Based on a media release by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE)
Together with oceans, forests are one of the most important carbon sinks due to their capacity to store carbon in the soil and tree biomass. To determine which tree species fix the most carbon, an international consortium of scientists, including researchers from the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, the Leipzig University, and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), studied which tree characteristics, or functional traits, favour growth and, therefore, CO2 sequestration in biomass.
“This global synthesis questions existing paradigms and provides novel insights into tree growth dynamics under different environmental conditions,” says Prof Nico Eisenhauer, co-author, iDiv group leader, and professor at Leipzig University.
The study, published in Nature, looked at the growth of 223 tree species planted in 160 forests around the world, including countries such as Brazil, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Germany, and the United States, among others. The species represented all major forest biomes: savannahs, temperate forests, tropical forests, boreal forests, grasslands, and the Mediterranean biome.
Conservative tree species outpace acquisitive species in real-world conditions
Previous research under controlled conditions, such as in greenhouses, had shown that species capable of efficiently acquiring resources such as light, water, and nutrients generally grow quickly. These so-called acquisitive tree species, like the European beech (Fagus sylvatica), the common ash (Fraxinus excelsior), and the sessile oak (Quercus petraea), have traits that help them maximise resource use. The traits include specific leaf area, which is thought to be beneficial for the uptake of sunlight and CO2, as well as specific root length, for better taking up soil water and nutrients, for example. Such traits improve the tree species’ capacity to convert these resources into biomass.
On the other hand, tree species that are more efficient at conserving their resources rather than extracting external resources, so-called conservative species, were assumed to grow more slowly. Examples of such tree species include coniferous trees such as the European larch (Larix decidua) and the Norway spruce (Picea abies), but also deciduous trees such as the common alder (Alnus glutinosa) and the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum).
However, the researchers showed under real-world conditions in boreal and temperate forests, that conservative species generally grow faster than acquisitive species.
This finding can be explained by the fact that these forests are generally located in areas with unfavourable growing conditions characterised by low soil fertility and cold or dry climates. This gives conservative species an advantage since they can better resist stress and manage limited resources.
In tropical rainforests, where the climate is potentially more favourable to plant growth, the two types of tree species show no differences on average.
Local climate and soil: key factors for choosing species
Beyond general trends at the major biome scale, the researchers have shed light on the decisive role of local conditions: The key is to ensure that species are adapted to their local environment.
This means that in favourable climates and fertile soils, acquisitive species will grow faster and, therefore, fix more carbon than conservative species. However, in unfavourable climates and poor soils, conservative species will have the greatest potential to accumulate carbon in the biomass.
“If foresters always prefer to plant fast-growing trees, it is likely that the habitat is suboptimal for those species, and the goal of rapid growth and high carbon sequestration will not be achieved,” says Dr Harald Auge, co-author, iDiv member and working group leader at UFZ.
“However, resource utilisation and growth strategy should only be one of multiple criteria for choosing suitable tree species,” he adds. “Adaptability to climate change, the origin of tree species and their diversity are further selection criteria.”
This recent study gives forest managers yet one more tool to help mitigate climate change.
Original publication
(Researchers with iDiv affiliation bolded)
Augusto, L., Borelle, R., Boča, A., Bon, L., Orazio, C., Arias-González, A., Bakker, M.R., Gartzia-Bengoetxea, N., Auge, H., Bernier, F., Cantero, A., Cavender-Bares, J., Correia, A.H., De Schrijver, A., Diez-Casero, J.J., Eisenhauer, N., Fotelli, M.N., Gâteblé, G., Godbold, D.L., Gomes-Caetano-Ferreira, M., Gundale, M.J., Jactel, H., Koricheva, J., Larsson, M., Laudicina, V.A., Legout, A., Martín-García, J., Mason, W.L., Meredieu, C., Mereu, S., Montgomery, R.A., Musch, B., Muys, B., Paillassa, E., Paquette, A., Parker, J.D., Parker, W.C., Ponette, Q., Reynolds, C., Rozados-Lorenzo, M.J., Ruiz-Peinado, R., Santesteban-Insausti, X., Scherer-Lorenzen, M., Silva-Pando, F.J., Smolander, A., Spyroglou, G., Teixeira-Barcelos, E.B., Vanguelova, E.I., Verheyen, K., Vesterdal, L., Charru, M. (2025) Widespread slow growth of acquisitive tree species, Nature. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-08692-x
Contact
Dr Harald Auge
Head of the Experimental Population and Community Ecology research group
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research – UFZ
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Phone: +49 341 6025 4309
E-mail: harald.auge@ufz.de
Prof Dr Nico Eisenhauer
Head of the Experimental Interaction Ecology research group
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Leipzig University
Phone: +49 341 97 33167
E-mail: nico.eisenhauer@idiv.de
Christine Coester
Media and Communications
German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig
Phone: +49 341 97 33197
E-Mail: christine.coester@idiv.de
The common alder (Alnus glutinosa) is an example of tree species that are more efficient at conserving their resources rather than extracting external resources, so-called conservative species.
Please note: Use of the pictures provided by iDiv is permitted for reports related to this media release only, and under the condition that credit is given to the picture originator.