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Seasonal nutrient retranslocation in reforested Pinus halepensis Mill. stands in Southeast Spain

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Abstract

Retranslocation, resorption and relocation of nutrients are important adaptive mechanisms developed by plants to acquire the amount of the nutrients required for growth. They are usual mechanisms in deciduous and conifer trees that occur in Mediterranean regions where drought periods are usual. Soil factors, environmental characteristics and species factors are key drivers of nutrient retranslocation in conifers but is not well understood how soil fertility or intraspecific competition influences the process. We studied retranslocation in Pinus halepensis Mill. stands showing different site quality (differences in climate and intraspecific competition) occurring in Southeast Spain. We monitored reforested mature Aleppo pine forests in stands with differences in site quality, climate and intraspecific competition. Stands were characterised, the content of nutrients of soil and green samples (twigs and pine needles) were recorded, and seasonal nutrient retranslocation was obtained. Site characteristics were related to growth rate and nutrient content of foliage and soil. We evaluated whether the retranslocation of nutrients from older to younger foliage was related to the current-year growth rate and to the nutritional status of the plant as influenced by intraspecific competition. Foliar macronutrient concentrations and the amount of retranslocated macronutrients were seasonal, with differences related to site quality and tree density. As a general trend, nutrient concentrations increased after drought (autumn) and decreased during the growth period (spring). However, some micronutrients (mainly Na and Fe) decreased during both periods. The retranslocation pattern in Aleppo pine reinforced the hypothesis that pine adaptations to drought- and fire-prone habitats are linked to the resilience of these forest types. We developed scientific knowledge to assist decision making in adaptive forest management; e.g. fertilizer recommendations or reforestation programmes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Spanish Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology (INIA) for the funding awarded through National Research Projects GEPRIF (RTA2014-00011-C06). We would like to thank Helen Warburton for reviewing the English. We also thank the Regional Forestry Services of Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha and Comunidad Autónoma Región de Murcia for field assistance and experimental forest management.

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  1. Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos y de Montes, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario s/n, 02071, Albacete, Spain

    Jorge de las Heras, Enrique J. Hernández-Tecles & Daniel Moya

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  1. Jorge de las Heras
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Correspondence to Daniel Moya.

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de las Heras, J., Hernández-Tecles, E.J. & Moya, D. Seasonal nutrient retranslocation in reforested Pinus halepensis Mill. stands in Southeast Spain. New Forests 48, 397–413 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11056-016-9564-2

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