Phosphorus nutrition of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is decreasing in Europe

Ulrike Talkner , Karl Josef Meiwes , Nenad Potočić , Ivan Seletković , Nathalie Cools , Bruno de Vos , Pasi Rautio

AbstractKey messageFoliar phosphorus concentrations have decreased in Europe during the last 20 years. High atmospheric nitrogen deposition and climate change might be responsible for this trend. Continued decrease in foliar P concentrations might lead to reduced growth and vitality of beech forests in Europe.ContextIncreased forest soil acidification, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, and climate change have been shown to affect phosphorus nutrition of forest trees. Low foliar phosphorus levels and high nitrogen/phosphorus ratios have been observed in different European countries and have been related to reduced growth in forests.AimsWe test the hypothesis that phosphorus concentrations of European beech (F. sylvatica L.) foliage are decreasing at the European scale.MethodsFoliar phosphorus concentrations in beech were monitored on the basis of the “International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forests.” Here, data from 12 European countries, comprising 79 plots and a 20-year sampling period (1991–2010), were evaluated.ResultsFoliar phosphorus concentrations ranged from 0.81 to 1.66 mg g−1 dw (plot median of the 20-year sampling period). On 22 % of the plots, phosphorus concentrations were in the deficiency range of beech (Mellert and Göttlein 2012). On 62 % of the plots, the nitrogen/phosphorus ratio was above 18.9, which is considered to be disharmonious for beech. In addition, foliar phosphorus concentrations were significantly decreasing by, on average, 13 % from 1.31 to 1.14 mg g−1 in Europe (p < 0.001).ConclusionOur results show that phosphorus nutrition of beech is impaired in Europe. Possible drivers of this development might be high atmospheric nitrogen deposition and climate change. Continued decrease in foliar phosphorus concentrations, eventually attaining phosphorus deficiency levels, might lead to reduced growth and vitality of beech forests in Europe.

Mots clés: Forest foliar nutrition; Temporal trend; Phosphorus deficiency; Forest monitoring; N/P ratio

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Ulrike Talkner, Karl Josef Meiwes, Nenad Potočić, Ivan Seletković, Nathalie Cools, et al.. Phosphorus nutrition of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is decreasing in Europe. Annals of Forest Science, 2015, 72 (7), pp.919-928. ⟨10.1007/s13595-015-0459-8⟩. ⟨hal-01557203⟩