Linking root respiration to chemistry and morphology across species

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 190-201
Author(s):  
Mengguang Han ◽  
Biao Zhu
Keyword(s):  
1981 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Massimino ◽  
M. Andre ◽  
C. Richaud ◽  
A. Daguenet ◽  
J. Massimino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marili Sell ◽  
Ivika Ostonen ◽  
Gristin Rohula-Okunev ◽  
Linda Rusalepp ◽  
Azadeh Rezapour ◽  
...  

Abstract Global climate change scenarios predict an increase in air temperature, precipitation, and air humidity for northern latitudes. Elevated air humidity may significantly reduce the water flux through forest canopies and affect interactions between water and nutrient uptake. However, we have limited understanding of how altered transpiration would affect root respiration and carbon (C) exudation as fine root morphology acclimates to different water flux. We investigated the effects of elevated air relative humidity (eRH) and different inorganic nitrogen sources (NO3− and NH4+) on above and belowground traits in hybrid aspen (Populus × wettsteinii Hämet-Ahti), silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.), and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) grown under controlled climate chamber conditions. The eRH significantly decreased the transpiration flux in all species, decreased root mass-specific exudation in pine, and increased root respiration in aspen. eRH also affected fine root morphology, with specific root area increasing for birch but decreasing in pine. The species comparison revealed that pine had the highest C exudation, while birch had the highest root respiration rate. Both humidity and nitrogen treatments affected the share of absorptive and pioneer roots within fine roots; however, the response was species-specific. The proportion of absorptive roots was highest in birch and aspen, the share of pioneer roots was greatest in aspen, and the share of transport roots was greatest in pine. Fine roots with lower root tissue density were associated with pioneer root tips and had a higher C exudation rate. Our findings underline the importance of considering species-specific differences in relation to air humidity and soil nitrogen availability that interactively affect the C input–output balance. We highlight the role of changes in the fine root functional distribution as an important acclimation mechanism of trees in response to environmental change.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 7999-8012 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Phillips ◽  
K. J. McFarlane ◽  
D. Risk ◽  
A. R. Desai

Abstract. While radiocarbon (14C) abundances in standing stocks of soil carbon have been used to evaluate rates of soil carbon turnover on timescales of several years to centuries, soil-respired 14CO2 measurements are an important tool for identifying more immediate responses to disturbance and climate change. Soil Δ14CO2 data, however, are often temporally sparse and could be interpreted better with more context for typical seasonal ranges and trends. We report on a semi-high-frequency sampling campaign to distinguish physical and biological drivers of soil Δ14CO2 at a temperate forest site in northern Wisconsin, USA. We sampled 14CO2 profiles every three weeks during snow-free months through 2012 in three intact plots and one trenched plot that excluded roots. Respired Δ14CO2 declined through the summer in intact plots, shifting from an older C composition that contained more bomb 14C to a younger composition more closely resembling present 14C levels in the atmosphere. In the trenched plot, respired Δ14CO2 was variable but remained comparatively higher than in intact plots, reflecting older bomb-enriched 14C sources. Although respired Δ14CO2 from intact plots correlated with soil moisture, related analyses did not support a clear cause-and-effect relationship with moisture. The initial decrease in Δ14CO2 from spring to midsummer could be explained by increases in 14C-deplete root respiration; however, Δ14CO2 continued to decline in late summer after root activity decreased. We also investigated whether soil moisture impacted vertical partitioning of CO2 production, but found this had little effect on respired Δ14CO2 because CO2 contained modern bomb C at depth, even in the trenched plot. This surprising result contrasted with decades to centuries-old pre-bomb CO2 produced in lab incubations of the same soils. Our results suggest that root-derived C and other recent C sources had dominant impacts on respired Δ14CO2 in situ, even at depth. We propose that Δ14CO2 may have declined through late summer in intact plots because of continued microbial turnover of root-derived C, following declines in root respiration. Our results agree with other studies showing declines in the 14C content of soil respiration over the growing season, and suggest inputs of new photosynthates through roots are an important driver.


2019 ◽  
Vol 144 (5) ◽  
pp. 305-313
Author(s):  
Bo Xiao ◽  
David Jespersen

Turfgrasses have varying tolerance to waterlogging conditions. The objective of this study was to identify important root traits and physiological responses to waterlogging stress in seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) and bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.). After being exposed to waterlogging conditions for 28 days, turf quality, leaf photosynthesis, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance (gS), and root fresh weight were significantly decreased in bermudagrass, and root lipid peroxidation was significantly increased. However, seashore paspalum was found to be more tolerant to waterlogging conditions and changes in turf quality, photosynthesis, or lipid peroxidation were not seen. The waterlogging treatments increased specific root length (SRL), surface area, and volume and decreased root respiration and diameter to a greater extent in seashore paspalum compared with bermudagrass. Under waterlogging conditions, root aerenchyma formation was found in both seashore paspalum and bermudagrass, but to a greater extent in seashore paspalum. Both grasses exhibited significant increases in root water-soluble carbohydrate (WSC) but to a lesser extent in seashore paspalum than in bermudagrass. Shoot WSC remained unchanged in seashore paspalum but was significantly increased in bermudagrass. These results indicate greater root morphological changes such as root volume, SRL, and root porosity, as well as lower root respiration may be important contributors to waterlogging tolerance for seashore paspalum.


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