Ontogeny influences tree growth response to soil fertility and neighbourhood crowding in an old-growth temperate forest.

ABSTRACT:

Background and aims

Abiotic and biotic factors simultaneously affect tree growth and thus shape community structure and dynamics. In particular, trees of different size classes show different growth responses to soil nutrients and neighbourhood crowding, but our understanding of how species' joint responses to these factors vary between size classes remains limited in multi-storied temperate forests. Here, we investigated size class differences in tree growth response to soil gradients and neighbourhood crowding in an old-growth temperate forest.

Methods

We combined growth data over 15 years from 38 902 individuals of 42 tree species with trait data in a 25-ha temperate forest plot in northeast China. We built hierarchical Bayesian models of tree growth to examine the effect

SUBMITTER: Ren J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10457036 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature