Fine-root distribution and morphology in an acidic Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand in SW Sweden in relation to granulated wood ash application

Püttsepp, Ülle; Lõhmus, Krista; Persson, Henrik J.; Ahlström, Kerstin

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2005.10.012

Cited by 37 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For instance, our specific root length are in agreement with other studies in Norway spruce stands (e.g. Pü ttsepp et al 2006), but are much lower as compared to the study by Ostonen et al (1999) who reported 31-47 m g -1 for mycorrhizal short roots. Another morphological parameter that is associated with soil chemical conditions is the diameter of fine roots which varied between 0.44 and 0.54 mm in the humus layer and generally increased in the mineral soil at our sites.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Biomass, morphology and nutrient contents of fine roots in four Norway spruce stands

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fine root systems may respond to soil chemical conditions, but contrasting results have been obtained from field studies in non-manipulated forests with distinct soil chemical properties. We investigated biomass, necromass, live/dead ratios, morphology and nutrient concentrations of fine roots (<2 mm) in four mature Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) stands of south-east Germany, encompassing variations in soil chemical properties and climate. All stands were established on acidic soils (pH (CaCl 2 ) range 2.8-3.8 in the humus layer), two of the four stands had molar ratios in soil solution below 1 and one of the four stands had received a liming treatment 22 years before the study. Soil cores down to 40 cm mineral soil depth were taken in autumn and separated into four fractions: humus layer, 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm and 20-40 cm. We found no indications of negative effects of N availability on fine root properties despite large variations in inorganic N seepage fluxes (4-34 kg N ha -1 yr -1 ), suggesting that the variation in N deposition between 17 and 26 kg N ha -1 yr -1 does not affect the fine root system of Norway spruce. Fine root biomass was largest in the humus layer and increased with the amount of organic matter stored in the humus layer, indicating that the vertical pattern of fine roots is largely affected by the thickness of this horizon. Only two stands showed significant differences in fine root biomass of the mineral soil which can be explained by differences in soil chemical conditions. The stand with the lowest total biomass had the lowest Ca/Al ratio of 0.1 in seepage, however, Al, Ca, Mg and K concentrations of fine roots were not different among the stands. The Ca/Al ratio in seepage might be a less reliable stress parameter because another stand also had Ca/Al ratios in seepage far below the critical value of 1.0 without any signs of fine root damages. Large differences in the live/dead ratio were positively correlated with the Mn concentration of live fine roots from the mineral soil. This relationship was attributed to faster decay of dead fine roots because Mn is known as an essential element of lignin degrading enzymes. It is questionable if the live/dead ratio can be used as a vitality parameter of fine roots since both longevity of fine roots and decay of root litter may affect this parameter. Morphological properties were different in the humus layer of one stand that was limed in 1983, indicating that a single lime dose of 3-4 Mg ha -1 has a long-lasting effect on fine root architecture of Norway spruce. Almost no differences were found in morphological properties in the mineral soil among the stands, but vertical patterns were apparently different. Two stands with high base saturation in the subsoil showed a vertical decrease in specific root length and specific root tip density whereas the other two stands showed an opposite pattern or no effect. Our results suggest that proliferation of fine roots increased with decreasing base saturation in the subsoil of Norway spruce stands.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Biomass, morphology and nutrient contents of fine roots in four Norway spruce stands

2007

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For instance, our specific root length values for the upper layers in the MF and BF are consistent with studies in Norway spruce stands (Borken et al 2007;Püttsepp et al 2006), but they are much lower than those of Ostonen et al (1999), who reported 31-47 m g −1 for mycorrhizal short roots. Furthermore, to better understand the relationship between fine root form and function in forest ecosystem, it is essential to explore variations in root morphology and the branching systems of trees and understorey plants (Guo et al 2013).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Understorey fine root mass and morphology in the litter and upper soil layers of three Chinese subtropical forests

Wang

et al. 2016

Plant Soil

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aims To quantitatively assess how fine root biomass and necromass of understorey species vary in the litter and upper mineral soil layers. Methods The method combines in situ sampling of the litter layer with sequential coring during the root growth stage in three Chinese subtropical forests: coniferous forest, coniferous and broad-leaved mixed forest, and evergreen broad-leaved forest. Results Approximately 67-74 % of the total fine root mass occurred in the layer of decomposing litter (L2) and that of the top 7.5 cm of the soil (M1). Layer L2 was the preferential horizon for fine root growth, and the thickness of this horizon strongly affected the vertical fine root pattern. In addition, the fine root mass was positively correlated with total N concentration in layers L2 and M1. For all three forest types, most fine roots had diameters <1 mm and clear decreasing trends in specific (mass-based) root length and tip number were observed from the litter layer to the soil and the N concentration of live roots also decreased with depth. Conclusions Understorey roots show a soil exploitation pattern through which absorptive fine roots are arranged to maximize nutrient acquisition from the litter and upper soil layers and to avoid belowground competition with trees, especially in species-rich forests.

show abstract

“…3). This trend is similar to that seen in many forest types (e.g., Makkonen and Helmisaari 2001;Claus and George 2005;Püttsepp et al 2006;Yanai et al 2006;Borken et al 2007;Sakai et al 2007;Børja et al 2008). Therefore, fine root biomass decreases with soil depth even within shallow soils of 15 cm depth in this subalpine Abies forest.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…Fine root biomass decreases with soil depth in many forest types (e.g., Makkonen and Helmisaari 2001;Claus and George 2005;Püttsepp et al 2006;Yanai et al 2006;Borken et al 2007;Sakai et al 2007;Børja et al 2008). For SRL, two vertical patterns have been reported: no change with soil depth (Borken et al 2007;Zhou and Shangguan 2007) and decreasing with soil depth (Bakker et al 2006;Püttsepp et al 2006;Fujimaki et al 2007). Moreover, the nitrogen Sequential change of stand age Wind Tree mortality and Sequential change of stand age Wind Tree mortality and regeneration Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertical patterns of fine root biomass, morphology and nitrogen concentration in a subalpine fir-wave forest

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

To clarify the nutrient acquisition strategies for below-ground resources in a subalpine Abies forest with shallow soils, we examined the vertical patterns of fine root biomass, morphology, nitrogen concentration of fine root tissue and soil chemical characteristics in nine quadrats of sapling, young and mature stands in a subalpine fir-wave forest, central Japan. The community characteristics changed with stand development, but stand development did not influence the vertical pattern of fine root characteristics. Fine root biomass decreased with soil depth. Specific root length did not differ among soil depths, and neither average diameter nor tissue density of fine roots changed vertically. The nitrogen concentration of fine roots differed significantly among soil depths, and was higher in surface soils than in deeper soils. Moreover, soil pH, soil electrical conductivity and soil nitrogen concentration were higher in surface layers than deeper layers. Therefore, we suggest that the subalpine Abies community has a nutrient acquisition strategy that allows uptake of more nutrients near the surface in shallow soils due to the larger investment in biomass and more active metabolism, but not due to phenotypic plasticity in fine root morphology. In addition, we observed that fine root biomass changed with stand development, where specific root length was greater in sapling stands than in older stands.

show abstract

Fine-root distribution and morphology in an acidic Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand in SW Sweden in relation to granulated wood ash application

Cited by 37 publications

References 32 publications

Biomass, morphology and nutrient contents of fine roots in four Norway spruce stands

Biomass, morphology and nutrient contents of fine roots in four Norway spruce stands

Understorey fine root mass and morphology in the litter and upper soil layers of three Chinese subtropical forests

Vertical patterns of fine root biomass, morphology and nitrogen concentration in a subalpine fir-wave forest

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About