The relation between above- and belowground biomass allocation patterns and competitive ability

Oecologia ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 87 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Aerts ◽  
R. G. A. Boot ◽  
P. J. M. van der Aart
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Competitive Ability ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Allocation Patterns

scholarly journals Effects of increased N and P availability on biomass allocation and root carbohydrate reserves differ between N-fixing and non-N-fixing savanna tree seedlings

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varan Varma ◽  
Arockia M Catherin ◽  
Mahesh Sankaran
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Nutrient Availability ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Plant Functional Groups ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
P Availability ◽  
Nutrient Deposition ◽  
Allocation Patterns

AbstractIn mixed tree-grass ecosystems, tree recruitment is limited by demographic bottlenecks to seedling establishment arising from inter- and intra-life form competition, and disturbances such as fire. Enhanced nutrient availability resulting from anthropogenic nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition can alter the nature of these bottlenecks by changing seedling growth and biomass allocation patterns, and lead to longer-term shifts in tree community composition if different plant functional groups respond differently to increased nutrient availability. However, the extent to which tree functional types characteristic of savannas differ in their responses to increased N and P availability remains unclear. We quantified differences in above- and belowground biomass, and root carbohydrate contents – parameters known to influence the ability of plants to compete, as well as survive and recover from fires – in seedlings of multiple N-fixing and non-N-fixing tree species characteristic of Indian savanna and dry-forest ecosystems to experimental N and P additions. N-fixers in our study were co-limited by N and P availability, while non-N-fixers were N limited. Although both functional groups increased biomass production following fertilisation, non-N-fixers were more responsive and showed greater relative increases in biomass with fertilisation than N-fixers. N-fixers had greater baseline investment in belowground resources and root carbohydrate stocks, and while fertilisation reduced root:shoot ratios in both functional groups, root carbohydrate content only reduced with fertilisation in non-N-fixers. Our results indicate that, even within a given system, plants belonging to different functional groups can be limited by, and respond differentially to, different nutrients, suggesting that long-term consequences of nutrient deposition are likely to vary across savannas contingent on the relative amounts of N and P being deposited in sites.

scholarly journals Changes of Aboveground and Belowground Biomass Allocation in Four Dominant Grassland Species Across a Precipitation Gradient

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongjie Liu ◽  
Mingjie Xu ◽  
Guoe Li ◽  
Mingxia Wang ◽  
Zhenqing Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Precipitation Amount ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Leymus Chinensis ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Precipitation Gradient ◽  
Plant Parts ◽  
Artemisia Frigida ◽  
Allocation Patterns

Climate change is predicted to affect plant growth, but also the allocation of biomass to aboveground and belowground plant parts. To date, studies have mostly focused on aboveground biomass, while belowground biomass and allocation patterns have received less attention. We investigated changes in biomass allocation along a controlled gradient of precipitation in an experiment with four plant species (Leymus chinensis, Stipa grandis, Artemisia frigida, and Potentilla acaulis) dominant in Inner Mongolia steppe. Results showed that aboveground biomass, belowground biomass and total biomass all increased with increasing growing season precipitation, as expected in this water-limited ecosystem. Biomass allocation patterns also changed along the precipitation gradient, but significant variation between species was apparent. Specifically, the belowground biomass: aboveground biomass ratio (i.e., B:A ratio) of S. grandis was not impacted by precipitation amount, while B:A ratios of the other three species changed in different ways along the gradient. Some of these differences in allocation strategies may be related to morphological differences, specifically, the presence of rhizomes or stolons, though no consistent patterns emerged. Isometric partitioning, i.e., constant allocation of biomass aboveground and belowground, seemed to occur for one species (S. grandis), but not for the three rhizome or stolon-forming ones. Indeed, for these species, the slope of the allometric regression between log-transformed belowground biomass and log-transformed aboveground biomass significantly differed from 1.0 and B:A ratios changed along the precipitation gradient. As changes in biomass allocation can affect ecosystem functioning and services, our results can be used as a basis for further studies into allocation patterns, especially in a context of environmental change.

scholarly journals Morphological Responses Explain Tolerance of the Bamboo Yushania microphylla to Grazing

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kesang Wangchuk ◽  
Andras Darabant ◽  
Prem Bahadur Rai
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Conifer Forest ◽  
Ungulate Herbivory ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forest ◽  
Allocation Patterns ◽  
Culm Density ◽  
Rhizome Biomass ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Lower Biomass

Mechanisms of tolerance of the bamboo Y. microphylla to ungulate herbivory were investigated by measuring above- and belowground morphogenetic traits and biomass allocation patterns of the bamboo Y. microphylla under grazed and ungrazed conditions in a Himalayan mixed conifer forest. Data were collected from 5 populations consisting of 10 ramets each in adjacent grazed and ungrazed plots. Compared with ungrazed ramets, the aboveground morphological modifications of grazed ramets were higher culm density, shorter and thinner culms, shorter internode, and shorter top leaf. The belowground morphological modifications for the grazed ramets were thinner rhizomes, lower rhizome biomass and dry matter, more nodes, and shorter internodes. Despite the lower biomass and dry matter, the root-to-shoot ratio was higher for grazed ramets. Results suggest that Y. microphylla subjected to herbivory shows aboveground overcompensation in terms of densification at the cost of belowground biomass, but at the same time maintains a higher proportion of belowground reserves, as compared to ungrazed conditions. These responses provide adequate evidence to conclude that Y. microphylla tolerates ungulate herbivory through above- and belowground morphological modifications.

scholarly journals Effects of Stand Age on Biomass Allocation and Allometry of Quercus Acutissima in the Central Loess Plateau of China

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Yang ◽  
Wenyan Xue ◽  
Shichuan Yu ◽  
Jianyun Zhou ◽  
Wenhui Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Stem Bark ◽  
Stand Age ◽  
Tree Biomass ◽  
Quercus Acutissima ◽  
Stem Wood ◽  
Biomass Equations ◽  
Total Tree

We studied the effects of stand age on allocation and equation fitting of aboveground and below-ground biomass in four Quercus acutissima stands (14, 31, 46, and 63 years old) in the Central Loess Plateau of China. The stem wood, stem bark, branch, foliage, and belowground biomass of each of the 20 destructive harvesting trees were quantified. The mean total biomass of each tree was 28.8, 106.8, 380.6, and 603.4 kg/tree in the 14-, 31-, 46-, and 63-year-old stands, respectively. Aboveground biomass accounted for 72.25%, 73.05%, 76.14%, and 80.37% of the total tree biomass in the 14-, 31-, 46-, and 63-year-old stands, respectively, and stem wood was the major component of tree biomass. The proportion of stem (with bark) biomass to total tree biomass increased with stand age while the proportions of branch, foliage, and belowground biomass to total tree biomass decreased with stand age. The ratio of belowground biomass to aboveground biomass decreased from 0.39 in the 14-year-old stand to 0.37, 0.31, and 0.24 in the 31-, 46-, and 63-year-old stands, respectively. Age-specific biomass equations in each stand were developed for stem wood, stem bark, aboveground, and total tree. The inclusion of tree height as a second variable improved the total tree biomass equation fitting for middle-aged (31-year-old and 46-year-old) stands but not young (14 years old) and mature (63 years old) stands. Moreover, biomass conversion and expansion factors (BCEFs) varied with stand age, showing a decreasing trend with increasing stand age. These results indicate that stand age alters the biomass allocation of Q. acutissima and results in age-specific allometric biomass equations and BCEFs. Therefore, to obtain accurate estimates of Q. acutissima forest biomass and carbon stocks, age-specific changes need to be considered.

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