Foliar nutrient content and resorption efficiency of Pinus massoniana in the subtropical red soil erosion region

Resorption of nutrients from senescing leaves is an important strategy for plants to adapt to the environments with very poor nutrient supplies,and it has been an important topic in ecological research for many years. This study investigated the changes in nutrient content,and the characteristics of nutrient resorption,during leaf aging for a pioneer species Pinus massoniana under four different restoration stages in a subtropical red soil erosion region. The results revealed that:( 1) the average contents of leaf N,P,and K were( 6. 10 + or - 0. 52) -( 12. 02 + or - 0. 85) mg / g,( 0. 17 + or - 0. 03) -( 1. 02 + or - 0. 01)mg / g,and( 1.58 + or - 0.49) -( 9.46 + or - 0.90) mg / g,respectively. The contents of all three nutrient elements had a tendency to first increase then decrease during the process of leaf aging,indicating a dynamic process involving a period of rapid accumulation followed by a period of slow attenuation. Such a dynamic tendency was very obvious for N. Despite the fact thatP and K showed a