Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Tree species richness influence productivity and anatomical characteristics in mixed fir-pine-beech forests

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Tree species richness (SR) and stand structural diversity (SSD) have general positive influences on stand productivity, while several studies highlight the remaining uncertainty in our knowledge of the relationships among productivity, species richness and structural diversity. Moreover, our knowledge about how SR influences anatomical cell characteristics is still limited. This study examined if stand productivity was influenced by SR and SSD by comparing the productivity of three forest types; (i) pure Trojan fir (Abies nordmanniana subsp. equi-trojani) forest, (ii) mixed Trojan fir-Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forest, and mixed Trojan fir-Scots pine-Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis L.) forest. Moreover, the study also monitored if SR and SSD affected the anatomical characteristics of fir trees in these forest types. Linear mixed-effect models were utilized to observe the relationships among species richness, stand characteristics and productivity. Stand density index, SR, and an interaction (SR × SSD) had significant effects on stand productivity. This was likely due to the complementary resource use among tree species in the mixed forests where more stratified canopies due to varying levels of shade tolerance and tree growth rates were present. Significant relationships between species richness and anatomical cell characteristics of fir were also explored. The findings of this study will enhance our understanding of species diversity controls in stands comprised of fir, pine and beech.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Code availability

Not applicable.

References

  • Aktürk E, Altunel AO, Kara F (2020) Investigation of the 18-year status and changes of mixed stands in Europe. J Bartin Faculty Forestry 23(3):929–938

    Google Scholar 

  • Ammer C (2019) Diversity and forest productivity in a changing climate. New Phytol 221(1):50–66

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barnett JR, Jeronimidis G (2003) Wood quality and its biological basis. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Bohn FJ, Huth A (2017) The importance of forest structure to biodiversity productivity relationships. Royal Soc. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160521

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bond J, Donaldson L, Hitchcock K (2008) Safranine fluorescent staining of wood cell walls. Biotech Histochem 83:161–171

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bottero A, Forrester DI, Cailleret M, Kohnle U, Gessler A, Michel D et al (2021) Growth resistance and resilience of mixed silver fir and Norway spruce forests in central Europe: Contrasting responses to mild and severe droughts. Global Change Biol 27(18):4403–4419

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bourdier T, Cordonnier T, Kunstler G, Piedallu C, Lagarrigues G, Courbaud B (2016) Tree size inequality reduces forest productivity: an analysis combining inventory data for ten European species and a light competition model. PLoS ONE 11:e0151852

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bowers W, Williams DG (2016) Variation in the extent of ecohydrologic separation in mixed conifer forest. In AGU fall meeting abstracts, vol. 2016, pp. H13L-1578.

  • Boyden S, Binkley D, Senock R (2005) Competition and facilitation between Eucalyptus and nitrogen-fixing Falcataria in relation to soil fertility. Ecology 86(4):992–1001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bravo-Oviedo A, Kastendick DN, Alberdi I, Woodall CW (2021) Similar tree species richness-productivity response but differing effects on carbon stocks and timber production in eastern US and continental Spain. Sci Total Environ 793:148399

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brodribb TJ (2009) Xylem hydraulic physiology: the functional backbone of terrestrial plant productivity. Plant Sci 177(4):245–251

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Danescu A, Albrecht AT, Bauhus J (2016) Structural diversity promotes productivity of mixed, uneven-aged forests in southwestern Germany. Oecologia 182:319–333

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Daniel G (2009) Wood and fibre morphology. Wood Chem Wood Biotechnol 1:45–70

    Google Scholar 

  • De Micco V, Carrer M, Rathgeber CBK, Julio Camarero J, Voltas J, Cherubini P et al (2019) From xylogenesis to tree rings: wood traits to investigate tree response to environmental changes. IAWA J 40(2):155–182

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • del Río M, Pretzsch H, Ruíz-Peinado R, Ampoorter E, Annighöfer P, Barbeito I, Bielak K, Brazaitis G, Coll L, Drössler L (2017) Species interactions increase the temporal stability of community productivity in Pinus sylvestris–Fagus sylvatica mixtures across Europe. J Ecol 105(4):1032–1043

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dormann CF, Elith J, Bacher S, Buchmann C, Carl G, Carré G et al (2013) Collinearity: a review of methods to deal with it and a simulation study evaluating their performance. Ecography 36(1):27–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Durkaya B, Durkaya A (2006) Volume tables for mixed stands of Uludağ fir, Scots pine, beech in Zonguldak Regional Forest district. Bartın Orman Fakültesi Dergisi 8(10):10–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Edgar CB, Burk TE (2001) Productivity of aspen forests in northeastern Minnesota, U.S.A., as related to stand composition and canopy structure. Can J for Res 31:1019–1029

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester DI (2014) The spatial and temporal dynamics of species interactions in mixed-species forests: from pattern to process. For Ecol Manage 312:282–292

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester DI (2015) Transpiration and water-use efficiency in mixed-species forests versus monocultures: effects of tree size, stand density and season. Tree Physiol 35:289–304

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester DI, Bauhus J (2016) A review of processes behind diversity—productivity relationships in forests. Curr Forestry Rep 2:45–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester DI, Lancaster K, Collopy JJ, Warren CR, Tausz M (2012) Photosynthetic capacity of Eucalyptus globulus is higher when grown in mixture with Acacia mearnsii. Trees Struct Funct 26:1203–1213

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester DI, Kohnle U, Albrecht AT, Bauhus J (2013) Complementarity in mixed-species stands of Abies alba and Picea abies varies with climate, site quality and stand density. For Ecol Manage 304:233–242

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaertner EE (1964) Tree growth in relation to its environment. Bot Rev 30(3):393–436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gamfeldt L, Snäll T, Bagchi R, Jonsson M, Gustafsson L, Kjellander P, Ruiz-Jaen MC, Froberg M, Stendahl J, Philipson CD, Mikusinski G, Andersson E, Westerlund B, Andren H, Moberg F, Moen J, Bengtsson J (2013) Higher levels of multiple ecosystem services are found in forests with more tree species. Nat Commun 4:1340

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • General Directorate of Forestry (2020) Türkiye Orman Varlığı. OGM Ofset, Ankara, Turkey

    Google Scholar 

  • Hietz P, Rosner S, Hietz-Seifert U, Wright SJ (2017) Wood traits related to size and life history of trees in a Panamanian rainforest. New Phytol 213(1):170–180

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Huang Y, Chen Y, Castro-Izaguirre N, Baruffol M, Brezzi M, Lang A et al (2018) Impacts of species richness on productivity in a large-scale subtropical forest experiment. Science 362(6410):80–83

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • IAWA Committee (2004) IAWA List of microscopic features for softwood identification by an IAWA committee. Richter, H.G., Grosser, D., Heinz, I., Gasson, P.E. (eds.). IAWA J, 25: 1–70.

  • Kara F (2018a) The growing space utilization of main tree species in northern Turkey. Cerne 24(2):133–139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kara F (2018b) A silvicultural management tool for the oriental beech (Fagus orientalis Lipsky) forests. J Sustain for 37(4):403–413

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kara F (2022) Effects of light transmittance on growth and biomass of understory seedlings in mixed pine-beech forests. Eur J Forest Res 141:1189–1200

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kara F, Lhotka JM (2020a) Climate and silvicultural implications in modifying stand composition in mixed fir-pine stands. J Sustain for 39(5):511–525

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kara F, Lhotka JM (2020b) Comparison of unmanaged and managed Trojan Fir-Scots pine forests for structural complexity. Turk J Agric For 44(1):62–70

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karabürk T (2011) Estimation of biomass tables of fir stands in Bartın. Master Thesis, 198 pp. Bartin University, Turkey.

  • Kelty MJ (2006) The role of species mixtures in plantation forestry. For Ecol Manag 233:195–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kessler M, Salazar L, Homeier J, Kluge J (2014) Species richness–productivity relationships of tropical terrestrial ferns at regional and local scales. J Ecol 102(6):1623–1633

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knoke T, Ammer C, Stimm B, Mosandl R (2008) Admixing broadleaved to coniferous tree species: a review on yield, ecological stability and economics. Eur J For Res 127(8):9–101

    Google Scholar 

  • Köseoğlu E, Kara F (2019) Bazı meşcere değişkenlerinin karaçam gençlik sayısı ve büyümesi üzerine etkilerinin karşılaştırılması. Turkish J For 20(4):305–311

    Google Scholar 

  • Larson PR (2001) Formation and properties of juvenile wood in southern pines: a synopsis, vol. 129. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory.

  • Leuschner C, Schipka F, Backes K (2022) Stomatal regulation and water potential variation in European beech: challenging the iso/anisohydry concept. Tree Physiol 42(2):365–378

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liang J, Crowther TW, Picard N, Wiser S, Zhou M, Alberti G et al (2016) Positive biodiversity-productivity relationship predominant in global forests. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaf8957

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Long JN, Shaw JD (2010) The influence of compositional and structural diversity on forest productivity. Forestry 83:121–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López-Marcos D, Turrión MB, Bravo F, Martínez-Ruiz C (2021) Overyielding in mixed pine forests with belowground complementarity: impacts on understory. Eur J Forest Res 140:1–15

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mensah S, Salako VK, Seifert T (2020) Structural complexity and large-sized trees explain shifting species richness and carbon relationship across vegetation types. Funct Ecol 34(8):1731–1745

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morin X, Fahse L, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Bugmann H (2011) Tree species richness promotes productivity in temperate forests through strong complementarity between species. Ecol Lett 14(12):1211–1219

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murmanis L (1970) Locating the initial in the vascular cambium of Pinus strobus L by electron microscopy. Wood Sci Technol 4(1):1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neumann RB, Cardon ZG (2012) The magnitude of hydraulic redistribution by plant roots: a review and synthesis of empirical and modeling studies. New Phytol 194:337–352

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Odabaşı T, Calışkan A, Bozkuş HF (2004) Silvikültür tekniği. İstanbul University Publications, İstanbul (in Turkish). 314p.

  • O’Donnell AJ, Cook ER, Palmer JG, Turney CSM, Page GFM et al (2015) Tree rings show recent high summer-autumn precipitation in northwest Australia is unprecedented within the last two centuries. PLOS ONE 10(6):e0128533. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0128533

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Pádua CBV, Chiaravalotti R (2012) Silviculture and biodiversity: writings of the dialogue, vol 4. Apremavi, Brasil, Rio do Sul, p 68

    Google Scholar 

  • Panshin AJ, de Zeeuw C (1980) Textbook of wood technology, 4th edn. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Pardos M, Montes F, Aranda I, Cañellas I (2007) Influence of environmental conditions on germinant survival and diversity of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L) in central Spain. Eur J Forest Res 126(1):37–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pittermann J, Sperry JS, Hacke UG, Wheeler JK, Sikkema EH (2006a) Mechanical reinforcement against tracheid implosion compromises the hydraulic efficiency of conifer xylem. Plant, Cell Environ 29:1618–1628

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pittermann J, Sperry JS, Wheeler JK, Hacke UG, Sikkema EH (2006b) Inter-tracheid pitting and the hydraulic efficiency of conifer wood: the role of tracheid allometry and cavitation protection. Am J Bot 93:1265–1273

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pretzsch H (2014) Canopy space filling and tree crown morphology in mixed-species stands compared with monocultures. For Ecol Manage 327:251–264

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pretzsch H, Biber P (2016) Tree species mixing can increase maximum stand density. Can J for Res 46(10):1179–1193

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pretzsch H, Schütze G, Uhl E (2013) Resistance of European tree species to drought stress in mixed versus pure forests: evidence of stress release by inter-specific facilitation. Plant Biol 15:483–495

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pretzsch H, Forrester DI, Bauhus J (2017) Mixed-species forests: ecology and management. Springer, Berlin, p 653

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Prieto I, Armas C, Pugnaire FI (2012) Water release through plant roots: new insights into its consequences at the plant and ecosystem level. New Phytol 193:830–841

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2021) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria

    Google Scholar 

  • Ratcliffe S, Wirth C, Jucker T, van der Plas F, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Verheyen K, Allan E, Benavides R, Bruelheide H, Ohse B, Paquette A, Ampoorter E, Bastias CC, Bauhus J, Bonal D, Bouriaud O, Bussotti F, Carnol M, Castagneyrol B et al (2017) Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning relations in European forests depend on environmental context. Ecol Lett 20(11):1414–1426

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Reineke LH (1933) Perfecting a stand-density index for even-age forests. J Agri Res 46:627–638

    Google Scholar 

  • Richards AE, Forrester DI, Bauhus J, Scherer-Lorenzen M (2010a) The influence of mixed tree plantations on the nutrition of individual species: a review. Tree Physiol 30:192–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards AE, Forrester DI, Bauhus J, Scherer-Lorenzen M (2010b) The influence of mixed tree plantations on the nutrition of individual species: a review. Tree Physiol 30:1192–1208

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Russo D, Marziliano PA, Macrì G, Zimbalatti G, Tognetti R, Lombardi F (2019) Tree growth and wood quality in pure vs mixed-species stands of European beech and Calabrian pine in Mediterranean mountain forests. Forests 11(1):6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salmon Y, Torres-Ruiz JM, Poyatos R, Martinez-Vilalta J, Meir P, Cochard H, Mencuccini M (2015) Balancing the risks of hydraulic failure and carbon starvation: a twig scale analysis in declining Scots pine. Plant, Cell Environ 38(12):2575–2588

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Savacı G, Sarıyıldız T, Çağlar S, Kara F, Topal E (2021) The effects of windthrow damage on soil proporties in Scots pine, black pine and Kazdağı fir stands in the northwest Turkey. Kastamonu Univ J For Faculty 21(3):229–243

    Google Scholar 

  • Tonn N, Greb T (2017) Radial plant growth. Curr Biol 27(17):878–882

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Topacoglu O, Kara F, Yer EN, Savci M (2017) Determination of deadwood volume and the affecting factors in Trojan fir forests. Austrian J Forest Sci 134(3):245–260

    Google Scholar 

  • Tuğrul V, Özel HB, Kara F, Çavuş Kara İ, Ayan S (2022) Effects of stand types on recreational preferences of society in the Sub-alpine Zone, northern Turkey. J Mt Sci 19(11):3246–3256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vilà M, Inchausti P, Vayreda J, Barrantes O, Gracia C, Ibáñez JJ, Mata T (2005) Confounding factors in the observational productivity-diversity relationship in forests. In: Scherer-Lorenzen M, Körner C, Schulze E-D (eds) Forest diversity and function. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp 65–86

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Vitali V, Büntgen U, Bauhus J (2018) Seasonality matters—the effects of past and projected seasonal climate change on the growth of native and exotic conifer species in Central Europe. Dendrochronologia 48:1–9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Cheng Y, Zhang C, Zhao Y, Zhao X, Von Gadow K (2016) Relationships between tree biomass productivity and local species diversity. Ecosphere 7(11):e01562

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whittaker RJ, Heegaard E (2003) What is the observed relationship between species richness and productivity? Comment Ecol 84(12):3384–3390

    Google Scholar 

  • Yachi S, Loreau M (2007) Does complementary resource use enhance ecosystem functioning? A model of light competition in plant communities. Ecol Lett 10(1):54–62

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yaltırık F (1971) Taxonomical study on the macro and micromorphological characteristics of indigenous maples (Acer L.) in Turkey. Istanbul Univesity Press, Istanbul, p 232

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeller L, Ammer C, Annighöfer P, Biber P, Marshall J, Schütze G, Pretzsch H (2017) Tree ring wood density of Scots pine and European beech lower in mixed-species stands compared with monocultures. For Ecol Manage 400:363–374

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeller L, Liang J, Pretzsch H (2018) Tree species richness enhances stand productivity while stand structure can have opposite effects, based on forest inventory data from Germany and the United States of America. Forest Ecosyst 5(1):1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Chen HY, Reich PB (2012) Forest productivity increases with evenness, species richness and trait variation: a global meta-analysis. J Ecol 100:742–749

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Kastamonu Regional Directorate of Forestry, and vice director of Daday Forest Planning Directorate, Muhammet Ali Keleş, for providing access to the study area for this research. Moreover, the authors would acknowledge Ercan Bakar, Nebil Öngel, and Turan Selalmaz for their help during the fieldworks.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Forestry, Kastamonu University, 37100, Kastamonu, Turkey

    Ferhat Kara & Seray Özden Keleş

Authors
  1. Ferhat Kara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seray Özden Keleş
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

FK and SÖK conceived the idea, developed the framework, collected data and compiled the literature.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ferhat Kara.

Ethics declarations

Competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Additional information

Communicated by James Millington.

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Kara, F., Keleş, S.Ö. Tree species richness influence productivity and anatomical characteristics in mixed fir-pine-beech forests. Plant Ecol 224, 479–489 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-023-01315-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-023-01315-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation