Scientific publications

The main abiotic factors limiting plant growth in lichen-type pine forests in the taiga zone of European Russia are the lack of water and mineral nutrients in the soil. The aim of this work was to assess the effect of environmental conditions on the functional indicators in Scots pine trees (Pinus sylvestris L.) of varying growth rates in a middle-taiga lichen-type pine forest. To this end, long-term studies of water (pre-dawn and daytime water potential of foliated shoot) and mineral (the content of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and their ratio in xylem sap and needles) exchange parameters in Scots pinetrees of the same age but different vitality were carried out in a lichen-type pine forest (Southern Karelia). The data obtained were used to compare the functional state of dominant and suppressed trees in different environmental conditions. Where soil moisture content was moderate, mineral and water exchange characteristics in trees of both groups steadied out. A decrease in soil moisture reserves during prolonged drought heightened the vitality-specific physiological heterogeneity in Scots pine trees within the same plant community. The results of the study suggest that the complex of phytocoenotic factors in a lichen-type pine forest has more effect on the growth rate and duration than on the mineral and water metabolism parameters of Scots pine trees. Mechanisms for the adaptation of Scots pine trees to different soil moisture conditions are discussed.