Open AccessStoichiometry of needle litterfall of Pinus hartwegii Lindl. in two alpine forests of central Mexico
Author(s) -
Fabiola Torres-Duque,
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Armando Gómez-Guerrero,
Libia Iris Trejo-Téllez,
Valentín José Reyes-Hernández,
Arián Correa-Díaz,
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Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
revista chapingo serie ciencias forestales y del ambiente (en línea)/revista chapingo serie ciencias forestales y del ambiente
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.201
H-Index - 10
eISSN - 2007-4018
pISSN - 2007-3828
DOI - 10.5154/r.rchscfa.2020.12.077
Subject(s) - nutrient , plant litter , litter , zoology , precipitation , pinus <genus> , horticulture , environmental science , botany , chemistry , agronomy , biology , ecology , physics , meteorology
It is essential to have baselines on nutrient dynamics in forests, due to disturbances that climate change may cause.Objective: To quantify the annual production of needles of Pinus hartwegii Lindl. and the proportion of nutrients in the alpine forests of Jocotitlán (JO) and Tláloc (TL) mountains, Estado de México.Materials and methods: A total of 12 circular needle litter traps (30 cm diameter) were placed at ground level, in each forest, distributed in four topographically contrasting sites. For one year, 228 leaf mass measurements and 1 140 chemical determinations were made to determine needle stoichiometry. Measurements were subjected to a longitudinal analysis of variance, by testing trends over time (P < 0.05).Results and discussion: Needle production in JO were 67 % higher (11.2 Mg∙ha-1∙year-1) than in TL (6.7 Mg∙ha-1∙year-1); needle litterfall was higher during summer (June and July, months with higher precipitation). For JO, nutrient flux was 98.0, 5.2, 8.7, 24.6, and 5.6 kg∙ha-1∙year-1 for N, P, K, Ca, and Mg, respectively; for TL it was 55.3, 3.4, 7.8, 14.4, and 4.7 kg∙ha-1∙year-1 in the same order of nutrients. Nutrient concentrations were lower from March to May. Except for K, nutrient concentrations and needle production showed quadratic and cubic seasonal trends. Mg dynamics and N:Mg and N:K ratios in TL were more positive for tree growth.Conclusions: Jocotitlán and Tláloc forests produce significant needle mass (compared to other ecosystems) with high dynamic in nutrient transfers.