Fine root density and root biomass of two Douglas-fir stands on sandy soils in the Netherlands. 2. Periodicity of fine root growth and estimation of belowground carbon allocation

ABSTRACT Seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF) usually present dry seasons of eight or more months. Considering the concerns about the resilience of SDTF to climate changes, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the rainfall regime on fine root growth in a SDTF. The experiment started at the end of the wet season (July 2015), when fine roots were evaluated and ingrowth cores were implemented. The temporal growth of fine roots in the 0-30 cm soil layer was monitored, considering the 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm sublayers, through six samplings from November 2015 to July 2017. The characteristics evaluated were fine root biomass, fine root length, fine root specific length, and fine root mean diameter. The significances of the root growths over time and space were tested by the Kruskal-Wallis test (p<0.05). Fine roots (Ø<2 mm) were separated and dried in an oven (65 °C) until constant weight. The root length was determined using the Giaroots software. The fine root biomass in July 2015 was 7.7±5.0 Mg ha-1 and the length was 5.0±3.2 km m-2. Fine root growth in SDTF is strongly limited by dry periods, occurring decreases in biomass and length of fine roots in all layers evaluated. Fine root growth occurs predominantly in rainy seasons, with fast response of the root system to rainfall events, mainly in root length.

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Root biomass, root distribution and the fine-root growth dynamics of Quercus coccifera L. in the garrigue of southern France

Vegetatio ◽

10.1007/bf00045653 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 87 (1) ◽

pp. 37-44 ◽

Cited By ~ 20

Author(s):

Jochen Kummerow ◽

Margarete Kummerow ◽

Louis Trabaud

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Root Distribution ◽

Root Biomass ◽

Fine Root ◽

Growth Dynamics ◽

Quercus Coccifera ◽

Southern France ◽

Fine Root Growth

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Belowground carbon allocation of Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x01-067 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 31 (8) ◽

pp. 1425-1436 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Nate G McDowell ◽

Nick J Balster ◽

John D Marshall

Keyword(s):

Carbon Balance ◽

Fine Root ◽

Carbon Allocation ◽

Rocky Mountain ◽

Carbon Fluxes ◽

Belowground Biomass ◽

High Biomass ◽

Belowground Carbon Allocation ◽

Balance Approach ◽

Belowground Carbon

Carbon allocation to fine roots and mycorrhizae constitute one of the largest carbon fluxes in forest ecosystems, but these fluxes are also among the most difficult to measure. We measured belowground carbon fluxes in two Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco var. glauca stands. We used a carbon balance approach to estimate total belowground carbon allocation (TBCA) and carbon allocation to fine-root and mycorrhizal production (NPPfr). The stands differed in belowground biomass because of fertilization treatment 8 years prior. Annual soil flux was 856 and 849 g C·m2·year1 for the two stands. Annual root respiration equaled 269 and 333 g C·m2·year1 in the low- and high-biomass stand, respectively. TBCA equaled 733 and 710 g C·m2·year1 in the low- and high-biomass stand, respectively. Calculated NPPfr equaled 431 g C·m2·year1 in the low-biomass stand and 334 g C·m2·year1 in the high-biomass stand; equivalent to 59 and 47% of TBCA, respectively. Fine-root and mycorrhizal turnover equaled 1.8 and 0.8 year1 in the low- and high-biomass stands, respectively. Belowground carbon allocation appeared to be distributed evenly between respiration and production despite differences in biomass and turnover. Sensitivity analysis indicated the NPPfr estimate is dependent foremost on the annual prediction of soil CO2 flux. The carbon balance approach provided a simple nonintrusive method for separating the belowground autotrophic and heterotrophic carbon budget.

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Fine Root Production Estimates and Belowground Carbon Allocation in Forest Ecosystems

Ecology ◽

10.2307/1940664 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 73 (4) ◽

pp. 1139-1147 ◽

Cited By ~ 312

Author(s):

Knute J. Nadelhoffer ◽

James W. Raich

Keyword(s):

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Fine Root ◽

Carbon Allocation ◽

Root Production ◽

Fine Root Production ◽

Belowground Carbon Allocation ◽

Belowground Carbon

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Fine Root Growth of Black Spruce Trees and Understory Plants in a Permafrost Forest Along a North-Facing Slope in Interior Alaska

Frontiers in Plant Science ◽

10.3389/fpls.2021.769710 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Kyotaro Noguchi ◽

Yojiro Matsuura ◽

Tomoaki Morishita ◽

Jumpei Toriyama ◽

Yongwon Kim

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Active Layer ◽

Fine Roots ◽

Fine Root ◽

Black Spruce ◽

Active Layer Thickness ◽

Fine Root Growth ◽

Belowground Carbon ◽

Understory Shrubs ◽

Lower Slope

Permafrost forests play an important role in the global carbon budget due to the huge amounts of carbon stored below ground in these ecosystems. Although fine roots are considered to be a major pathway of belowground carbon flux, separate contributions of overstory trees and understory shrubs to fine root dynamics in these forests have not been specifically characterized in relation to permafrost conditions, such as active layer thickness. In this study, we investigated fine root growth and morphology of trees and understory shrubs using ingrowth cores with two types of moss substrates (feather- and Sphagnum mosses) in permafrost black spruce (Picea mariana) stands along a north-facing slope in Interior Alaska, where active layer thickness varied substantially. Aboveground biomass, litterfall production rate, and fine root mass were also examined. Results showed that aboveground biomass, fine root mass, and fine root growth of black spruce trees tended to decrease downslope, whereas those of understory Ericaceae shrubs increased. Belowground allocation (e.g., ratio of fine root growth/leaf litter production) increased downslope in both of black spruce and understory plants. These results suggested that, at a lower slope, belowground resource availability was lower than at upper slope, but higher light availability under open canopy seemed to benefit the growth of the understory shrubs. On the other hand, understory shrubs were more responsive to the moss substrates than black spruce, in which Sphagnum moss substrates increased fine root growth of the shrubs as compared with feather moss substrates, whereas the effect was unclear for black spruce. This is probably due to higher moisture contents in Sphagnum moss substrates, which benefited the growth of small diameter (high specific root length) fine roots of understory shrubs. Hence, the contribution of understory shrubs to fine root growth was greater at lower slope than at upper slope, or in Sphagnum than in feather-moss substrates in our study site. Taken together, our data show that fine roots of Ericaceae shrubs are a key component in belowground carbon flux at permafrost black spruce forests with shallow active layer and/or with Sphagnum dominated forest floor.

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Eucalyptus tree influence on spatial and temporal dynamics of fine-root growth in an integrated crop-livestock-forestry system in southeastern Brazil

Rhizosphere ◽

10.1016/j.rhisph.2021.100415 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 100415

Author(s):

Wanderlei Bieluczyk ◽

Marisa de Cássia Piccolo ◽

Marcos Gervasio Pereira ◽

George Rodrigues Lambais ◽

Moacir Tuzzin de Moraes ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Root Growth ◽

Fine Root ◽

Temporal Dynamics ◽

Southeastern Brazil ◽

Spatial And Temporal Dynamics ◽

Fine Root Growth

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Divergent belowground carbon allocation patterns of winter wheat shape rhizosphere microbial communities and nitrogen cycling activities

Soil Biology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1016/j.soilbio.2021.108518 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 108518

Author(s):

Courtland Kelly ◽

Michelle Haddix ◽

Patrick Byrne ◽

M. Francesca Cotrufo ◽

Meagan Schipanski ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Winter Wheat ◽

Microbial Communities ◽

Nitrogen Cycling ◽

Carbon Allocation ◽

Belowground Carbon Allocation ◽

Allocation Patterns ◽

Belowground Carbon

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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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