B-Tree (Austria)

B-Tree, planted in April 2013, represents the typical mixtures of a warm lowland forests of Austria. The effects of tree diversity on growth, water relations, rhizosphere diversity and C sequestration will be investigated.

Design

The full factorial design consists of monoculture plots and plots of 2 or 4 species. The planted 2-species mixtures will allow the comparison of blocks dominated by tree species associated with ectomycorrhizal fungi (Carpinus and Quercus) or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Tilia and Acer). Each monoculture or species mixture is replicated 4 times. The trees are planted in a hexagonal design with 1 m distance between each tree, which will allow thinning after canopy closure.

Site characteristics

	B-Tree (Tulln)
Country	Austria
Biome	temperate
Latitude	48.33
Longitude	16.06
Soil type	moist chernozem
Former land use	grassland with trees
Altitude	200 m
Design	stem-wise randomisation
Plot shape	rectangular
Plot size (m^2)	170-300 m²
Plant distance (m)	1
Number of trees planted	11 000
Planting date	April 2013
Diversity variables	species richness mycorrhizal type
Diversity gradient	1, 2, 4 sp. AM or EM fungi
Size species pool	4
Species pool	Acer platanoides Carpinus betulus Quercus robur Tilia cordata
Contact person	Douglas Godbold
Email	douglas.godbold@boku.ac.at

Research

Studies will focus on the effects of tree diversity on tree growth, water relations, rhizosphere diversity and C sequestration.

Extra information

For more information on the B-Tree experiment, send an e-mail to the contact persons or explore the publications that utilized data from this experiment.

Research papers

Blondeel H, Guillemot J, Martin‐StPaul N, Druel A, Bilodeau‐Gauthier S, Bauhus J, … Baeten L 2024 Tree diversity reduces variability in sapling survival under drought. Journal of Ecology 112(5): 1164-1180 - https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.14294
Zheng L, Barry KE, Guerrero-Ramírez NR, Craven D, Reich PB, Verheyen K, … Hautier Y 2024 Effects of plant diversity on productivity strengthen over time due to trait-dependent shifts in species overyielding. Nature communications 15(1): 2078 - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46355-z
Depauw L, De Lombaerde E, Dhiedt E, Blondeel H, Abdala-Roberts L, Auge H, Barsoum N, Bauhus J, Chu C, Damtew A, Eisenhauer N, V. Fagundes M, Ganade G, Gendreau-Berthiaume B, Godbold D, Gravel D, Guillemot J, Hajek P, Hector A, Hérault B, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Kreft H, Liu X, Mereu S, Messier C, Muys B, Nock CA, Paquette A, Parker JD, Parker WC, Paterno, GB, Perring MP, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Reich PB, Rewald B, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schnabel F, Sousa-Silva R, Weih M, Clara Zemp D, Verheyen K, Baeten L 2024 Enhancing Tree Performance Through Species Mixing: Review of a Quarter-Century of TreeDivNet Experiments Reveals Research Gaps and Practical Insights. Current Forestry Reports - https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-023-00208-y
FAO 2023 Towards more resilient and diverse planted forests. Unasylva (254)74: 2031/1. Rome. https://doi. org/10.4060/cc8584en
Messier C, Bauhus J, Sousa-Silva R, Auge H, Baeten L, Barsoum N, Bruelheide H, Caldwell B, Cavender-Bares J, Dhiedt E, Eisenhauer N, Ganade G, Gravel D, Guillemot J, Hall JS, Hector A, Hérault B, Jactel H, Koricheva J, Kreft H, Mereu S, Muys B, Nock CA, Paquette A, Parker JD, Perring MP, Ponette Q, Potvin C, Reich PB, Scherer-Lorenzen M, Schnabel F, Verheyen K, Weih M, Wollni M, Zemp DC 2021 For the sake of resilience and multifunctionality, let’s diversify planted forests! Conservation Letters e12829 - https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12829