Nutrient cycling and soil leaching in eighteen pure and mixed stands of beech (Fagus sylvatica) and spruce (Picea abies)

Seasonal variations of throughfall chemistry in pure and mixed stands of Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) in Hyrcanian forests (Iran)

“…While there are many studies comparing the mineral nutrition and nutrient cycling in beech stands (Berger et al 2009a;Staelens et al 2007), most of them have focused on European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and information about throughfall chemistry below Oriental beech canopy is still rare (Abbasian et al 2014;Moslehi et al 2011). To date, most studies on Oriental beech stands have been restricted to the quantification of interception loss (Ahmadi et al 2009;Mattaji et al 2012;Rahmani et al 2011).…”

More efficient aboveground nitrogen use in more diverse Central European forest canopies

“…However, the opposite was observed in Hainich-Dün, indicating that the regional N status had a profound effect on functional traits of the dominant tree species (region × forest type in Table 5). Norway spruce forests are known to be more susceptible to N saturation resulting in greater N leaching than from deciduous forests and thus having a more open N cycle (Neary and Gizyn 1994;Augusto et al 2002;Rothe et al 2002;De Schrijver et al 2007;Berger et al 2009). In Hainich-Dün, the regional susceptibility to N saturation because of the soil fertility and the more open N cycle of spruce forests could have added up and overcome the positive feedback of the larger surface area of spruce on canopy N retention while the opposite was observed in Schwäbische Alb and Schorfheide-Chorin under N scarcity.…”

“…To our knowledge, a biodiversity effect has never been evaluated with respect to aboveground nutrient use in forests via plant surfaces. Several comparative studies addressed the influence of single and admixed tree species on nutrientuse efficiency in terms of N leaching (Nordin 1991;Kelty 2006;Berger et al 2009) but, to our knowledge, no study investigated the functional role of vascular plant diversity on canopy N retention including the forest understorey although the diversity of woody canopy-forming understorey plants usually exceeds tree species diversity in managed Central European forests and the understorey vegetation competes for N resources with overstorey trees .…”

Red Alder-Conifer Stands in Alaska: An Example of Mixed Species Management to Enhance Structural and Biological Complexity

“…However, the specific benefits are still being investigated and while uncertainty regarding the benefits of these admixtures may persist, there is good evidence for the short-term potential value in these stands. Spruce growth can be improved in mixed stands with beech compared to pure stands on similar substrates [29], and Pretzsch et al [30] reported an accelerated growth of spruce by beech admixtures on poor sites. These results agree with a meta-analysis of boreal and northern temperate forests, which found that mixed tree species were as productive as monoculture forests, while having increased resistance to pest damage over monoculture forests [31].…”