Meanings
nounlitterfall (usually uncountable, plural litterfalls)
plural litterfalls
- uncountableusuallybiologyPlant material that falls to the ground, such as leaves from trees.
Litterfall is provided for as long as the mature forest exists.
2008, Masami Miyaki, Koichi Kaji, “Shift to Litterfall as Year-Round Forage for Sika Deer after a Population Crash”, in Sika Deer, page 186 - countableusuallybiologyThe total mass of plant material falling to the ground per unit area, or the mass collected at a specific site.
The remaining forest types had similar mean litterfalls ranging from 3333 to 6484 kg ha⁻¹ year⁻¹
1986, K.A. Vogt et al., “Production, turnover, and nutrient dynamics of above- and belowground detritus of world forests”, in Advances in Ecological Research, volume 15, page 315
Origin
Translations
German Streufall, Streufallmasse
- Streufallplant material that falls to the ground
- Streufallmassemass of fallen plant material per unit area
Korean 낙엽, 낙엽량
- 낙엽 (nagyeop)plant material that falls to the ground
- 낙엽량 (nagyeomnyang)mass of fallen plant material per unit area
Cite this entry
APA
litterfall. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/litterfall
MLA
“litterfall.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/litterfall. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “litterfall,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/litterfall.
Source: litterfall on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.