... especially in managed woodlands(Howard and Howard, 1974).The aim of the present work was thus todetermine, in a long- term (3 years) study,the factors governing the decay of ... mentioned, in terms of leaf compo-sition and could affect this more than theactual decay process. Indeed, the C/N ratio of the leaves, sometimes used as an index of the ... predominance of gramineae (Festuca sp, Dactilys glom-erata), leguminosae only appearing atFuenteguinaldo (Trifolium sp, Ornithopussp). As rainfall increases, the presence of ferns...