Mixing has limited impacts on the foliar nutrition of European beech and Scots pine trees across Europe

Abstract

The mineral nutrition of major broadleaved and coniferous tree species is deteriorating in Europe. In that context, species-mixing could be an efficient management tool to improve stand nutrition through effects of species interactions on the availability, uptake or use efficiency of nutrients. We analyzed the current foliar nutrient (N, P, K, Ca, Mg) quantities and balances of 260 beech and 248 pine trees from 15 pure and two-species stands across a gradient of environmental conditions throughout Europe. We hypothesized an overall positive effect of mixing on tree nutrition, and that this mixing effect would be stronger on nutrient-poor sites. Using linear mixed models, we first tested for the effects of species (beech/pine) and composition (pure/mixed) across all sites; we then investigated whether mixing was related to site fertility. The composition of beech leaves and pine needles differed significantly for all balances. For both species, significant mixing effects were detected for some nutrients and balances; those effects could however not be related to interspecific differences in foliar nutrient composition. For most nutrients and balances, the mixing effect was affected by the site nutritional status; however, the magnitude of this effect was low, and no consistent pattern could be detected. The contrasting foliar elemental composition of pine and beech trees, and the difference in nutrient status between sites proved insufficient to explain the mixing effects on tree nutrition. While our results suggest limited impact of mixing for those two species, they claim for a better understanding of nutrient-related mechanisms associated with complementarityMiškų ir ekologijos fakultetasVytauto Didžiojo universiteta