Plants alter their vertical root distribution rather than biomass allocation in response to changing precipitation

Ecology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 100 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingwei Zhang ◽  
Marc W. Cadotte ◽  
Shiping Chen ◽  
Xingru Tan ◽  
Cuihai You ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Vertical Root Distribution

scholarly journals Vertical root distribution and biomass allocation along proglacial chronosequences in Central Switzerland

2021 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-34
Author(s):  
Konrad Greinwald ◽  
Lea Adina Dieckmann ◽  
Carlotta Schipplick ◽  
Anne Hartmann ◽  
Michael Scherer-Lorenzen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Vertical Root Distribution ◽  
Central Switzerland

scholarly journals Rooting patterns of Rumex species under drained conditions

1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (8) ◽  
pp. 1638-1642 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. C. J. Voesenek ◽  
C. W. P. M. Blom
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Soil Layer ◽  
The Other ◽  
Rumex Acetosa ◽  
Soil System ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Vertical Root Distribution ◽  
Rooting Patterns

Root development and architecture were studied in three Rumex species growing in a perforated soil system in the greenhouse. Distinct differences in vertical root distribution under drained conditions were found among the three species. Rumex acetosa and R. palustris had a relatively superficial root pattern, whereas in R. crispus much of the root growth was concentrated in lower soil layers. In the upper soil layer the relative growth rate of the roots of R. palustris was significantly larger than that of the other species. A relation between the characteristic rooting patterns under drained conditions and the Rumex zonation in the field is discussed.

Belowground to aboveground biomass ratio and vertical root distribution responses of mature Pinus radiata stands to phosphorus fertilization at planting

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (9) ◽  
pp. 1883-1894 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayalsew Zerihun ◽  
Kelvin D Montagu
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Radiata ◽  
Aboveground Biomass ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Root Biomass ◽  
Phosphorus Fertilization ◽  
P Fertilization ◽  
Coarse Roots ◽  
Vertical Root Distribution ◽  
Allometric Relations ◽  
P Supply

We compared the belowground biomass (BGB)/aboveground biomass (AGB) ratio and the vertical root distribution of 40-year-old Pinus radiata D. Don fertilized with 0 or 90 kg P·ha–1 at planting. Root biomass was determined by a combination of coring (fine roots, ϕ < 2 mm; small roots, 2 ≤ ϕ < 15 mm) and excavation (coarse roots, ϕ ≥ 5 mm). Stand-level AGB and coarse root biomass (CRB) were estimated with the use of allometric relations. After 40 years, AGB and CRB of P-fertilized trees were 4.5 times those of unfertilized trees, indicating that CRB scaled isometrically with AGB independently of P supply. By contrast, P fertilization increased the fine and small root biomass (FSRB) pool by only 50%. As a result, the scaling of FSRB to AGB was dependent on P supply. The differential response of the FSRB to P fertilization caused the overall BGB/AGB ratio to decrease from 0.29 in control plots to 0.20 in P-fertilized plots. Phosphorus fertilization also altered the vertical distribution of fine root biomass (FRB). For example, the proportion of FRB in the top 15 cm increased from 41% to 52% with P fertilization. Collectively, the results showed that P added early in the growth phase had a persistent effect on the BGB/AGB ratio in P. radiata. This was primarily brought about by altered biomass partitioning to the nutrient-acquiring FSRB pool.

Root water uptake and profile soil water as affected by vertical root distribution

Plant Ecology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 189 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gui-Rui Yu ◽  
Jie Zhuang ◽  
Keiichi Nakayama ◽  
Yan Jin
Keyword(s):  
Soil Water ◽  
Water Uptake ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Root Water Uptake ◽  
Vertical Root Distribution

scholarly journals An optimality-based model of the coupled soil moisture and root dynamics

2008 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 913-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Schymanski ◽  
M. Sivapalan ◽  
M. L. Roderick ◽  
J. Beringer ◽  
L. B. Hutley
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Uptake ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Root Respiration ◽  
Root Water Uptake ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Soil Moisture Dynamics ◽  
Model Based ◽  
Vertical Root Distribution ◽  
Moisture Dynamics

Abstract. The main processes determining soil moisture dynamics are infiltration, percolation, evaporation and root water uptake. Modelling soil moisture dynamics therefore requires an interdisciplinary approach that links hydrological, atmospheric and biological processes. Previous approaches treat either root water uptake rates or root distributions and transpiration rates as given, and calculate the soil moisture dynamics based on the theory of flow in unsaturated media. The present study introduces a different approach to linking soil water and vegetation dynamics, based on vegetation optimality. Assuming that plants have evolved mechanisms that minimise costs related to the maintenance of the root system while meeting their demand for water, we develop a model that dynamically adjusts the vertical root distribution in the soil profile to meet this objective. The model was used to compute the soil moisture dynamics, root water uptake and fine root respiration in a tropical savanna over 12 months, and the results were compared with observations at the site and with a model based on a fixed root distribution. The optimality-based model reproduced the main features of the observations such as a shift of roots from the shallow soil in the wet season to the deeper soil in the dry season and substantial root water uptake during the dry season. At the same time, simulated fine root respiration rates never exceeded the upper envelope determined by the observed soil respiration. The model based on a fixed root distribution, in contrast, failed to explain the magnitude of water use during parts of the dry season and largely over-estimated root respiration rates. The observed surface soil moisture dynamics were also better reproduced by the optimality-based model than the model based on a prescribed root distribution. The optimality-based approach has the potential to reduce the number of unknowns in a model (e.g. the vertical root distribution), which makes it a valuable alternative to more empirically-based approaches, especially for simulating possible responses to environmental change.

Root distribution of lychee trees growing in acid soils of subtropical Queensland

1990 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 699 ◽  
Author(s):  
CM Menzel ◽  
RL Aitken ◽  
AW Dowling ◽  
DR Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Acid Soils ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Exchange Capacity ◽  
Root Density ◽  
Rooting Depth ◽  
Ph Values ◽  
Vertical Root Distribution

A core sampling technique was used to investigate the vertical root distribution of 8-10-year-old lychee trees (Litchi chinensis cv. Tai So) growing on 5 acid soils in subtropical Queensland (lat. 27�s.). At each site, soil and roots were sampled at 10 cm depth intervals to 100 cm, the root density determined and a range of soil chemical and physical properties measured. Eighty percent of the feeder roots were located within the top 0-20 cm (1 site), 0 4 0 cm (2 sites) or 0-60 cm (2 sites). The depth of rooting was greatest in the fine textured soils, while the greatest total root density was recorded in the coarse textured soils. The data suggest that the placement of tensiometers for water scheduling needs to take into account the effective rooting depth of lychee because it may vary with soil type. At all sites, pH values were acidic (pH<6.0) and subsoil pH values were below 5.5, and exchangeable Ca decreased and exchangeable A1 increased with depth. Four of the 5 sites had subsoil with >30% Al saturation of the cation exchange capacity. Although root density (all sites) was correlated with a number of soil chemical properties, stepwise multiple linear regression showed that 62% of the variation in root density could be explained by a curvilinear function of depth. The intercorrelations between soil properties and the correlation of depth with some properties demonstrate the difficulties in separating the effects of depth per se from those of soil properties in reducing root growth.

scholarly journals Effects of Soil Type, Vertical Root Distribution and Precipitation on Grain Yield of Winter Wheat

2009 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 503-513 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hirotake Itoh ◽  
Shigeki Hayashi ◽  
Takashi Nakajima ◽  
Tomohito Hayashi ◽  
Hozumi Yoshida ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Winter Wheat ◽  
Grain Yield ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Root Distribution ◽  
Vertical Root Distribution
Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document