Efecto de la composición forestal sobre el estado nutricional de Pinus sylvestris y Quercus pyrenaica en bosques del Parque Nacional de la Sierra de Guadarrama.

Tree species admixture is considered as a key management strategy for improving forest ecosystem functioning due to niche complementarity between species. In this study, we compared the foliar nutrient status of Pinus sylvestris and Quercus pyrenaica in mixed and monospecific stands. Our results showed higher C concentrations in pine needles and higher P concentrations in oak leaves, which resulted in higher C:N and N:P in pines. Even though no significant differences were found in the nutritional status of study species between mixed and monospecific stands, we found an improvement in the nutritional status of the trees of both species in mixed stands as the proportion of basal area of the other species increased in the vicinity. These results show that complementarity between these two species occurs at the local scale, which has practical implications for forest management and the diversification of monospecific stands.