf litter had a decreased organic carbon decomposition rate in the mid period of decomposition, the leaf litters of P. alba var. pyramidalis and P. alba var. pyramidalis + A. fruticosa all had an increasing organic carbon decomposition rate with the decomposition, which was about 35.5%-44.2% after one year decomposition. The C/N value of the leaf litters had a decreasing trend, and the decrement was smaller in the early and mid periods but larger in the late period of decomposition.

Key words: leaf litter, decomposition, nutrient release