Factors influencing the foliar elemental composition and stoichiometry in forest trees in Spain
Sardans i Galobart, Jordi (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Alonso, Rocío (Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (Espanya))
Carnicer i Cols, Jofre (Universitat de Barcelona. Departament d'Ecologia)
Fernández-Martínez, Marcos (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
García Vivanco, Marta (Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (Espanya))
Peñuelas, Josep (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Departament de Biologia Animal, de Biologia Vegetal i d'Ecologia)

Date:	2016
Abstract:	Concentrations of nutrient elements in organisms and in the abiotic environment are key factors influencing ecosystem structure and function. We studied how concentrations and stoichiometries of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in leaves of forest trees are related to phylogeny and to environmental factors (mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, forest type, and nitrogen deposition). Using data for 4691 forest plots from across Spain, we tested the following hypotheses: (i) that foliar stoichiometries of forest trees are strongly influenced by phylogeny, (ii) that climate, as an important driver of plant uptake and nutrient use efficiency, affects foliar stoichiometry, (iii) that long-term loads of N influence N, P and K concentrations and ratios in natural vegetation, and (iv) that sympatric species are differentiated according to their foliar stoichiometry, thereby reducing the intensity of resource competition. Our analyses revealed that several factors contributed to interspecific variation in elemental composition and stoichiometry. These included phylogeny, forest type, climate, N deposition, and competitive neighborhood relationships (probably related to niche segregation effect). These findings support the notion that foliar elemental composition reflects adaptation both to regional factors such as climate and to local factors such as competition with co-occurring species.
Grants:	European Commission 610028 European Commission 282910 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2013-48074-P Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación CSD2008-00040 Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2014/SGR-274
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial i la comunicació pública de l'obra, sempre que no sigui amb finalitats comercials, i sempre que es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original. No es permet la creació d'obres derivades.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió acceptada per publicar
Subject:	Calcium ; C:K ; C:N ; C:P ; Ecological stoichiometry ; Growth rate hypothesis ; Mean annual precipitation (MAP) ; Mean annual temperature (MAT) ; Mediterranean ecosystems ; Magnesium ; N:P ; N:K ; P:K ; Potassium ; Sulfur ; Water stress
Published in:	Perspectives in plant ecology, evolution and systematics, Vol. 18 Issue 1 (Feb. 2016) , p. 52-69, ISSN 1433-8319

DOI: 10.1016/j.ppees.2016.01.001

Article. Post-print 66 p, 2.7 MB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals) > Imbalance-P
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles