Non-structural carbohydrates(NSC) and ecological stoichiometric characteristics form the foundation of plant carbon-nutrient balance, regulating energy storage and nutrient use efficiency, respectively. These elements are essential for elucidating plant adaptation strategies to environmental conditions. However, the allocation patterns of NSC and stoichiometric characteristics across different plant organs under varying thinning intensities remain poorly understood. To address this gap, a middle-aged artificial Pinus koraiensis forest in the Shangying Forest Bureau of Jilin Province was selected as the study site. Four thinning treatments were applied: control(CK, 0), light(LT, 10%), moderate(MT, 20%), and heavy(HT, 30%). Measurements of NSC, carbon(C), nitrogen(N), and phosphorus(P) were conducted in leaves, branches, stems, and roots to evaluate the effects of thinning. Results indicated that thinning significantly increased NSC levels in all organs(P<0.05), with the highest contents observed under the MT treatment. Leaf C content remained stable, while N and P contents exhibited a unimodal trend, peaking under the MT treatment. Compared to the CK treatment, N and P levels increased by 17.6% and 34.9%, respectively, under the MT treatment, accompanied by lower C∶N and C∶P ratios. Conversely, the HT treatment caused a significant reduction in N and P contents in branches and stems, with decreases of 8.9% and 26.9%, respectively(P<0.05). Root C content increased with thinning intensity, rising by 11.3% under the HT treatment compared to the CK treatment. Changes in N and P in roots mirrored those in leaves, while the C∶N and C∶P ratios in the HT treatment were 23.5% and 33.3% higher than those in the CK treatment. PCA revealed that the cumulative contribution rates of the PC1 and the PC2 were 82.6% in the LT treatment, 93.8% in the MT treatment, and 92.2% in the HT treatment. Across all thinning intensities, soluble sugar, NSC, and P contributed significantly to PC1, whereas C, N, and N∶P had higher contributions to PC2. In conclusion, moderate thinning emerged as the optimal treatment, enhancing understanding of how thinning influences tree non-structural carbohydrates and stoichiometric characteristics.
本研究发现,低强度疏伐并未显著改变枝和干的N、P含量,这可能由于枝、干对环境变化的响应相对保守,同时叶和根的代谢资源充足,未触发器官间的营养元素分配策略。植物N、P含量主要取决于土壤的N、P含量及根系的吸收效率[39]。在重度疏伐条件下,植物代谢活动加快,促使有限资源优先分配给代谢活跃的器官(叶、根),导致枝、干的N、P含量显著降低(图2B、2C),体现了器官功能的优先级。这与油松和柴松(Pinus tabulaefirmis f. shekanensis)的研究[40]结果类似,间伐后的油松会将N优先分配给叶和根等代谢活跃器官,而疏伐后的柴松会将C优先分配给枝、干等结构性防御器官。由此可知,疏伐强度反映了环境变化程度,植物对环境的适应促使营养元素调度机制发生改变,这种基于器官功能的差异化元素分配策略遵循了趋异进化假说。
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