Allometry and biomass dynamics in temperate mixed and monospecific stands: Contrasting response of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.)

Abstract

Mixed forests generally outperform monospecific forests in terms of productivity, stability, and resilience and are becoming increasingly important for sustainable forest management. However, accurate estimates of tree biomass allocation, as well as aboveground and component biomass in mixed forests, remain scarce. Our study addressed three different objectives to identify differences in biomass between mixed and monocultures and develop biomass models: (1) identification of biomass growth patterns in mixed and monoculture stands using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), (2) investigation of the best fitting approach to modeling aboveground biomass using logarithmic regression and nonlinear mixed-effects models, and (3) fitting compartment biomass proportion models by Dirichlet regression, considering the additivity property. We analyzed 52 harvested trees from six plots within an experimental triplet in northern Spain, consisting of mixed and single-species stands of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and sessile oak (Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl.). Moreover, diameter at breast height and tree height were used as covariate variables to determine the most accurate and unbiased models. The research findings showed that (i) allometric patterns of individual-tree biomass in mixed stands significantly differed from those in monospecific stands for sessile oak, while those in Scots pine did not change; (ii) nonlinear mixed-effect models demonstrated a better fit – indicated by lower Furnival index values – than logarithmic regression models in predicting aboveground biomass; and (iii) the fitted biomass equations provided good performance and accurate estimates of biomass component proportions compared to those of existing models. Consequently, our results offer a better understanding of biomass and carbon storage within mixed and monoculture forests in the context of climate change. Graphical abstract