Fine root and soil nutrients pool in the ecosystem following two scenarios of reconstruction—post‐fire and post‐mining large‐scale disturbance

Abstract

This study compares the concentration and quantitative ratios of macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium) in the litter and fine roots of various species stands, comprising Scots pine, Common birch, and European larch, in the context of nutrient pool formation and nutrient uptake efficiency in various regeneration scenarios and the reconstruction of forest ecosystems. The control plots were located on podzols in the natural habitats. The performed experiments showed that in all species scenarios, the nitrogen pool supplied to the soil with fine roots was equivalent to the pool supplied with the leaves; furthermore, in the case of phosphorus, the pool was even higher than the one reaching the soil through under‐canopy litterfall. However, the total amount of nutrients supplied to the soil by the birch, larch, and pine in different afforestation scenarios varied. Scots pine was the species that supplied the largest amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in the reconstructed forest ecosystems, while birch was the species that provided the largest amounts of total nitrogen and phosphorus in the regenerated and control forest ecosystems.