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Forest Ecosystems 2021, 8(4): 70 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-021-00350-8
Research | Open Access | Issue | Published: 15 November 2021

Nutrient resorption strategies of three oak tree species in response to interannual climate variability

Show Author's Information Baoming Du1,  Huawei Ji1,  Shirong Liu2,  Hongzhang Kang3,  Shan Yin1,4,5( ),  Chunjiang Liu1,4,5 ( )
School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240, Shanghai, China
Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, China's State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, 100091, Beijing, China
Shanghai Urban Forest Ecosystem Research Station, State Forestry Administration, 200240, Shanghai, China
Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Eco-environmental Change and Management Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, 200240, Shanghai, China
Shanghai Urban Forest Ecosystem Research Station, State Forestry Administration, 200240, Shanghai, China
Keywords:
Climate change, Temperate forests, Nutrient resorption, Tradeoff mechanism, Quercus spp.
Cite this article:
Du B, Ji H, Liu S, et al. Nutrient resorption strategies of three oak tree species in response to interannual climate variability. Forest Ecosystems, 2021, 8(4): 70. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-021-00350-8
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Abstract Full text About this article
Background

Nutrient resorption is critical for plants toward balancing their nutritional requirements and adapting to environmental variabilities, which further impacts litter quality and nutrient cycling. However, the interannual variability of nutrient resorption under climate change remains unclear.

Methods

We investigated the five-year nutrient resorption efficiencies (NuRE, %) of 14 elements in three deciduous oak tree species (Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata, Q. glandulifera, and Q. variabilis) in a warm-temperate forest of Central China and assessed their relationships with interannual climate and soil factors.

Results

Nutrient resorption did not differ between species but varied significantly between different years. For each year, N, P, S, K, C, Mg, and Zn were preferentially resorbed in all of the oak species in contrast to Ca, Na, Mn, Ba, Al, Fe, Cu, which were to some extent discriminated. Among the 14 elements, the NuRE of C, N, P, S, Ca, and Mg was more sensitive to interannual climate variations in the three oak species. The carbon resorption efficiency was significantly increased during the driest year of the study (2014); N resorption efficiency was reduced with temperature; whereas N and P resorption efficiency initially decreased and then increased with precipitation. Moreover, the elements with higher NuREs typically had lower coefficient of variation (CV) in all three oak species.

Conclusions

Different oak species exhibited analogous nutrient conservation strategies in response to annual climate variabilities, and interannual climate variations strongly impacted plant nutrient resorption. Deciduous plants may establish a tradeoff mechanism to rebalance somatic nutrients for regrowth at the end of the growing season.


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About this article

Nutrient resorption strategies of three oak tree species in response to interannual climate variability

Show Author's information Baoming Du1, Huawei Ji1, Shirong Liu2, Hongzhang Kang3, Shan Yin1,4,5( ), Chunjiang Liu1,4,5 ( )
School of Agriculture and Biology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200240, Shanghai, China
Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Environment, China's State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment and Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, 100091, Beijing, China
Shanghai Urban Forest Ecosystem Research Station, State Forestry Administration, 200240, Shanghai, China
Shanghai Yangtze River Delta Eco-environmental Change and Management Observation and Research Station, Ministry of Science and Technology, 200240, Shanghai, China
Shanghai Urban Forest Ecosystem Research Station, State Forestry Administration, 200240, Shanghai, China

Abstract

Background

Nutrient resorption is critical for plants toward balancing their nutritional requirements and adapting to environmental variabilities, which further impacts litter quality and nutrient cycling. However, the interannual variability of nutrient resorption under climate change remains unclear.

Methods

We investigated the five-year nutrient resorption efficiencies (NuRE, %) of 14 elements in three deciduous oak tree species (Quercus aliena var. acuteserrata, Q. glandulifera, and Q. variabilis) in a warm-temperate forest of Central China and assessed their relationships with interannual climate and soil factors.

Results

Nutrient resorption did not differ between species but varied significantly between different years. For each year, N, P, S, K, C, Mg, and Zn were preferentially resorbed in all of the oak species in contrast to Ca, Na, Mn, Ba, Al, Fe, Cu, which were to some extent discriminated. Among the 14 elements, the NuRE of C, N, P, S, Ca, and Mg was more sensitive to interannual climate variations in the three oak species. The carbon resorption efficiency was significantly increased during the driest year of the study (2014); N resorption efficiency was reduced with temperature; whereas N and P resorption efficiency initially decreased and then increased with precipitation. Moreover, the elements with higher NuREs typically had lower coefficient of variation (CV) in all three oak species.

Conclusions

Different oak species exhibited analogous nutrient conservation strategies in response to annual climate variabilities, and interannual climate variations strongly impacted plant nutrient resorption. Deciduous plants may establish a tradeoff mechanism to rebalance somatic nutrients for regrowth at the end of the growing season.

Keywords: Climate change, Temperate forests, Nutrient resorption, Tradeoff mechanism, Quercus spp.

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Publication history

Received: 22 June 2021
Accepted: 11 October 2021
Published: 15 November 2021
Issue date: December 2021

Copyright

© The Author(s) 2021.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

We thank Xiaojing Liu for fieldwork assistance and Rongzhou Man for helpful comments.

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