High adaptability of Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica to drought-induced soil nutrient deficiency

Abstract

Abstract Background Drought can exert a profound influence on soil nutrient availability, and understanding whether and how tree species adapt to this change is a critical priority for predicting the consequence of climate change on forest structure and function. The objective of this study was to examine the adaptability of Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) to drought-induced changes in soil nutrient availability from the perspective of root functions. Methods We conducted a 7-year precipitation manipulation experiment with three levels of throughfall reduction (0%, 30%, and 50%) to simulate different drought intensities. We measured soil physicochemical properties and fine-root nutrient concentrations and biomass, and calculated the stoichiometric homeostatic regulation coefficient (1/H) of fine roots. Results Drought reduced soil organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and inorganic N concentrations, as well as ratios of total N to total P, and available N to available P in the 0–20 cm soil layer. In contrast, drought had no significant effect on fine-root N and P concentrations, and fine-root biomass in the 0–40 cm soil layer. Fine roots displayed high homeostatic regulation coefficients of N (with 1/H values of 0.19 and 0) and P (with 1/H values of 0.33 and 0) concentrations in 0–20 and 20–40 cm soil layers, respectively. Conclusions Our results indicate that drought leads to soil nutrient deficiency and the decoupling between N and P cycling, and provide evidence that Mongolian pine has high adaptability to drought-induced decrease in soil nutrient availability by maintaining great fine-root biomass to ensure sufficient nutrient uptake.