scholarly journals Effects of Slope Aspect and Rainfall on Belowground Deep Fine Root Traits and Aboveground Tree Height

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ma Lihui ◽  
Liu Xiaoli ◽  
Chai Jie ◽  
Wang Youke ◽  
Yang Jingui
Keyword(s):  
Functional Traits ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Root Traits ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
Soil Core

The vertical root distribution and rooting depth are the main belowground plant functional traits used to indicate drought resistance in arid and semiarid regions. The effects of the slope aspect on the aboveground traits are visible but not the belowground deep root traits. We aimed to investigate the fine root traits of the locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) planted on southerly and northerly aspects, and the variations in the rooting depth in regions with different rainfall, as well as assessing how deep rooting, might affect the response to drought in a loess region. We selected three study sites with different rainfall amounts, with six sampling plots at each site (three each with southerly and northerly aspects). Soil core samples were collected down to the depth where no roots were present. The locust trees tended to develop deeper fine roots rather than greater heights. The tree height and diameter were greater for locust trees on northerly aspects, whereas trees on southerly aspects had significantly deeper rooting depths. Fine root traits (root length, root area, and root dry weight density) were higher in the southerly aspect for both Changwu and Ansai, but lower in Suide. The ratio of the root front depth tree height ranged from 1.04 to 3.17, which was higher on southerly than northerly aspects, and it increased as the rainfall decreased. Locust tree growth traits (belowground fine root and aboveground tree height) were positively correlated with the mean annual rainfall. The soil moisture content of the topsoil decreased as the rainfall decreased, but the pattern varied in the deep layer. Our results suggest that the variations in the belowground rooting depth under different slope aspects may be related to plant survival strategies. The vertical extension of the rooting depth and tree height may be key functional traits that determine plant growth in drought-prone regions.

scholarly journals Functional Trait Responses to Strip Clearcutting in a Moso Bamboo Forest

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 793
Author(s):  
Yaxiong Zheng ◽  
Fengying Guan ◽  
Shaohui Fan ◽  
Yang Zhou ◽  
Xiong Jing
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Area ◽  
Functional Traits ◽  
Root Length ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Root Traits ◽  
Moso Bamboo ◽  
Leaf Nitrogen Content ◽  
Dry Matter Content ◽  
Functional Characteristics ◽  
Functional Features

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.

scholarly journals Genetic variation in tree growth, stem form and mortality of Guazuma crinita in slower- and faster-growing plantations in the Peruvian Amazon

2011 ◽  
Vol 60 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 70-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Weber ◽  
C. Sotelo Montes ◽  
J. Cornelius ◽  
J. Ugarte
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Variation ◽  
Tree Growth ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Peruvian Amazon ◽  
Stem Form ◽  
Timber Tree ◽  
Rotation Age

AbstractGuazuma crinitais an important timber tree with a rotation age of 6–12 years in the Peruvian Amazon. A provenance/progeny test containing 200 families from seven locations (provenances) in the Aguaytía watershed of Peru was established in three zones in the Aguaytía watershed that differ in mean annual rainfall and soil fertility. Farmers managed the replications as plantations. Replications were divided into two groups at 24 months: faster- and slower-growing plantations. The faster-growing plantations were thinned at 32 months. The objectives of this paper are to determine if genetic variation in growth traits (tree height, stem diameter) is relatively greater in the faster-growing plantations, and if there are significant differences in tree mortality and stem bifurcations among provenances and families at 24, 36 and 48 months. Variation due to provenances and families and heritability of growth traits were consistently greater in the faster-growing plantations. At 48 months, heritability of growth traits was about twice as large in the faster- than in the slower-growing plantations. There were no significant interactions between zones and either provenances or families. Tree mortality and stem bifurcations in the faster-growing plantations generally did not differ significantly among families, but did differ significantly among provenances. Based on these results and considering its rotation age, we recommend thatG. crinitafamilies/trees could be selected at 48 months in the faster-growing plantations, the plantations could be transformed into seed orchards and the seed could be used for reforestation throughout the Aguaytía watershed. Results are compared with other tropical hardwoods.

scholarly journals Root-Plate Characteristics of Common Aspen in Hemiboreal Forests of Latvia: A Case Study

Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 32
Author(s):  
Valters Samariks ◽  
Dace Brizga ◽  
Jeļena Rūba ◽  
Andris Seipulis ◽  
Āris Jansons
Keyword(s):  
Root System ◽  
Complex Structure ◽  
Mineral Soil ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Belowground Biomass ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Coarse Roots ◽  
Root Plate

Climate change will cause winds to strengthen and storms to become more frequent in Northern Europe. Windstorms reduce the financial value of forests by bending, breaking, or uprooting trees, and wind-thrown trees cause additional economic losses. The resistance of trees to wind damage depends on tree species, tree- and stand-scale parameters, and root-soil plate characteristics such as root-plate size, weight, and rooting depth. The root-soil plate is a complex structure whose mechanical strength is dependent on root-plate width and depth, as the root system provides root attachment with soil and structural support. In Latvia, the common aspen (Populus tremula L.) root system has been studied to develop a belowground biomass model, because information about root system characteristics in relation to tree wind resistance is scarce. The aim of this study was to assess the root-plate dimensions of common aspen stands on fertile mineral soil (luvisol). Study material was collected in the central region of Latvia, where pure mature (41–60 years old) common aspen stands were randomly selected, and dominant trees within the stand were chosen. In total, ten sample trees from ten stands were uprooted. The diameter at breast height (DBH) and tree height (H) were measured for each sample tree, and their roots were excavated, divided into groups, washed, measured, and weighed. The highest naturally moist biomass values were observed for coarse roots, and fine root biomass was significantly lower compared to other root groups. All root group biomass values had a strong correlation with the tree DBH. The obtained results show that there is a close, negative relationship between the relative distance from the stem and the relative root-plate depth distribution.

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

Trees ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 415-429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kouhei Miyatani ◽  
Yuki Mizusawa ◽  
Kazuki Okada ◽  
Toko Tanikawa ◽  
Naoki Makita ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Forest Soils ◽  
Fine Root ◽  
Root Traits ◽  
Chamaecyparis Obtusa ◽  
Acid Buffering

scholarly journals Geohazards Susceptibility Assessment along the Upper Indus Basin Using Four Machine Learning and Statistical Models

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 315
Author(s):  
Hilal Ahmad ◽  
Chen Ningsheng ◽  
Mahfuzur Rahman ◽  
Md Monirul Islam ◽  
Hamid Reza Pourghasemi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Indus Basin ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Slope Aspect ◽  
Topographic Wetness Index ◽  
Susceptibility Maps ◽  
Landslides And Debris Flows

The China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project passes through the Karakoram Highway in northern Pakistan, which is one of the most hazardous regions of the world. The most common hazards in this region are landslides and debris flows, which result in loss of life and severe infrastructure damage every year. This study assessed geohazards (landslides and debris flows) and developed susceptibility maps by considering four standalone machine-learning and statistical approaches, namely, Logistic Regression (LR), Shannon Entropy (SE), Weights-of-Evidence (WoE), and Frequency Ratio (FR) models. To this end, geohazard inventories were prepared using remote sensing techniques with field observations and historical hazard datasets. The spatial relationship of thirteen conditioning factors, namely, slope (degree), distance to faults, geology, elevation, distance to rivers, slope aspect, distance to road, annual mean rainfall, normalized difference vegetation index, profile curvature, stream power index, topographic wetness index, and land cover, with hazard distribution was analyzed. The results showed that faults, slope angles, elevation, lithology, land cover, and mean annual rainfall play a key role in controlling the spatial distribution of geohazards in the study area. The final susceptibility maps were validated against ground truth points and by plotting Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (AUROC) curves. According to the AUROC curves, the success rates of the LR, WoE, FR, and SE models were 85.30%, 76.00, 74.60%, and 71.40%, and their prediction rates were 83.10%, 75.00%, 73.50%, and 70.10%, respectively; these values show higher performance of LR over the other three models. Furthermore, 11.19%, 9.24%, 10.18%, 39.14%, and 30.25% of the areas corresponded to classes of very-high, high, moderate, low, and very-low susceptibility, respectively. The developed geohazard susceptibility map can be used by relevant government officials for the smooth implementation of the CPEC project at the regional scale.

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

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.

scholarly journals Field Evaluation of Populus deltoides Bartr. ex Marsh. at Two Sites in Indo-gangetic Plains of India

2010 ◽  
Vol 59 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. P. S. Dhillon ◽  
Avtar Singh ◽  
Pritpal Singh ◽  
D. S. Sidhu
Keyword(s):  
Populus Deltoides ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Field Evaluation ◽  
Site Conditions ◽  
Genetic Advance ◽  
Gangetic Plains ◽  
Diameter At Breast Height ◽  
Breast Height ◽  
Northwestern India

Abstract Results from clonal trials of Populus deltoides conducted in two distinct agroclimatic regions of Punjab in northwestern India are reported and discussed. Sixteen clones were evaluated at Hambran and Bathinda where commonly grown clone ‘G-48’ was considered as control. Significant differences among clones (P < 0.001) were observed for diameter at breast height (DBH), tree height and volume at the age of four and six years under both the site conditions. Clone ‘L-48’ ranked first for volume at six year age at both sites and was followed by clone ‘Ranikhet’. The respective superiority for volume of these clones over control was 44.8 and 23.2 per cent at Hambran and 72.5 and 30.7 per cent at Bathinda. All growth traits registered significantly higher values at Hambran in comparison to those at Bathinda. Clone x site interaction was also significant (P < 0.001). The clones ‘L-168’, ‘154/86’, ‘Solan-z’ and ‘170/88’ experienced huge fluctuation in ranking between sites for volume at 6-year age. The DBH and height showed significant and positive correlation with each other and with tree volume at all the age combinations. The clonal mean heritability was quite high both at Hambran (0.73-0.86) and Bathinda (0.80-0.95). The genetic advance were the highest for volume (33.34-64.26%) and the lowest (10.65-22.79%) in case of height.

Growth and wood properties of genetically improved loblolly pine: propagation type comparison and genetic parameters

2014 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 263-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Finto Antony ◽  
Laurence R. Schimleck ◽  
Lewis Jordan ◽  
Benjamin Hornsby ◽  
Joseph Dahlen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Wood Density ◽  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Growth Traits ◽  
Genetic Correlations ◽  
Tree Height ◽  
Wood Properties ◽  
Genetically Improved ◽  
Growth Properties ◽  
Wood Traits ◽  
Clonal Lines

The use of clonal varieties in forestry offers great potential to improve growth traits (quantity) and wood properties (quality) of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.). Loblolly pine trees established via somatic embryogenesis (clones), full-sib zygotic crosses, and half-sib zygotic open-pollinated families were sampled to identify variation in growth and wood properties among and within clonal lines and zygotic controls. Increment cores 5 mm in diameter were collected at age 4 from a total of 2615 trees. Growth properties (diameter at 1.4 m and total tree height) and wood properties (whole-core density, latewood and earlywood density, and latewood percent) were measured for each tree sampled in the study. Overall, growth properties were better for full-sib seedling than for clonal lines, whereas wood density was higher for clonal lines than full-sib and open-pollinated seedlings. However, there were clonal lines with better growth and higher wood density. Clonal repeatability of both growth and wood properties across sampled sites and genetic correlations between growth and wood traits were determined, with higher repeatability observed for wood traits compared with growth traits. Significant genetic correlations were observed for tree height and wood properties, whereas weak correlations were observed for diameter and wood properties.

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