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Tree mixture effects on aboveground nutrient pools of trees in an experimental plantation in Panama

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Abstract

Mixed plantations might contribute to sustainable land use because of complementary nutrient use. Our objective was to assess the nutrient economy of five native tree species and their response to different neighbor trees in an experimental plantation in Panama. In our study, H. crepitans was the least nutrient efficient tree species. H. crepitans produced less biomass in mixtures than in monocultures while Cedrela odorata – the most nutrient efficient species – produced more biomass independent of stem growth rates because they acquired more nutrients in mixtures than in monocultures.Three-species mixtures had increased mean Ca concentrations in branches and stems and increased N, P, K, Ca, and Mg storage in aboveground biomass compared to monocultures suggesting complementary resource uptake. Our results highlight the need to properly consider species-specific nutrient requirements and species interactions when designing tree mixtures for afforestation.

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Abbreviations

A. exc. :

Anacardium excelsum (Bert. & Balb. Ex Kunth) Skeels

BA:

basal area

BM:

biomass

C. odo. :

Cedrela odorata L.

DBH:

diameter at breast height

DMAX :

deviation from expected biomass production or nutrient storage based on best performance of corresponding monocultures

H. cre. :

Hura crepitans L.

HT:

height

L. see. :

Luehea seemannii Triana & Planch

NF:

neighborhood factor

NW:

neighborhood weighted

T. ros. :

Tabebuia rosea (Bertol.) DC

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Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers, Luitgard Schwendenmann and Erik Hobbie for constructive comments on our manuscript. We are grateful to José Monteza for continuous help in maintaining the experimental plantation. Thanks to Norbert Kunert for sampling the stem material. We thank the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, for its constant support of the Sardinilla Experiment and the processing of research permits. We are grateful to Dylan Craven for providing nutrient concentrations of the studied tree species from other locations in Panama. This research was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG Wi 1601/6-1) which we gratefully acknowledge. The “Geocycles” cluster of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is thanked for the contribution to improve the laboratory equipment used in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professorship of Soil Geography/Soil Science, Geographic Institute, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Johann-Joachim-Becher-Weg 21, 55128, Mainz, Germany

    Yvonne Oelmann, Timo Mark, Lisa Werther, Simone Tapernon & Wolfgang Wilcke

  2. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Apartado 2072, Balboa, República de Panamá

    Catherine Potvin

  3. Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Dr Penfield, Montréal, QC, Canada, H3A 1B1

    Catherine Potvin

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  1. Yvonne Oelmann
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  2. Catherine Potvin
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Correspondence to Yvonne Oelmann.

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Responsible Editor: Erik A. Hobbie.

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Oelmann, Y., Potvin, C., Mark, T. et al. Tree mixture effects on aboveground nutrient pools of trees in an experimental plantation in Panama. Plant Soil 326, 199–212 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-9997-x

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