Differential growth and recovery rates following defoliation in related deciduous and evergreen trees

Abstract

Deciduous larches,Larix spp., and evergreen pines,Pinus spp., are sympatric Pinaceae conifers. Adjacent monocultures of 10-year-oldLarix decidua Mill, andPinus resinosa Ait. were subjected to single-season artificial defoliation by clipping from 0% to 99% of each needle. Survival, above-ground productivity, and architecture were measured for 36 months.P. resinosa andL. decidua exhibited differential relationships with defoliation intensity and recovery time. Two months after treatment, defoliation reduced larch height growth but had no effect on radial growth. By contrast,P. resinosa stem radial growth was reduced immediately, but height growth was not decreased until the following year. Pine leader growth and above-ground biomass following 66% defoliation never recovered to control values or 33% defoliated pines. Conversely, defoliated larch quickly recovered from an initial growth loss to eliminate all treatment effects on biomass. The plasticity in architectural response found in larch, but not pine, might partially account for defoliation tolerance. BothP. resinosa andL. decidua exhibited non-linear responses to defoliation. These patterns may be caused partially by the uneven distribution of nutrients within needles, rather than a simple function of leaf area lost to defoliators. Concentrations of 13 nutrients inP. resinosa were highest either in the mid-(Ca, Mg, S, Zn, B, Mn, Fe, Al and Na) or basal-(N, P, K, and Cu) section. The relatively low nutrient content in needle tips may contribute to similar biomass productivity between trees defoliated 33% and controls. Removal of needle mid-sections significantly reduced whole-plant productivity. In contrast,L. decidua nutrients are concentrated in the distal sections. Nutrient concentrations were generally highest in larch. Our results agree with an emergent prediction of the carbon/ nutrient balance theory that defoliation more severely reduces growth of evergreen than deciduous species. These results are discussed within the physiological, ecological and evolutionary context of allocation theory, with implications for natural resource management and plant-insect interaction theory.