title: Schima superba outperforms other tree species by changing foliar chemical composition and shortening construction payback time when facilitated by shrubs.
abstract: A 3.5-year field experiment was conducted in a subtropical degraded shrubland to assess how a nurse plant, the native shrub Rhodomyrtus tomentosa, affects the growth of the target trees Pinus elliottii, Schima superba, Castanopsis fissa, and Michelia macclurei, and to probe the intrinsic mechanisms from leaf chemical composition, construction cost (CC), and payback time aspects. We compared tree seedlings grown nearby shrub canopy (canopy subplots, CS) and in open space (open subplots, OS). S. superba in CS showed greater growth, while P. elliottii and M. macclurei were lower when compared to the plants grown in the OS. The reduced levels of high-cost compounds (proteins) and increased levels of low-cost compounds (organic acids) caused reduced CC values for P. elliottii growing in CS. While, the levels of both low-cost minerals and high-cost proteins increased in CS such that CC values of S. superba were similar in OS and CS. Based on maximum photosynthetic rates, P. elliottii required a longer payback time to construct required carbon in canopy than in OS, but the opposite was true for S. superba. The information from this study can be used to evaluate the potential of different tree species in the reforestation of subtropical degraded shrublands.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
authors.forename: Nan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: USDA FS, Eastern Forest Environmental Threat Assessment Center, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA.
authors.forename: Qinfeng
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Vegetation Restoration and Management of Degraded Ecosystems, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, China.
authors.forename: Hai
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Guangdong Open Laboratory of Geospatial Information Technology and Application, Guangzhou Institute of Geography, Guangzhou, 510070, China.
authors.forename: Zhongyu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sun
mesh_terms: D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development; D014197:Trees / Q000737:chemistry / Q000254:growth & development
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