Fine root turnover in a northern hardwood forest: a direct comparison of the radiocarbon and minirhizotron methods

2002 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 1692-1697 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geraldine L Tierney ◽  
Timothy J Fahey
Keyword(s):  
Fine Roots ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Root Turnover ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Fine Root Turnover ◽  
Northern Hardwood ◽  
Root Age ◽  
Long Term Observation

We examined fine root turnover using both the minirhizotron and radiocarbon methods within the organic horizon of a northern hardwood forest to better understand discrepancies in turnover estimates obtained using these methods. The recently developed radiocarbon method estimates the mean age of organic matter by comparing its radiocarbon content to recorded atmospheric radiocarbon levels, which peaked in the 1960s as a result of thermonuclear weapons testing. The radiocarbon content of fine roots harvested from minirhizotron tubes did not differ from that of roots collected from the soil, suggesting these two methods sampled the same population of fine roots. However, long-term observation of fine root survivorship using minirhizotrons showed that root age distribution is positively skewed, causing systematic overestimation of fine root turnover by the minirhizotron method and underestimation by the radiocarbon method. We developed a parametric regression model of fine root survivorship. Our estimate of fine root turnover (about 30% per year) using this variation of the minirhizotron method was supported by radiocarbon data considered in conjunction with fine root age distribution.

Environmental control of fine root dynamics in a northern hardwood forest

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 670-679 ◽  
Author(s):  
GERALDINE L. TIERNEY ◽  
TIMOTHY J. FAHEY ◽  
PETER M. GROFFMAN ◽  
JANET P. HARDY ◽  
ROSS D. FITZHUGH ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fine Root ◽  
Environmental Control ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Root Dynamics ◽  
Fine Root Dynamics ◽  
Northern Hardwood

CARBON AND NUTRIENT CYCLING THROUGH FINE ROOTS IN RUBBER (HEVEA BRASILIENSIS) PLANTATIONS IN INDIA

2013 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 556-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. JESSY ◽  
P. PRASANNAKUMARI ◽  
JOSHUA ABRAHAM
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Nutrient Cycling ◽  
Fine Roots ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Nutrient Status ◽  
Root Turnover ◽  
Root Production ◽  
Fine Root Production ◽  
Fine Root Turnover ◽  
Rubber Plantations

SUMMARYUnderstanding the growth dynamics of fine roots and their contribution to soil organic carbon and nutrient pools is crucial for estimating ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling and how these are influenced by climate change. Rubber is cultivated in more than 10 million hectare globally and the area under rubber cultivation is fast expanding due to socio-economic reasons, apart from the importance given to this species for eco-restoration of degraded lands. An experiment was conducted to quantify fine root production, fine root turnover and carbon and nutrient cycling through fine roots in rubber plantations with different soil nutrient status and rainfall pattern. Fine root production was estimated by sequential coring and ingrowth core methods. Fine root decomposition was determined by the litter bag technique. Carbon and nutrient contents in fine roots were determined and their turnover was computed. Fine root biomass in the top 0–7.5-cm soil layer showed significant seasonal fluctuation and the fluctuations were particularly wide during the transition period from the dry season to the rainy season. Fine root production estimated by the different methods was significantly higher at the lower fertility site and during the higher soil moisture stress year. Fine root turnover ranged from 1.04 to 2.29 year−1. Root carbon and nutrient status showed seasonal variation and lower status was observed during the rainy season. The annual recycling of C, N, P, K, Ca and Mg through fine roots ranged from 590 to 1758, 30 to 85, 3 to 12, 13 to 31, 11 to 35 and 6 to 13 kg ha−1, respectively. Substantial quantities of carbon and nutrients were recycled annually in rubber plantations through fine roots. When soil moisture and nutrient stress were more severe, fine root production, turnover and carbon and nutrient recycling through fine roots were higher.

Contributions of fine root production and turnover to the carbon and nitrogen cycling in taiga forests of the Alaskan interior

1996 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1326-1336 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.W. Ruess ◽  
K. Van Cleve ◽  
J. Yarie ◽  
L.A. Viereck
Keyword(s):  
Fine Roots ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Organic N ◽  
Root Turnover ◽  
Root Production ◽  
Total Production ◽  
Fine Root Production ◽  
Litter Fall ◽  
Fine Root Turnover ◽  
Taiga Forests

Fine root production and turnover were studied in hardwood and coniferous taiga forests using three methods. (1) Using soil cores, fine root production ranged from 1574 ± 76 kg•ha−1•year−1 in the upland white spruce (Piceaglauca (Moench) Voss) stand to 4386 ± 322 kg•ha−1•year−1 in the floodplain balsam poplar (Populusbalsamifera L.) stand, accounting for 49% of total production for coniferous stands and 32% of total production for deciduous stands. Fine root turnover rates were higher in floodplain (0.90 ± 0.06 year−1) stands than in upland (0.42 ± 0.10 year−1) stands. Across all sites, the ratio of fine root turnover to litter fall averaged 2.2 for biomass and 2.8 for N. Both values were higher in floodplain stands than in upland stands, and in coniferous stands than in deciduous stands. (2) The C budget method showed that C allocation to fine roots varied from 150 to 425 g C•m−2•year−1 and suggested that soil respiration was more dependent on C derived from roots than from aboveground inputs. The C allocation ratio (C to roots: C to litter fall) was inversely correlated with litter-fall C and varied from 0.3 to 69.5; there was a tendency for higher proportional belowground allocation in coniferous stands than in deciduous stands and the highest levels were at the earliest successional sites. (3) Estimates of apparent N uptake (Nu), N allocation to fine roots, and fine root production based on N budget calculations showed that annual aboveground N increments exceeded Nu estimates at half the sites, indicating that the method failed to account for large amounts of N acquired by plants. This suggests that plant and (or) mycorrhizal uptake of soil organic N may be more significant to ecosystem N cycling than mineral N turnover by the soil microbial biomass.

scholarly journals Fine root biomass declined in response to restoration of soil calcium in a northern hardwood forest

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 738-744 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Fahey ◽  
Alexis K. Heinz ◽  
John J. Battles ◽  
Melany C. Fisk ◽  
Charles T. Driscoll ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acid Deposition ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Base Cations ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Fine Root Biomass ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood

Forest health deteriorated in eastern North America as a result of depletion of available soil base cations by elevated inputs of acid deposition. We experimentally restored available calcium (Ca) to soils of a forested watershed at Hubbard Brook, New Hampshire, and measured the response of fine root biomass 14 years after treatment. In this northern hardwood forest, fine root (<1 mm diameter) biomass declined significantly in response to the Ca-addition treatment relative to pretreatment and reference forest conditions. The decline was greatest in the mid- and high-elevation hardwood zones of the watershed, where soils are thinnest and have the lowest base saturation and exchangeable Ca pools. Restoration of soil Ca appears to have reduced the allocation of carbon (C) to root systems, coincident with observed increases in aboveground biomass and productivity. Therefore, we suggest that relatively higher tree C allocation to roots in the past contributed to the depressed aboveground productivity observed in northern hardwood forest ecosystems impacted by acid deposition.

Soil Organisms Influence Fine Root Lifespan in Peach

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 541d-541
Author(s):  
Christina Wells ◽  
David Eissenstat ◽  
Michael Glenn
Keyword(s):  
Fine Roots ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Pathogenic Fungi ◽  
Root Diameter ◽  
Root Turnover ◽  
Camera System ◽  
Fine Root Turnover ◽  
Root Lifespan ◽  
Pesticide Treatment ◽  
Root Death

Damage to the root system by soil insects and pathogenic fungi is difficult to assess and often goes unnoticed until a tree exhibits significant decline above ground. In this study, below-ground imaging technology was used to quantify fine root turnover in peach and to determine what percentage of root death may be caused by soil pests in an apparently healthy orchard. The study was conducted on six 15-year-old `Loring' peach trees on Halford rootstock in Kearneysville, W.Va. Five root observation tubes were placed in the soil beneath each tree in Apr. 1996. Each tube was randomly assigned one of five soil drench treatments: Lorsban 4E insecticide, Ridomil 2E fungicide, a combination of both pesticides, 1/10th strength Hoagland's solution, or water. A portable VCR and camera system were used to record images of fine roots (<1 mm diameter) growing along the tubes at biweekly intervals from May 1996 through Nov. 1997. The images were used to construct a database of life history information for more than 1500 individual roots. Peach root survivorship was influenced by root diameter and pesticide treatment. Fine roots on tubes receiving either of the pesticide treatments had higher survivorship than roots on control tubes for all diameter classes. The effect was most pronounced for white roots <0.5 mm in diameter, whose survivorship during the growing season was increased by 45% when both insecticide and fungicide were applied. These results suggest that a substantial fraction of fine root death may be caused by interactions with the soil fauna.

The Demography of Fine Roots in a Northern Hardwood Forest

Ecology ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 1094-1104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ronald L. Hendrick ◽  
Kurt S. Pregitzer
Keyword(s):  
Fine Roots ◽  
Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood Forest ◽  
Northern Hardwood

scholarly journals Fine root standing stock and production in young beech and spruce stands

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bohdan Konôpka ◽  
Jozef Pajtík ◽  
Miriam Maľová
Keyword(s):  
Fine Roots ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Standing Stock ◽  
Maximum Diameter ◽  
Root Turnover ◽  
Root Production ◽  
Fine Root Production ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Fine Root Turnover

AbstractFine roots (defined by a maximum diameter of 2 mm) and assimilatory organs are the compartments which rotate carbon much faster than any other tree part. We focused on quantification of fine roots in young European beech and Norway spruce trees growing under the same ecological conditions. Standing stock of fine roots was estimated by soil coring during 2009 - 2012. Fine root production was established by the in-growth bag method. Standing stock and productions of fine roots were comparable in both tree species. The quantity of fine root biomass (at a soil depth of 0 -50 cm) varied inter-annually between 6.08 and 7.41 t per ha in the beech and from 5.10 to 6.49 t per ha in the spruce stand. Annual production of fine roots (soil depth of 0 - 30 cm) was between 1.11 and 1.63 t ha-1 in beech and between 0.95 and 1.54 t.ha-1 in spruce. We found that fine root standing stock at the beginning of each growing season was related to climatic conditions in the previous year. Annual fine root production was influenced by the climatic situation of the current year. In general, a maximum standing stock of fine roots as well as a relatively slow fine root turnover is expected in young forest stands. Whereas production of fine roots prevailed over mortality in a favorable year (sufficiency of precipitations and slightly above-average temperatures in 2010), there was a reverse situation in an unfavorable year (drought episodes in 2011). We concluded that although both forest types represented contrasting turnovers of assimilatory organs (once a year and once in 5 years in beech and spruce respectively), fine root turnover rates were very similar (approx. once per four years).

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