{
  "id": 17510987,
  "title": "Tree species composition and nutrient uptake influence soil nutrient availability, even under contrasted levels of water availability",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/31/tree-species-composition-and-nutrient-uptake-influence-soil-nutrient",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-10-31T00:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "bioRxiv",
    "slug": "biorxiv",
    "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.29.761915v1?rss=1"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A study conducted in southwestern France has found that the composition of tree species in a mixed-species forest and the availability of water can significantly influence soil nutrient availability, even when drought conditions are present. The research, conducted over an 11-year period, examined the effects of planting monocultures of Pinus pinaster (stone pine) and Betula pendula (silver birch), as well as the mixture of the two species, under two different water availability scenarios: high and normal irrigation.\n\nScientists measured soil nitrogen and phosphorus availability using ion-exchange resins in both the growing and dormant periods. Additionally, they monitored net mineralization through in situ soil incubation methods every 4-6 weeks from April to September. Furthermore, they tracked nitrogen uptake by trees using two soil labeling campaigns – one at budburst and another at peak leaf expansion in summer.\n\nThe findings revealed that pure pine forests generally had higher mineral nitrogen, while pure birch forests exhibited higher available phosphorus under high water availability. However, these differences were not attributable to increases in net nutrient mineralization, as the mineralization rates were consistent across treatments. Instead, the study suggests that variations in tree growth, canopy coverage, and subsequent nutrient uptake requirements between species may be the primary factors driving differences in soil nutrient availability.\n\nA crucial finding from the 15N labeling experiment was that pine trees had a competitive advantage in the mixture at budburst, outperforming pine in monocultures by taking up more nitrogen. This advantage persisted until birch leaves emerged in early summer. The researchers conclude that the timing of nutrient needs and uptake by species within a mixture, such as broadleaf deciduous (birch) and evergreen conifer (pinus), plays a stronger role than mineralization in determining soil nutrient availability, even under contrasting levels of water availability.",
  "summary": "Temporal asynchrony within a vegetation period, such as when mixing trees with contrasting leaf phenology (i.e. deciduous and evergreen species), may play an important role in accelerating belowground nutrient cycling in mixed-species forests. However, forests are increasingly impacted by drought, and how mixing effects may be modified by changes in water availability is unknown. Using an…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}