Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Mixing Eucalyptus and Acacia trees leads to fine root over-yielding and vertical segregation between species

  • Ecosystem ecology - Original research
  • Published:
Oecologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The consequences of diversity on belowground processes are still poorly known in tropical forests. The distributions of very fine roots (diameter <1 mm) and fine roots (diameter <3 mm) were studied in a randomized block design close to the harvest age of fast-growing plantations. A replacement series was set up in Brazil with mono-specific Eucalyptus grandis (100E) and Acacia mangium (100A) stands and a mixture with the same stocking density and 50 % of each species (50A:50E). The total fine root (FR) biomass down to a depth of 2 m was about 27 % higher in 50A:50E than in 100A and 100E. Fine root over-yielding in 50A:50E resulted from a 72 % rise in E. grandis fine root biomass per tree relative to 100E, whereas A. mangium FR biomass per tree was 17 % lower than in 100A. Mixing A. mangium with E. grandis trees led to a drop in A. mangium FR biomass in the upper 50 cm of soil relative to 100A, partially balanced by a rise in deep soil layers. Our results highlight similarities in the effects of directional resources on leaf and FR distributions in the mixture, with A. mangium leaves below the E. grandis canopy and a low density of A. mangium fine roots in the resource-rich soil layers relative to monospecific stands. The vertical segregation of resource-absorbing organs did not lead to niche complementarity expected to increase the total biomass production.

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

References

  • Allen SC, Jose S, Nair PKR, Brecke BJ, Nkedi-Kizza P, Ramsey CL (2004) Safety-net role of tree roots: evidence from a pecan (Carya illinoensis K. Koch)-cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) alley cropping system in the southern United States. For Ecol Manag 192:395–407

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauhus J, Khanna PK, Menden N (2000) Aboveground and belowground interactions in mixed plantations of Eucalyptus globulus and Acacia mearnsii. Can J For Res 30:1886–1894

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauhus J, van Winden AP, Nicotra AB (2004) Aboveground interactions and productivity in mixed-species plantations of Acacia mearnsii and Eucalyptus globulus. Can J For Res 34:686–694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Binkley D, Senock R, Cromack KJ (2003) Phosphorus limitation on nitrogen fixation by Falcataria seedlings. For Ecol Manag 186:171–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brassard BW, Chen HYH, Bergeron Y, Paré D (2011) Differences in fine root productivity between mixed- and single-species stands. Funct Ecol 25:238–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cabral OMR, Rocha HR, Gash JHC, Ligo MAV, Freitas HC, Tatsch JD (2010) The energy and water balance of a Eucalyptus plantation in southeast Brazil. J Hydrol 388:208–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cairney JWG (2012) Extramatrical mycelia of ectomycorrhizal fungi as moderators of carbon dynamics in forest soil. Soil Biol Biochem 47:198–208

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Callaway RW (2002) The detection of neighbors by plants. Trends Ecol Evol 17:104–105

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cardinale BJ, Wright JP, Cadotte MW, Carroll IT, Hector A, Srivastava DS, Loreau M, Weis JJ (2007) Impacts of plant diversity on biomass production increase through time because of species complementarity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:18123–18128

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cardinale BJ, Matulich KL, Hooper DU, Byrnes JE, Duffy E, Gamfeldt L, Balvanera P, O’Connor MI, Gonzalez A (2011) The functional role of producer diversity in ecosystems. Am J Bot 98:572–592

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Christina M, Laclau J-P, Gonçalves JLM, Jourdan C, Nouvellon Y, Bouillet J-P (2010) Almost symmetrical vertical growth rates above and below ground in one of the world’s most productive forests. Ecosphere 2(3):1–10

    Google Scholar 

  • Coomes DA, Grubb PJ (2000) Impact of root competition in forests and woodlands: a theoretical framework and review of experiments. Ecol Monogr 70:171–208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester DI, Bauhus J, Cowie AL, Vanclay JK (2006) Mixed-species plantations of Eucalyptus with nitrogen-fixing trees: a review. For Ecol Manag 233:211–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forrester DI, Theiveyanathan S, Collopy JJ, Marcar NE (2010) Enhanced water use efficiency in a mixed Eucalyptus globulus and Acacia mearnsii plantation. For Ecol Manag 259:1761–1770

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredericksen TS, Zedaker SM (1995) Fine root biomass, distribution, and production in young pine-hardwood stands. New For 10:99–110

    Google Scholar 

  • Fridley JD (2001) The influence of species diversity on ecosystem productivity: how, where, and why? Oikos 93:514–526

    Google Scholar 

  • Hector A, Schmid B, Beierkuhnlein C, Caldeira MC, Diemer M, Dimitrakopoulos PG, Finn JA, Freitas H, Giller PS, Good J, Harris R, Hogberg P, Huss-Danell K, Joshi J, Jumpponen A, Körner C, Leadley PW, Loreau M, Minns A, Mulder CPH, O’Donovan G, Otway SJ, Pereira JS, Prinz A, Read DJ, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schulze ED, Siamantziouras ASD, Spehn EM, Terry AC, Troumbis AY, Woodward FI, Yachi S, Lawton JH (1999) Plant diversity and productivity experiments in European grasslands. Science 286:1123–1127

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt MA, Battaglia M, Davidson NJ, Unwin GL (2006) Competition between plantation Eucalyptus nitens and Acacia dealbata weeds in northeastern Tasmania. For Ecol Manag 233:260–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kueffer C, Schumacher E, Fleischmann K, Edwards PJ, Dietz H (2007) Strong below-ground competition shapes tree regeneration in invasive Cinnamomum verum forests. J Ecol 95:273–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laclau J-P, Ranger J, Nzila JD, Bouillet J-P, Deleporte P (2003) Nutrient cycling in a clonal stand of Eucalyptus and an adjacent savanna ecosystem in Congo. 2. Chemical composition of soil solutions. For Ecol Manag 180:527–544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laclau J-P, Bouillet J-P, Gonçalves JLM, Silva EV, Jourdan C, Cunha MCS, Moreira MR, Saint-André L, Maquère V, Nouvellon Y, Ranger J (2008) Mixed-species plantations of Acacia mangium and Eucalyptus grandis in Brazil. 1. Growth dynamics and net primary production. For Ecol Manag 255:3905–3917

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laclau J-P, Ranger J, Gonçalves JLM, Maquère V, Krusche AV, M’Bou AT, Nouvellon Y, Saint-André L, Bouillet J-P, Piccolo CM, Deleporte P (2010) Biogeochemical cycles of nutrients in tropical Eucalyptus plantations: main features shown by intensive monitoring in Congo and Brazil. For Ecol Manag 259:1771–1785

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • le Maire G, Nouvellon Y, Christina M, Gonçalves JLM, Bouillet JP, Laclau JP (2012) Tree and stand light use efficiencies over a full rotation of mixed and pure Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium plantations. For Ecol Manag, in press. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2012.03.005

  • Lehmann J (2003) Subsoil root activity in tree-based cropping systems. Plant Soil 255:319–331

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lehmann J, Peter I, Steglich C, Gebauer G, Huwed B, Zech W (1998) Below-ground interactions in dryland agroforestry. For Ecol Manag 111:157–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lei P, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Bauhus J (2012) Belowground facilitation and competition in young tree species mixtures. For Ecol Manag 265:191–200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leuschner C, Hertel D, Coners H, Büttner V (2001) Root competition between beech and oak: a hypothesis. Oecologia 126:276–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lilienfein J, Wilcke W, Ayarza MA, Vilela L, Lima SC, Zech W (2000) Soil acidification in Pinus caribaea forests on Brazilian savanna oxisols. For Ecol Manag 128:145–157

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luyssaert S et al (2007) CO2 balance of boreal, temperate, and tropical forests derived from a global database. Glob Change Biol 13:2509–2537

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maier CA, Albaugh TJ, Allen HL, Dougherty PM (2004) Respiratory carbon use and carbon storage in mid-rotation loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L) plantations: the effect of site resources on the stand carbon balance. Glob Change Biol 10:1335–1350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Marquard E, Weigelt A, Temperton VM, Roscher C, Schumacher J, Buchman N, Fischer M, Weisser W, Schmid I (2009) Plant species richness and functional composition drive overyielding in a six-year grassland experiment. Ecology 90:3290–3302

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Marsden C, Nouvellon Y, Thongo A, Saint-André L, Jourdan C, Kinana A, Epron D (2008) Two independent estimations of stand-level root respiration on clonal Eucalyptus stands in Congo: up scaling of direct measurements on roots versus the trenched-plot technique. New Phytol 177:676–687

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Meinen C, Hertel D, Leuschner C (2009) Biomass and morphology of fine roots in temperate broad-leaved forests differing in tree species diversity: is there evidence of below-ground overyielding? Oecologia 161:99–111

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moreno G, Obrador JJ, Cubera E, Dupraz C (2005) Fine root distribution in Dehesas of Central–Western Spain. Plant Soil 277:153–162

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mulia R, Dupraz C (2006) Unusual fine root distributions of two deciduous tree species in southern France: what consequences for modelling of tree root dynamics? Plant Soil 281:71–85

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Newman EI (1973) Competition and diversity in herbaceous vegetation. Nature 244:310

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nouvellon Y, Epron D, Kinana A, Mabiala A, D’Annunzio R, Deleporte P, Saint-André L, Marsden C, Roupsard O, Bouillet J-P, Hamel O, Laclau J-P (2008) Soil CO2 efflux and soil carbon balance following savannah afforestation in Congo: comparison of two site preparation treatments. For Ecol Manag 255:1926–1936

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nouvellon Y, Stape JL, Le Maire G, Epron D, Gonçalves JLM, Bonnefond JM, Campoe O, Loos R, Chavez R, Bouillet J-P, Laclau J-P (2011) Factors controlling carbon and water balances on fast growing Eucalyptus plantations. Proceedings IUFRO 2011, Brazil, Improvement and culture of Eucalypts, pp 43–46

  • Nouvellon Y, Laclau J-P, Epron D, le Maire G, Bonnefond J-M, Gonçalves JLM, Bouillet J-P (2012) Carbon allocations throughout the development of monospecific and mixed-species plantations of Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium in Brazil. Tree Physiol 32:680–695

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Paquette A, Messier C (2011) The effect of biodiversity on tree productivity: from temperate to boreal forests. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 20:170–180

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pretzsch H, Schütze G (2009) Transgressive overyielding in mixed compared with pure stands of Norway spruce and European beech in Central Europe: evidence on stand level and explanation on individual tree level. Eur J For Res 128:183–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rewald B, Leuschner C (2009) Belowground competition in a broad-leaved temperate mixed forest: pattern analysis and experiments in a four-species stand. Eur J For Res 128:387–398

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards AE, Forrester DI, Bauhus J, Scherer-Lorenzen M (2010) The influence of mixed tree plantations on the nutrition of individual species: a review. Tree Physiol 30:1992–1208

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schenk HJ (2006) Root competition: beyond resource depletion. J Ecol 94:725–739

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmid I (2002) The influence of soil type and interspecific competition on the fine root system of Norway spruce and European beech. Basic Appl Ecol 3:339–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schmid I, Kazda M (2002) Root distributions in monospecific and mixed stands on different soils. For Ecol Manag 159:37–47

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schume H, Jost G, Hager H (2004) Soil water depletion and recharge patterns in mixed and pure forest stands of European beech and Norway spruce. J Hydrol 289:258–274

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva EV, Gonçalves JLM, Coelho SRF, Moreira RM, Mello SLM, Bouillet J-P, Jourdan C, Laclau J-P (2009) Dynamics of fine root distribution after establishment of monospecific and mixed-species plantations of Eucalyptus grandis and Acacia mangium. Plant Soil 325:305–318

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silva EV, Bouillet J-P, Gonçalves JLM, Abreu Junior CA, Trivelin PCO, Hinsinger P, Jourdan C, Nouvellon Y, Stape JL, Laclau J-P (2011) Functional specialization of Eucalyptus fine roots: contrasting potential uptake rates for nitrogen, potassium and calcium tracers at varying soil depths. Funct Ecol 25:996–1006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stape JL, Binkley D, Ryan MG, Fonseca S, Loos RA, Takahashi EN, Silva CR, Silva SR, Hakamada RE, Ferreira JMA, Lima AMN, Gava JL, Leite FP, Andrade HB, Alves JM, Silva GGC, Azevedo MR (2010) The Brazil Eucalyptus potential productivity project: influence of water, nutrients and stand uniformity on wood production. For Ecol Manag 259:1684–1694

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tilman D, Wedin D, Knops J (1996) Productivity and sustainability influenced by biodiversity in grassland ecosystems. Nature 379:718–720

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vilà M, Vayreda J, Gracia C, Ibañez JJ (2003) Does tree diversity increase wood production in pine forests? Oecologia 135:299–303

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wang XL, Klinka K, Chen HYH, de Montigny L (2002) Root structure of western hemlock and western redcedar in single- and mixed-species stands. Can J For Res 32:997–1004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Warren J, Topping C, James P (2009) A unifying evolutionary theory for the biomass–diversity–fertility relationship. Theor Ecol 2:119–126

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Our thanks to Agence Nationale de la Recherche (Intens&fix, ANR-2010-STRA-004), FAPESP Thematic Project (2010/16623-9), CIRAD (ATP Neucapalm), the USP-COFECUB project (No. 22193PA), and the European Integrated Project Ultra Low CO2 Steelmaking (ULCOS-Contract n515960) for their financial support. We thank EMBRAPA-Agrobiologia for providing selected Rhyzobium strains and the entire staff of the Itatinga experimental station for field measurements. We are particularly grateful to Rildo Moreira e Moreira (ESALQ) and Eder Araujo da Silva (http://www.floragroapoio.com.br) for their contribution to this study, as well as to Peter Biggins (CIRAD) for the revision of the English.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CIRAD, UMR Eco&Sols, 34060, Montpellier, France

    Jean-Paul Laclau, Yann Nouvellon, Christophe Jourdan, Guerric le Maire & Jean-Pierre Bouillet

  2. Departamento Recursos Naturais, Universidade Estadual de São Paulo, UNESP, Botucatu, SP, 18610-307, Brazil

    Jean-Paul Laclau

  3. Departamento de Ciências Atmosféricas, IAG, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, São Paulo, 05508-900, Brazil

    Yann Nouvellon

  4. Laboratoire Sols et Environnement, INRA, Université de Lorraine, Vandoeuvre Les Nancy, 54505, France

    Caroline Reine

  5. Departamento de Ciências Florestais, ESALQ, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, Piracicaba, SP, 13418-900, Brazil

    José Leonardo de Moraes Gonçalves & Jean-Pierre Bouillet

  6. CENA, Universidade de São Paulo, USP, Piracicaba, SP, 13416-000, Brazil

    Alex Vladimir Krushe

Authors
  1. Jean-Paul Laclau
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yann Nouvellon
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Caroline Reine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. José Leonardo de Moraes Gonçalves
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Alex Vladimir Krushe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Christophe Jourdan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Guerric le Maire
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Jean-Pierre Bouillet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jean-Paul Laclau.

Additional information

Communicated by Christian Koerner.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Laclau, JP., Nouvellon, Y., Reine, C. et al. Mixing Eucalyptus and Acacia trees leads to fine root over-yielding and vertical segregation between species. Oecologia 172, 903–913 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-012-2526-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-012-2526-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation