Root distribution in a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand subjected to drought and ammonium-sulphate application

Persson, Henrik J.; Fircks, Yuehua von; Majdi, Hooshang; Nilsson, Lars

doi:10.1007/bf00029324

Cited by 90 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Clearly, our fine root inventory covers only the topsoil and we hence may have missed preferential biomass partitioning to other parts of the root system. Trees growing at drier sites could allocate more carbon to root growth in deeper soil layers to access the moister subsoil and escape surface drying [70,71]. However, a meta-analysis of root biomass data by Schenk and Jackson [72] and a detailed study of the subsoil root system of Fagus sylvatica along a precipitation gradient by Meier et al [68] showed the opposite response to long-term precipitation reduction, i.e., shallower rooting of trees under water limitation.…”

Section: Fine Root Biomass and Belowground C Allocation In Dependencementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Summer Drought on the Fine Root System of Five Broadleaf Tree Species along a Precipitation Gradient

Fuchs

Hertel

Schuldt

et al. 2020

Forests

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While much research has addressed the aboveground response of trees to climate warming and related water shortage, not much is known about the drought sensitivity of the fine root system, in particular of mature trees. This study investigates the response of topsoil (0–10 cm) fine root biomass (FRB), necromass (FRN), and fine root morphology of five temperate broadleaf tree species (Acer platanoides L., Carpinus betulus L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Tilia cordata Mill.) to a reduction in water availability, combining a precipitation gradient study (nine study sites; mean annual precipitation (MAP): 920–530 mm year−1) with the comparison of a moist period (average spring conditions) and an exceptionally dry period in the summer of the subsequent year. The extent of the root necromass/biomass (N/B) ratio increase was used as a measure of the species’ belowground sensitivity to water deficits. We hypothesized that the N/B ratio increases with long-term (precipitation gradient) and short-term reductions (moist vs. dry period) of water availability, while FRB changes only a little. In four of the five species (exception: A. platanoides), FRB did not change with a reduction in MAP, whereas FRN and N/B ratio increased toward the dry sites under ample water supply (exception: Q. petraea). Q. petraea was also the only species not to reduce root tip frequency after summer drought. Different slopes of the N/B ratio-MAP relation similarly point at a lower belowground drought sensitivity of Q. petraea than of the other species. After summer drought, all species lost the MAP dependence of the N/B ratio. Thus, fine root mortality increased more at the moister than the drier sites, suggesting a generally lower belowground drought sensitivity of the drier stands. We conclude that the five species differ in their belowground drought response. Q. petraea follows the most conservative soil exploration strategy with a generally smaller FRB and more drought-tolerant fine roots, as it maintains relatively constant FRB, FRN, and morphology across spatial and temporal dimensions of soil water deficits.

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Section: Fine Root Biomass and Belowground C Allocation In Dependencementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Summer Drought on the Fine Root System of Five Broadleaf Tree Species along a Precipitation Gradient

Fuchs

Hertel

Schuldt

et al. 2020

Forests

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“…or because more than one reference supplied duplicate information for the same site. Relevant studies by biome were: boreal forest (27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32), deserts (33)(34)(35)(36)(37), sclerophyllous shrublands and forests (38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45), temperate coniferous forest (46)(47)(48)(49)(50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56), temperate deciduous forest (46,47,49,50,52,(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)(63)(64)(65)(66)(67), temperate grasslands (36,(68)(69)(70)…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A global budget for fine root biomass, surface area, and nutrient contents

Jackson

Mooney

Schulze

1997

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

1,263

945

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Global biogeochemical models have improved dramatically in the last decade in their representation of the biosphere. Although leaf area data are an important input to such models and are readily available globally, global root distributions for modeling water and nutrient uptake and carbon cycling have not been available. This analysis provides global distributions for fine root biomass, length, and surface area with depth in the soil, and global estimates of nutrient pools in fine roots. Calculated root surface area is almost always greater than leaf area, more than an order of magnitude so in grasslands. The average C:N:P ratio in living fine roots is 450:11:1, and global fine root carbon is more than 5% of all carbon contained in the atmosphere. Assuming conservatively that fine roots turn over once per year, they represent 33% of global annual net primary productivity.Fine roots (Յ2 mm in diameter) are the primary pathway for water and nutrient uptake by plants, the same role that leaves play for carbon and energy uptake. Fine roots are also a prominent, possibly the prominent, sink for carbon acquired in terrestrial net primary productivity (1-4). Primary production allocated below ground is often greater than that allocated above ground, and annual carbon and nutrient inputs to the soil from fine roots frequently equal or exceed those from leaves (1-5). Despite their importance for nutrient cycling, resource capture, and global biogeochemistry, fine roots are poorly represented in global models. The lack of representation is in sharp contrast to the prevalence of canopy leaf area data as an important input (6-10). The input of leaf area, which can be estimated regionally by remote sensing (11), allows carbon and energy gain to be simulated biochemically in terrestrial models (12). Part of the cause for the discrepancy in representing roots and shoots is the difficulty in estimating root distributions (2,13,14). This analysis provides the first global fine root database for improving global models and estimates of carbon cycling. These data should enhance hydrological models [where fine roots control water absorption by plants and affect groundwater and atmospheric fluxes (15, 16)], improve estimates of nitrogen cycling and the consequences of nitrogen loading (17), and allow the biochemical modeling of nutrient uptake globally (18,19). METHODSThis research differs from a previous analysis (20) by calculating fine rather than total root distributions (those roots active in water and nutrient uptake), by estimating root biomass, length, surface area, and nutrient contents, by taking into account the proportion of live root biomass in each biome, and by calculating a global budget for each parameter. To estimate fine root distributions by depth, a database of 253 field studies was analyzed (20). A study was included if fine roots were measured in three or more increments to at least 1-m soil depth (minimum depth for tundra was the level of permafrost). More than 40 references met these criteria and ma...

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“…Soil moisture and irrigation/drought experiments accomplished with other species than Norway spruce, such as Scots pine, are largely not comparable as their physiological resilience against high/low soil moisture content among species is so different. A few months of experimental drought in a Norway spruce stand in SW Sweden led to no statistical differences in fine root biomass between the drought and control treatments, even though in the drought treatment the fine root biomass in the surface litter was lower than in the control treatment (Persson et al 1995). This rather superficial effect was caused by the fine root response to extend deeper in the soil where more water was available.…”

Section: Moisturementioning

confidence: 84%

Norway spruce fine root dynamics and carbon input into soil in relation to environmental factors

Leppälammi‐Kujansuu¹

2014

Diss. For.

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Knowledge of the quantity of belowground litter carbon (C) input is scarce but highly valued in C budget calculations. Specifically, the turnover rate of fine roots is considered as one of the most important parameters in the estimation of changes in soil C stock. In this thesis Norway spruce (Picea abies L. (Karst.)) fine root lifespan and litter production were studied and their responses to nutrient availability and temperature were examined. Aboveground foliage and understory litter C inputs were also quantified. Furthermore, fine root isotopic C ages were compared to fine root lifespans. Increased nutrient availability and higher temperature shortened spruce fine root lifespan both in the manipulation treatments and along a latitude gradient. Fertilization improved tree growth and the absolute amount of litter production, both below-and aboveground. Soil warming, by contrast, increased the belowground litter production in relation to aboveground foliage litterfall but did not lead to long-term increases in aboveground tree growth. In warmed soil, the changes in spruce short root morphology indicated nutrient deficiency. Fine root litter C input into the soil in relation to the aboveground litter C input was higher towards lower fertility, due particularly to the greater contribution of understory vegetation. The structural 14 C age of fine roots was consistently 3-6 years older than fine root lifespan determined with the minirhizotron method indicating that root growth may use also use stored or recycled C. In almost all stands, fine root litter C input into the soil at least equalled the aboveground input, which confirms the significance of belowground litter production in the boreal forest C cycle. The importance of understory vegetation was also significant. In addition on understory vegetation, different stand age and tree species, more studies should also focus on the shift in the litter production pattern from above-to belowground along environmental change as this may have an impact on litter C quality and soil C storage in boreal forest soils.

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Root distribution in a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand subjected to drought and ammonium-sulphate application

Cited by 90 publications

References 9 publications

Effects of Summer Drought on the Fine Root System of Five Broadleaf Tree Species along a Precipitation Gradient

Effects of Summer Drought on the Fine Root System of Five Broadleaf Tree Species along a Precipitation Gradient

A global budget for fine root biomass, surface area, and nutrient contents

Norway spruce fine root dynamics and carbon input into soil in relation to environmental factors

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