Growth dynamics in a mixed-species plantation of Eucalyptus globulus and Acacia mearnsii

2004 ◽  
Vol 193 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 81-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
David I Forrester ◽  
Jürgen Bauhus ◽  
Partap K Khanna
2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (12) ◽  
pp. 2942-2950 ◽  
Author(s):  
David I Forrester ◽  
Jürgen Bauhus ◽  
Annette L Cowie

A doubling of aboveground biomass production has been observed in mixtures of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Acacia mearnsii de Wildeman when compared with monocultures after 11 years of growth. This study examined to what extent increased nitrogen (N) availability and accelerated rates of nutrient cycling may contribute to increased growth in mixtures. Monocultures of E. globulus (E) and A. mearnsii (A) and mixtures of these species were planted in a species replacement series: 100% E, 75% E + 25% A, 50% E + 50% A, 25% E + 75% A, and 100% A. Litterfall mass increased with aboveground biomass production and was highest in 50:50 mixtures and lowest in monocultures. Owing to higher N concentrations of A. mearnsii litter, N contents of annual litterfall were at least twice as high in stands containing A. mearnsii (32-49 kg·ha–1·year–1) as in E. globulus monocultures (14 kg·ha–1·year–1). Stands with A. mearnsii also cycled higher quantities of phosphorus (P) in annual litterfall than E. globulus monocultures. This study demonstrated that mixing A. mearnsii with E. globulus increased the quantity and rates of N and P cycled through aboveground litterfall when compared with E. globulus monocultures. Thus, mixed-species plantations appear to be a useful silvicultural system to improve nutrition of eucalypts without fertilization.


2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 686-694 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Bauhus ◽  
Aaron P van Winden ◽  
Adrienne B Nicotra

This study compared productivity in mixed-species plantations of Eucalyptus globulus ssp. pseudoglobulus (Naudin ex Maiden) Kirkpatr. and Acacia mearnsii de Wild with pure stands of each species and investigated how this might be explained by canopy stratification between species and changes in leaf characteristics of eucalypts. Investigations were carried out at a trial using the replacement series design, which consisted of the following combinations: 100% eucalypts (100%E), 75% eucalypts + 25% acacia (75%E:25%A), 50% eucalypts + 50% acacia (50%E:50%A), 25% eucalypts + 75% acacia (25%E:75%A), and 100% acacia (100%A). At 9.5 years, stem volume and biomass were highest in 50%E:50%A treatments. Canopy stratification occurred in all mixtures, with acacias in the lower and eucalypts in the upper canopy stratum. This and the increasing canopy light interception with increasing proportion of acacia in the mixture indicated that A. mearnsii is substantially more shade tolerant than E. globulus. Midcanopy foliage of E. globulus in the 50%E:50%A mixture had higher foliage nitrogen (N) but lower phosphorus (P) concentrations and lower light-saturated net photosynthesis rates (Amax) than those in the 100%E treatment. In addition, similar relationships between eucalypt crown volume and stem biomass across treatments indicated that eucalypt crowns were not more efficient in mixture. Our study indicates that the productivity gains in these mixtures may be partially attributable to aboveground niche separation between species.


2006 ◽  
Vol 233 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 275-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
David I. Forrester ◽  
Jürgen Bauhus ◽  
Annette L. Cowie

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Martins Soares ◽  
Luciana Duque Silva ◽  
Antonio Rioyei Higa ◽  
Augusto Arlindo Simon ◽  
Jackson Freitas Brilhante de São José

ABSTRACT The objective of this study is to evaluate the fit of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for height estimation and evaluation of the effects of consortium in a mixed-species plantation of Eucalyptus globulus (E) and Acacia mearnsii (A). The experiment was installed in 2005, on two farms in the municipality of Piratini - RS, where was planted the species Eucalyptus globulus (E) and Acacia mearnsii (A), in monoculture and mixed in simple lines (50%E:50%A - SL), and double lines (50%E:50%A - DL). The training and evaluation of the networks were made in R-project with the package neuralnet. All ANNs, from the simplest to the most complex, showed high values for Rŷy and low for Syx, BIAS and RMSE, with superior results in ANN 3, 4, and 6, which demonstrates that the information of DBHmin, DBHmean, and DBHmax were important stand attributes. Furthermore, the ANNs were able to capture the different growth patterns shown by the species in the different forms of consortiums, therefore is indicated for the height estimation in monocultures and mixed plantations of Eucalyptus globulus and Acacia mearnsii, and only one ANN would be necessary to represent the entire population.


2007 ◽  
Vol 55 (5) ◽  
pp. 576 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Xiang ◽  
J. Bauhus

Nutrient cycling in mixed-species plant communities may be enhanced in comparison to what might be expected from the component species. In this study, we investigated (1) whether the admixing of nitrogen-rich litter from Acacia mearnsii can accelerate the decomposition of Eucalyptus globulus leaf litter and (2) whether eucalypt litter originating from mixed stands with acacias decomposes faster than litter from pure eucalypt stands. To address the first question, pure and mixed litter was incubated in the laboratory for 110 days at 25°C in the following proportions: 100%E, 75%E : 25%A, 50%E : 50%A, 25%E : 75%A and 100%A, where %E and %A refers to the proportion of eucalypt and acacia in the microcosms, respectively. Since mass loss and N loss of litter in the 50 : 50 mixture was higher than for pure eucalypt but not higher than for acacia, it appears that acacia litter accelerated decomposition of eucalypt litter but not vice versa. Decomposition rates increased with N concentration in the combined litters up to 1.1% N, above that point it remained constant. To address the second question, eucalypt litter from pure and mixed stands was incubated in microcosms. The loss of mass, N and P after 110 days was not different for eucalypt litter originating from mixed (75E : 25A, 50E : 50A, 25E : 75A) and pure (100E) plantations. Together, these studies suggest that admixture of A. mearnsii to E. globulus has the potential to accelerate decomposition and N cycling, and that the species interactions are most pronounced in the 50 : 50 mixture. Mixing of the two species in plantations has so far had no influence on the decomposability of eucalypt litter.


2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (12) ◽  
pp. 1886-1894 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Bauhus ◽  
P K Khanna ◽  
N Menden

This study investigated whether increased productivity in mixed plantations of Eucalyptus globulus Labill. and Acacia mearnsii de Wild when compared with monocultures could be explained by niche separation of the fine-root systems. For this purpose fine-root architecture, nutrient concentration, and fine-root distribution were examined in two horizons (0-15 and 15-30 cm) of mixed and pure stands. Investigations were carried out in 6.5-year-old plantations consisting of 100% eucalypts, 75% eucalypts + 25% acacia, 50% eucalypts + 50% acacia, 25% eucalypts + 75% acacia, and 100% acacia. Aboveground the two species interacted synergistically. Stem volume and tree height was highest in the 50:50 mixtures. For acacias, intraspecific competition was stronger than interspecific competition with eucalypts. Fine-root biomass and length density were similar for all species combinations, and there was no synergistic effect. The vertical distribution of fine roots and fine-root architecture were similar for acacias and eucalypts. This indicated that soil exploitation strategies may be similar, which can result in strong competition for soil resources. Fine-root nitrogen concentrations of eucalypts were highest in the 50:50 mixture. Improved productivity of mixtures appears to be a result of both canopy stratification and improved N nutrition of eucalypts through N fixation by acacias.


2010 ◽  
Vol 259 (9) ◽  
pp. 1761-1770 ◽  
Author(s):  
David I. Forrester ◽  
Swaminathan Theiveyanathan ◽  
John J. Collopy ◽  
Nico E. Marcar

New Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Aparecida Ludvichak ◽  
Mauro Valdir Schumacher ◽  
Márcio Viera ◽  
Kristiana Fiorentin dos Santos ◽  
Dione Richer Momolli

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (120) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Martins Soares ◽  
Luciana Duque Silva ◽  
Antonio Rioyei Higa ◽  
Augusto Arlindo Simon ◽  
Jackson Freitas Brilhante de São José

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