Altered leaf functional traits by nitrogen addition in a nutrient-poor pine plantation: A consequence of decreased phosphorus availability

Abstract

Abstract This study aimed to determine how specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) respond to N addition and understory vegetation removal in a 13-year-old Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) plantation. Traits (SLA, LDMC, individual needle dry weight, N and P concentrations) of different-aged needles and their crown-average values were measured, and their relationships with soil N and P availability were examined. N addition and understory removal reduced soil Olsen-P by 15–91%. At the crown level, N addition significantly reduced foliar P concentration (by 19%) and SLA (by 8%), and elevated N concentration (by 31%), LDMC (by 10%) and individual leaf dry weight (by 14%); understory removal did not have a significant effect on all leaf traits. At the needle age level, traits of the previous year’s needles responded more strongly to N addition and understory removal than the traits of current-year needles, particularly SLA and N concentration. SLA and LDMC correlated more closely with soil Olsen-P than with soil inorganic N, and LDMC correlated more closely with soil Olsen-P than SLA did. These results indicate that aggravated P limitation resulting from N addition and understory removal could constrain Mongolian pine growth through their effects on the leaf traits.