Early season precipitation accounts for the variability of fine-root traits in a Tibetan alpine grassland

Functional characteristics reflect plant strategies and adaptability to the changing environment. Determining the dynamics of these characteristics after harvesting would improve the understanding of forest response strategies. Strip clearcutting (SC) of moso bamboo forests, which significantly reduces the cutting cost, has been proposed to replace manual selective harvesting. A comparison of restoration features shows that 8 m is the optimal cutting width. However, the precise response of functional features to the resulting harvest-created gap remains unclear. In this study, three SC plots were selected which was performed in February 2019, with three unharvested plots as a control (C). The study focused on 10 functional traits, including leaf area (LA), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf dry matter content (LDMC), leaf nitrogen content (LNC), leaf phosphorus content (LPC), nitrogen/phosphorus ratio (N:P), wood density (WD), fine root biomass (FRB), specific fine root length (SRL), and root length density (RLD). A one-way ANOVA was used to compare differences in functional traits and soil nutrients between treatments. Strip clearcutting significantly reduced the soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) contents (p < 0.05). In terms of functional characteristics, SC significantly decreased LA and increased LNC, LPC, and N:P (p < 0.05). However, SC had no significant effect on fine root traits (p > 0.05). This study highlighted that root trait, soil content of total phosphorus (TP) and total potassium (TK) returned to the level of uncut plots after a year’s recovery. The LPC, LNC, and N:P were negatively correlated with LA, and LDMC and WD were negatively correlated with SLA, while the effect of SC on fine root traits was limited (p > 0.05). Fine root traits (FRB, RLD, and SRL) were positively associated with SOC, TN, and TP, but negatively correlated with TK. The changes in soil nutrient content caused by the removal of biomass were normal. Increased light and the rapid growth of new trees will increase nutrient regressions; therefore, these results further confirm the feasibility of SC.

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Fine root traits in Chamaecyparis obtusa forest soils with different acid buffering capacities

Trees ◽

10.1007/s00468-015-1291-3 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 415-429 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Kouhei Miyatani ◽

Yuki Mizusawa ◽

Kazuki Okada ◽

Toko Tanikawa ◽

Naoki Makita ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Forest Soils ◽

Fine Root ◽

Root Traits ◽

Chamaecyparis Obtusa ◽

Acid Buffering

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Effects of warming and fertilization interacting with intraspecific competition on fine root traits of Picea asperata

Journal of Plant Ecology ◽

10.1093/jpe/rtaa074 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Dan-Dan Li ◽

Hong-Wei Nan ◽

Chun-Zhang Zhao ◽

Chun-Ying Yin ◽

Qing Liu

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Climate Warming ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Root Length ◽

Root Biomass ◽

Fine Root ◽

Root Traits ◽

Root Surface ◽

Root Branching ◽

Picea Asperata

Abstract Aims Competition, temperature, and nutrient are the most important determinants of tree growth in the cold climate on the eastern Tibetan Plateau. Although many studies have reported their individual effects on tree growth, little is known about how the interactions of competition with fertilization and temperature affect root growth. We aim to test whether climate warming and fertilization promote competition and to explore the functional strategies of Picea asperata in response to the interactions of these factors. Methods We conducted a paired experiment including competition and non-competition treatments under elevated temperature (ET) and fertilization. We measured root traits, including the root tip number over the root surface (RTRS), the root branching events over the root surface (RBRS), the specific root length (SRL), the specific root area (SRA), the total fine root length and area (RL and RA), the root tips (RT) and root branching events (RB). These root traits are considered to be indicators of plant resource uptake capacity and root growth. The root biomass and the nutrient concentrations in the roots were also determined. Important Findings The results indicated that ET, fertilization and competition individually enhanced the nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) concentrations in fine roots, but they did not affect fine root biomass or root traits, including RL, RT, RA and RB. However, both temperature and fertilization, as well as their interaction, interacting with competition increased RL, RA, RT, RB, and nutrient uptake. In addition, the SRL, SRA, RTRS and RBRS decreased under fertilization, the interaction between temperature and competition decreased SRL and SRA, while the other parameters were not affected by temperature or competition. These results indicate that Picea asperata maintains a conservative nutrient strategy in response to competition, climate warming, fertilization, and their interactions. Our results improve our understanding of the physiological and ecological adaptability of trees to global change.

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The hidden half of the fine root differentiation in herbs: nonacquisitive belowground organs determine fine‐root traits

Oikos ◽

10.1111/oik.08794 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jitka Klimešová ◽

Tomáš Herben

Keyword(s):

Fine Root ◽

Root Traits ◽

Root Differentiation

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Genetic increases in growth do not lead to trade-offs with ecologically important litter and fine root traits in Norway spruce

Forest Ecology and Management ◽

10.1016/j.foreco.2019.05.021 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 446 ◽

pp. 54-62 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

John K. Senior ◽

Glenn R. Iason ◽

Michael Gundale ◽

Thomas G. Whitham ◽

E. Petter Axelsson

Keyword(s):

Norway Spruce ◽

Fine Root ◽

Root Traits ◽

Trade Offs

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Is there coordination of leaf and fine root traits at local scales? A test in temperate forest swamps

Ecology and Evolution ◽

10.1002/ece3.5421 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (15) ◽

pp. 8714-8723

Author(s):

Yu‐Kun Hu ◽

Xu Pan ◽

Xue‐Jun Yang ◽

Guo‐Fang Liu ◽

Xu‐Yan Liu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Temperate Forest ◽

Fine Root ◽

Root Traits

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Rhizobacterial communities and fine root traits together reveal variations in growth performance of Quercus acutissima in different provenances

European Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1007/s10342-020-01312-5 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 139 (6) ◽

pp. 1091-1105

Author(s):

Xiangrong Cheng ◽

Haijing Yuan ◽

Haidong Xu ◽

Wenli Xing ◽

Yangdong Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Fine Root ◽

Root Traits ◽

Quercus Acutissima

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Variation in fine root traits reveals nutrient-specific acquisition strategies in agroforestry systems

Plant and Soil ◽

10.1007/s11104-019-04003-2 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 453 (1-2) ◽

pp. 139-151 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Kira A. Borden ◽

Sean C. Thomas ◽

Marney E. Isaac

Keyword(s):

Fine Root ◽

Root Traits ◽

Agroforestry Systems ◽

Acquisition Strategies

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Differences in fine root traits between Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) – A case study in the Kysucké Beskydy Mts

Journal of Forest Science ◽

10.17221/10/2009-jfs ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 55 (No. 12) ◽

pp. 556-566 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

B. Konôpka

Keyword(s):

Picea Abies ◽

Norway Spruce ◽

Fagus Sylvatica ◽

Seasonal Dynamics ◽

Fine Roots ◽

Fine Root ◽

Root Traits ◽

European Beech ◽

Root Turnover ◽

Mortality Ratio

Interspecific comparisons of the fine root “behaviour” under stressful situations may answer questions related to resistance to changing environmental conditions in the particular tree species. Our study was focused on Norway spruce (<I>Picea abies</I> [L.] Karst.) and European beech (<I>Fagus sylvatica</I> L.) grown in an acidic soil where acidity was caused by past air pollution in the Kysucké Beskydy Mts., North-Western Slovakia. Between April and October 2006, the following fine root traits were studied: biomass and necromass seasonal dynamics, vertical distribution, production, mortality, fine root turnover and production to mortality ratio. Sequential soil coring was repeatedly implemented in April, June, July, September, and October including the soil layers of 0–5, 5–15, 15–25, and 25–35 cm. Results indicated that spruce had a lower standing stock of fine roots than beech, and fine roots of spruce were more superficially distributed than those of beech. Furthermore, we estimated higher seasonal dynamics and also higher turnover of fine roots in spruce than in beech. The production to mortality ratio was higher in beech than in spruce, which was hypothetically explained as the effect of drought episodes that occurred in July and August. The results suggested that the beech root system could resist a physiological stress better than that of spruce. This conclusion was supported by different vertical distributions of fine roots in spruce and beech stands.

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