Autumn nutrient resorption and twig storage shape spring phenology in woody species

作者：Heng Ge, Xin Wang, Meifeng Deng, Nanlin Hu, Hongyi Chen, Jing Li, Shengnan Pan, Ping Li, Lulu Guo, BL Wang, Zhenhua Wang, Jin Wu, Yanjun Su, Lingli Liu · 发表于：Journal of Ecology · 年份：2026 · DOI：10.1111/1365-2745.70390 · 研究领域：Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics、Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies、Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism

Abstract Nutrient resorption from leaves and translocation to twigs and other woody tissues during leaf senescence is a crucial strategy for plant nutrient conservation. The nutrients retained in twigs provide essential resources for new growth, especially when root nutrient acquisition is restricted by low soil temperatures during early spring. However, the interconnections between leaf nutrient resorption and twig nutrient accumulation during autumn, and their influence on spring phenology, remain poorly understood. We selected 20 woody species with a wide range of leaf traits in a common garden and investigated the relationships among leaf resorption efficiency, twig accumulation efficiency of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and autumn‐spring phenology. We found that leaf N resorption (54.27%) was significantly higher than leaf P resorption (42.42%). Additionally, twig N accumulation efficiency (40.00%) was significantly higher than twig P accumulation (18.37%), with both positively correlated with leaf nutrient resorption efficiency. Species with acquisitive traits exhibited higher N and P resorption efficiency, along with higher P accumulation efficiency in twigs. Soil fertility had a relatively minor influence on both leaf nutrient resorption and twig nutrient accumulation. In addition, autumn and spring phenological events were linked to plant internal nutrient dynamics. Species with later leaf shedding and shorter leaf fall duration in autumn tended to exhibit greate...