Land-use legacies influence tree water-use efficiency and nitrogen dynamics in recently established European forests

1. Forest regrowth following farmland (agriculture and pasture) abandonment has been positively associated with a number of processes including the regulation of hydrological cycling, the enhancement of soil functioning, and an increase in forest productivity and carbon (C) sequestration. Although these changes in ecosystem functioning post-farmland abandonment have been observed in multiple locations and studies, the ecophysiological basis underpinning these patterns remains unclear. Here, we examine whether increased forest expansion following pastureland abandonment is associated with greater water-use efficiency (WUE) and legacies from previous land use in terms of nitrogen (N) availability. 2. We thus explored differences in leaf traits and N availability between recently established (post-1950) beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forests on former pastureland and long-established beech forests (pre-1950). The investigated leaf traits were leaf specific area (SLA), leaf N concentration (...1. 农田（农业与牧场）弃耕后的森林恢复，已被证实与多项生态过程存在正相关关系，涵盖水文循环调控、土壤功能强化，以及森林生产力提升与碳（C）固持能力的增强。尽管农田弃耕后生态系统功能的这类变化已在多个区域与研究中被观测到，但支撑这些观测格局的生理生态机制仍不明确。本研究旨在探究牧场弃耕后森林扩张的加剧，是否与更高的水分利用效率（WUE）以及既往土地利用遗留的氮（N）有效性相关。 2. 为此，我们对比了前牧场地块上1950年后新近建立的山毛榉（Fagus sylvatica L.）林，与1950年前长期形成的山毛榉林之间的叶片性状与氮有效性差异。本次研究所考察的叶片性状包括比叶面积（Specific Leaf Area，SLA）、叶片氮浓度（...