@article{fdi:010044250,
  title = {{D}oes leaf-level nutrient-use efficiency explain {N}othofagus-dominance of some tropical rain forests in {N}ew {C}aledonia ?},
  author = {{C}hatain, {A}. and {R}ead, {J}. and {J}affr{\'e}, {T}anguy},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}ropical rain forests generally have a complex structure and a high diversity of species in their canopy, but in some rain forests the upper canopy is dominated by a single species. {T}he factors controlling this dominance are uncertain. {I}n {N}ew {C}aledonia, {N}othofagus species dominate the upper canopy of some rain forests on ultramafic soils. {H}ere we investigate whether leaf-level nutrient-use efficiency ({NUE}) could explain dominance by {N}othofagus. {W}e found no evidence of a competitive advantage in {N}othofagus in terms of leaf-level {NUE}: {N}othofagus species did not have lower leaf macronutrient concentrations, nor did they resorb more nutrients than co-occurring species on average. {T}hey did, however, have lower foliar {N}i concentrations on average. {L}eaf decay rate across all species in a glasshouse-based trial correlated positively with foliar {P} and negatively with cell wall content, lignin:{P}, {C}:{P}, lignin:{N}, leaf toughness and tannin activity. {M}ultivariate analysis suggested that total cell wall concentration exerted the strongest independent effect on variation among species in decomposition rate. {S}low decomposition of {N}othofagus leaf litter may facilitate continued dominance of the upper canopy by suppressing establishment and growth of co-occurring species or by promoting disturbance through fire, since disturbance has been suggested as necessary for regeneration and maintenance of dominance by {N}othofagus species. {H}owever, the biological mechanisms allowing {N}othofagus to achieve initial dominance of these post-disturbance forests are uncertain, and may still include plant-level {NUE}.},
  keywords = {{D}ecomposition ; {L}itter ; {M}onodominance ; {R}esorption},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{P}lant {E}cology},
  volume = {201},
  numero = {1},
  pages = {51--66},
  ISSN = {1385-0237},
  year = {2009},
  DOI = {10.1007/s11258-008-9477-z},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010044250},
}