© 1989 Heron Publishing—Victoria, Canada
Aboveground production and N and P use by Larix occidentalis and Pinus contorta in the Washington Cascades, USA
Stith T. Gower (1), Charles C. Grier (2) and Kristiina A. Vogt (3)
1. Department of Forestry, 1630 Linden Drive, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, USA / 2. School of Forestry, Box 4098, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA / 3. School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA / Received July 12, 1988
Summary
Aboveground net primary production (ANPP) and N and P use patterns were determined for western larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.), a deciduous conifer, and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.), an evergreen conifer, in the Cascade Mountains of Washington, USA. Western larch and lodgepole pine retranslocated
87 and 66% of foliage N and 66 and 78% of foliage P, respectively. At the stand level, N use efficiency of western larch was
greater than that of lodgepole pine, whereas P use efficiency of lodgepole pine was greater than that of western larch. Western
larch and lodgepole pine were comparable in ANPP and production efficiency (ANPP/foliage mass) if needle longevity is considered.
The similarity in ANPP of the evergreen lodgepole pine and the deciduous western larch may be related in part to the lower
initial construction cost of the foliage, and the efficient use of nitrogen by western larch.
