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Tree-microbial biomass competition for nutrients in a temperate deciduous forest, central Germany

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Abstract

Aims

Our goals were (1) to determine whether tree species diversity affects nutrient (N, P and K) cycling, and (2) to assess whether there is competition for these nutrients between microbial biomass and trees.

Methods

We measured nutrient resorption efficiency by trees, nutrient contents in leaf litterfall, decomposition rates of leaf litter, nutrient turnover in decomposing leaf litter, and plant-available nutrients in the soil in mono-species stands of beech, oak, hornbeam and lime and in mixed-species stands, each consisting of three of these species.

Results

Cycling of nutrients through leaf litter input and decomposition were influenced by the types of tree species and not simply by tree species diversity. Trees and microbial biomass were competing strongly for P, less for K and only marginally for N. Such competition was most pronounced in mono-species stands of beech and oak, which had low nutrient turnover in their slow decomposing leaf litter, and less in mono-species stands of hornbeam and lime, which had high nutrient turnover in their fast decomposing leaf litter.

Conclusions

The low soil P and K availability in beech stands, which limit the growth of beech at Hainich, Germany, were alleviated by mixing beech with hornbeam and lime. These species-specific effects on nutrient cycling and soil nutrient availability can aid forest management in improving productivity and soil fertility.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG, Research Training Group 1086/2-3, The role of biodiversity for biogeochemical cycles and biotic interactions in temperate deciduous forests, Subproject B7). The Buesgen Institute - Bioclimatology, Georg-August University of Goettingen provided the soil temperature data of our study site, Wiebke Schrell, Johannes Persch and Frederic Fischer conducted their BSc research in the framework of our study. We thank the national park authorities for allowing access to the site. The help of the laboratory technicians of SSTSE (K. Langs, A. Bauer, M. Knaust and D. Böttger) is highly appreciated. Thanks to Amanda Matson for her comments on the manuscript and to Thomas Kneib for his advice on GLMs and collinearity.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Buesgen Institute - Soil Science of Tropical and Subtropical Ecosystems, Georg-August University of Goettingen, Buesgenweg 2, 37077, Goettingen, Germany

    Marcus Schmidt, Edzo Veldkamp & Marife D. Corre

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  1. Marcus Schmidt
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Correspondence to Marcus Schmidt.

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Schmidt, M., Veldkamp, E. & Corre, M.D. Tree-microbial biomass competition for nutrients in a temperate deciduous forest, central Germany. Plant Soil 408, 227–242 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-016-2923-0

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