Litterfall is an indicator of ecosystem function and its temporal dynamics can be used to evaluate self-organizing ecosystems on a recovery trajectory following restoration. Few studies have evaluated the recovery trajectories of forest litterfall by simultaneously monitoring forest restoration strategies and reference ecosystems. The general objective of our study was to determine the functional recovery of an abandoned pasture under passive and active restoration, and in secondary (40-year-old) and mature (120-year-old) forest, by analyzing litterfall and its components (leaves, flowers, fruits, woody parts) over a period of five consecutive years. We determined the vegetation structure and tree species composition of these four conditions and compared 1) production of litterfall, leaves, flowers and fruits, 2) leaf litter nutrient inputs (C and N) and, 3) recovery by tree species in leaf litterfall. In five years, litterfall increased from 2.6 to 7.8 Mg ha⁻¹ and from 3.5 to 9.1 Mg ha⁻¹ in the passive and active restoration treatments, respectively, while it increased from 6.0 to 8.6 Mg ha⁻¹ in the secondary forest. In the mature forest, litterfall varied around 10.0 Mg ha⁻¹. The reproductive component increased significantly in restoration (0.3 to 1.5 Mg ha⁻¹) but remained around 0.6 Mg ha⁻¹ in secondary and 1.3 Mg ha⁻¹ in mature forest. Secondary and mature forests both presented correlations to monthly precipitation and maximum and minimum temperatures, indicating strong seasonality. However, litterfall production in the passive and active treatments was continuous throughout the year. Basal area and tree density were higher under active compared to passive restoration. Although the dominant tree species were similar under passive and active restoration, active restoration presented a higher forest species recovery, while the dominance of exotic grass patches persisted under passive restoration. The results suggest that litterfall production can be a useful and accurate indicator with which to evaluate the recovery of ecosystem function, while flower and fruit component can indicate reproductive recovery. Although litterfall production increased rapidly after five years, it did not present a seasonal dynamic. This is probably due to the fact that the species composition still differs from that of the reference systems. Evaluations of cloud forest restoration success should therefore include temporal assessments of vegetation structure and biodiversity recovery in relation to the reference forests in order to establish additional restoration techniques, particularly in the case of passive restoration strategies.

凋落物是生态系统功能的指标，其时间动态可用于评估恢复后恢复轨迹上的自组织生态系统。很少有研究通过同时监测森林恢复策略和参考生态系统来评估森林凋落物的恢复轨迹。我们研究的总体目标是通过分析凋落物及其组成部分，确定废弃牧场在被动和主动恢复下以及在次生（40岁）和成熟（120岁）森林中的功能恢复（树叶，花朵，水果，木质部分）连续五年。我们确定了这四个条件的植被结构和树木物种组成，并比较了1）凋落物，树叶，花朵和水果的产量，2）凋落物养分输入（C和N），以及3）凋落物中树木的恢复。五年来，凋落物从2.6兆公顷增加到7.8毫克公顷被动和主动恢复处理分别为^-1和从3.5 Mg ha ^-1到9.1 Mg ha ^-1，而次生林则从6.0 Mg ha ^-1增加到8.6 Mg ha ^-1。在成熟的森林中，凋落物的变化约为10.0 Mg ha ^-1。生殖成分在恢复中显着增加（0.3至1.5 Mg ha ^-1），但在第二阶段保持在0.6 Mg ha ^-1左右，而在1.3 Mg ha ^-1左右在成熟的森林里。次生林和成熟林都与月降水量和最高和最低温度相关，表明季节强烈。但是，被动和主动处理的凋落物产量全年都在持续增长。与被动恢复相比，主动下的基础面积和树木密度更高。尽管在被动和主动恢复下优势树种相似，但主动恢复呈现出更高的森林物种恢复率，而在被动恢复下外来草丛的优势仍然存在。结果表明，凋落物的产生可以作为评估生态系统功能恢复的有用且准确的指标，而花和水果的成分可以表明生殖的恢复。尽管凋落物产量在五年后迅速增加，但没有呈现季节性变化。这可能是由于物种组成仍然不同于参考系统这一事实。因此，对云林恢复成功的评估应包括与参考林有关的植被结构和生物多样性恢复的时间评估，以便建立更多的恢复技术，尤其是在被动恢复策略的情况下。