Evolutionary history of mixed tree species improved soil nutrient content of Pinus massoniana plantation

Aims

Mixed planting enhances forest productivity and soil nutrient content, crucial for maintaining forest ecosystem stability and promoting sustainable forest management. While phylogeny is directly related to plants, it remains to be verified whether it will have an effect on soil nutrient content.

Methods

Here, we attempted to explain the relationship between soil nutrient content in Pinus massoniana mixed forests and the evolutionary history of tree species from the perspective of phylogenetic constraints. We complied a dataset consisting of 572 field measurements, including soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, available nitrogen, total phosphorus, and available phosphorus, from Pinus massoniana mixed forests with different species, covering 15 families, 26 genera, and 34 species. This dataset aims to explore the trends in soil nutrient content changes and their phylogenetic signals, while also quantifying the relative importance of environmental factors and divergence time in modifying soil nutrient content.

Results

Our results indicated that the contents of soil organic carbon, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus in Pinus massoniana mixed forests exhibited positive phylogenetic signals. Tree species positioned further apart on the phylogenetic tree showed more pronounced increase in soil nutrient contents. Relative analysis indicates that divergence time, like environmental factors, significantly contributes to the enhancement of soil nutrients in Pinus massoniana mixed forests.

Conclusion

This study provided valuable insights for the efficient establishment and application of mixed forests and serves as a theoretical basis for the selection of tree species in mixed planting.