Root production is determined by radiation flux in a temperate grassland community

Edwards, Everard; Benham, D.; Marland, L.A.; Fitter, A. H.

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2004.00729.x

Cited by 92 publications

(70 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Acclimation of root respiration occurs in Plantago lanceolata (Smakman and Hofstra 1982;Loveys et al 2002Loveys et al , 2003, Zostera marina (Zimmerman et al 1989), Citrus volkameriana (Bryla et al 1997(Bryla et al , 2001, Festuca ovina, Juncus squarrosus, Nardus stricta (Fitter et al 1998), Bellis perennis, Poa annua (Gunn and Farrar 1999) and Holcus lanatus (Edwards et al 2004). In contrast, there is little or no acclimation of root R in field-grown Acer saccharum and Pinus resinosa to seasonal changes in temperature (Burton and Pregitzer 2003).…”

Section: Inter-specific Variationmentioning

confidence: 96%

The hot and the cold: unravelling the variable response of plant respiration to temperature

Atkin¹,

Bruhn

Hurry

et al. 2005

Functional Plant Biol.

441

410

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This paper is part of The Evans Review series, named for Dr Lloyd Evans. The series contains reviews that are critical,state-of-the-art evaluations that aim to advance our understanding, rather than being exhaustive compilations of information, and are written by invitation.Abstract. When predicting the effects of climate change, global carbon circulation models that include a positive feedback effect of climate warming on the carbon cycle often assume that (1) plant respiration increases exponentially with temperature (with a constant Q 10 ) and (2) that there is no acclimation of respiration to long-term changes in temperature. In this review, we show that these two assumptions are incorrect. While Q 10 does not respond systematically to elevated atmospheric CO 2 concentrations, other factors such as temperature, light, and water availability all have the potential to influence the temperature sensitivity of respiratory CO 2 efflux. Roots and leaves can also differ in their Q 10 values, as can upper and lower canopy leaves. The consequences of such variable Q 10 values need to be fully explored in carbon modelling. Here, we consider the extent of variability in the degree of thermal acclimation of respiration, and discuss in detail the biochemical mechanisms underpinning this variability; the response of respiration to long-term changes in temperature is highly dependent on the effect of temperature on plant development, and on interactive effects of temperature and other abiotic factors (e.g. irradiance, drought and nutrient availability). Rather than acclimating to the daily mean temperature, recent studies suggest that other components of the daily temperature regime can be important (e.g. daily minimum and / or night temperature).In some cases, acclimation may simply reflect a passive response to changes in respiratory substrate availability, whereas in others acclimation may be critical in helping plants grow and survive at contrasting temperatures. We also consider the impact of acclimation on the balance between respiration and photosynthesis; although environmental factors such as water availability can alter the balance between these two processes, the available data suggests that temperature-mediated differences in dark leaf respiration are closely linked to concomitant differences in leaf photosynthesis. We conclude by highlighting the need for a greater process-based understanding of thermal acclimation of respiration if we are to successfully predict future ecosystem CO 2 fluxes and potential feedbacks on atmospheric CO 2 concentrations.

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Section: Inter-specific Variationmentioning

confidence: 96%

The hot and the cold: unravelling the variable response of plant respiration to temperature

Atkin¹,

Bruhn

Hurry

et al. 2005

Functional Plant Biol.

441

410

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Although the absence of a groundwater table and the container size (60 cm depth) likely limited the extra quantities of water that could be extracted from the soil through root proliferation, this was probably not the only factor to have counteracted drought-induced R/S increases. Indeed, Edwards et al (2004) reported that warming itself, without soil drying, had a negative effect on root biomass in temperate grasslands through increased root death. The root system in both temperature treatments became more extensive as the communities matured, with R/S values well above 1, in accordance with other studies on temperate grasslands (Mokany et al, 2006).…”

Section: Is Grassland Biomass Production Positively or Negatively Affmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biomass production in experimental grasslands of different species richness during three years of climate warming

et al. 2008

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Abstract. Here we report on the single and combined impacts of climate warming and species richness on the biomass production in experimental grassland communities. Projections of a future warmer climate have stimulated studies on the response of terrestrial ecosystems to this global change. Experiments have likewise addressed the importance of species numbers for ecosystem functioning. There is, however, little knowledge on the interplay between warming and species richness. During three years, we grew experimental plant communities containing one, three or nine grassland species in 12 sunlit, climate-controlled chambers in Wilrijk, Belgium. Half of these chambers were exposed to ambient air temperatures (unheated), while the other half were warmed by 3 • C (heated). Equal amounts of water were added to heated and unheated communities, so that warming would imply drier soils if evapotranspiration was higher. Biomass production was decreased due to warming, both aboveground (-29%) and belowground (-25%), as negative impacts of increased heat and drought stress in summer prevailed. Complementarity effects, likely mostly through both increased aboveground spatial complementarity and facilitative effects of legumes, led to higher shoot and root biomass in multi-species communities, regardless of the induced warming. Surprisingly, warming suppressed productivity the most in 9-species communities, which may be attributed to negative impacts of intense interspecific competiCorrespondence to: H. J. De Boeck (hans.deboeck@ua.ac.be) tion for resources under conditions of high abiotic stress. Our results suggest that warming and the associated soil drying could reduce primary production in many temperate grasslands, and that this will not necessarily be mitigated by efforts to maintain or increase species richness.

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“…Shading is another exogenous factor regulating fine root dynamics because root growth and turnover are correlated with photosynthetically active radiation (Fitter et al 1998;Fitter et al 1999;Volder et al 2007). Although temperature and solar radiation are commonly linked during shading, Edwards et al (2004) combined soil warming with canopy shading treatments and concluded that root turnover was significantly affected by solar radiation, but not temperature. However, the majority of relevant studies have investigated the consequences of endogenous or exogenous factors on the fine root dynamics of trees in forest ecosystems or of shrubs from shrublands.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response of the fine root production, phenology, and turnover rate of six shrub species from a subtropical forest to a soil moisture gradient and shading

Wang

et al. 2015

Plant Soil

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Background and aims Knowledge of the fine root dynamics of different life forms in forest ecosystems is critical to understanding how the overall belowground carbon cycling is affected by climate change. However, our current knowledge regarding how endogenous or exogenous factors regulate the root dynamics of understory vegetation is limited. The aims of this study were to test the effects of soil moisture gradient and shading on the fine root production, phenology, and turnover rate of six shrub species from a subtropical forest. Methods We selected a suite of study sites representing different habitats with gradients of soil moisture and solar radiation (shading or no shading). We assessed the fine root production phenology, the total fine root production, and the turnover among six understory shrub species in a subtropical climate, and examined the responses of the fine root dynamics to gradients in the soil moisture and solar radiation. The shrubs included three evergreen species, Loropetalum chinense, Vaccinium bracteatum, and Adinandra millettii, and three deciduous species, Serissa serissoides, Rubus corchorifolius, and Lespedeza davidii. Results We observed that variations in the annual fine root production and turnover among species were significant in the deciduous group but not in the evergreen group. Notably, V. bracteatum and S. serissoides presented the greatest responses in terms of root phenology to gradients in the soil moisture and shading: high-moisture habitat led to a decrease and shade led to an increase in fine root production during spring. Species with smaller fine roots of the 1 st +2 nd -order diameter presented more sensitive responses in terms of fine root phenology to a soil moisture gradient. Species with a lower fine root carbon-to nitrogen ratio exhibited more sensitive responses in terms of fine root annual production to shading. Soil moisture and shading did not change the annual fine root production as much as the turnover rate. Conclusions The fine root dynamics of some understory shrubs varied significantly with soil moisture and solar radiation status and may be different from tree species. Our results emphasize the need to study the understory fine root dynamics in the achievement of a complete understanding of the overall belowground carbon cycling in a forest ecosystem, particularly ecosystems in which the understory fine root highly contributes to the belowground biomass.

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Root production is determined by radiation flux in a temperate grassland community

Cited by 92 publications

References 58 publications

The hot and the cold: unravelling the variable response of plant respiration to temperature

The hot and the cold: unravelling the variable response of plant respiration to temperature

Biomass production in experimental grasslands of different species richness during three years of climate warming

Response of the fine root production, phenology, and turnover rate of six shrub species from a subtropical forest to a soil moisture gradient and shading

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