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Effect of black locust trees on the nitrogen dynamics of black pine trees in Shonai coastal forest, Japan

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Abstract

Aims

Black pine coastal forests play an important role as windbreak and as a natural barrier to sand and salt spray inland in Japan. The recent invasion of N2-fixing black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) trees in these forests is expected to have a nutritional contribution on black pine trees growth. Thus, the effect of this new source of N on black pine trees N assimilation needs to be assessed.

Methods

In order to evaluate this contribution, tree-ring isotopic composition (δ15N) and nitrogen content (%N) of black pine (Pinus thunbergii) trees in a pure stand (BPP) and a mixed stand (BPM) with black locust (BL) trees were measured for the period 2000–2019 for BPP and BL and 1990–2019 for BPM. The same measurements were conducted in plant tissues and in soil samples.

Results

The tree ring δ15N values showed that for the last 30 years, BPM trees gradually switched from BPP to BL-derived soil N starting in the 1990s, becoming the dominant N source from 2000 as no significant difference was found between BPM and BL tree ring δ15N values from 2000 to 2019. No difference in root and sapwood BPM and BL δ15N values were found, but BPM foliage (−2.1‰) was different to BPP (−4.4‰) and BL (−0.3‰), which is related to the different N assimilation pathways between BP and BL.

Conclusions

Based on the results of this study, the assimilation of BL-derived N inferred from the BPM tissues δ15N values is the result of an increase in soil bioavailable N with a higher δ15N value.

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Acknowledgements

We want to thank all the members of the Watershed Conservation Laboratory of the Faculty of Agriculture in Yamagata University for their constant help during the fieldwork, the analysis, and the fruitful discussions during the presentations of the results.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Agriculture, Yamagata University, 997-8555 Wakabamachi 1-23, Tsuruoka, Japan

    Kazushi Murata, O. B. Herve Gonroudobou, Le Thuy Hang & M. Larry Lopez C.

  2. Faculty of Natural Sciences, Leibniz Universität Hannover, Hannover, Germany

    Fabian Watermann & Le Thuy Hang

  3. Graduate School of Natural sciences and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan

    Toshiro Yamanaka

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  1. Kazushi Murata
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  2. Fabian Watermann
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  3. O. B. Herve Gonroudobou
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  4. Le Thuy Hang
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  5. Toshiro Yamanaka
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  6. M. Larry Lopez C.
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Correspondence to M. Larry Lopez C..

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Responsible Editor: Xinhua He.

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Murata, K., Watermann, F., Gonroudobou, O.B.H. et al. Effect of black locust trees on the nitrogen dynamics of black pine trees in Shonai coastal forest, Japan. Plant Soil 474, 513–523 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05355-y

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