| 1. |
|
|
| 2. |
|
|
| 3. |
- Bergkvist, Bo, et al.
(författare)
-
Pools and fluxes of carbon in three Norway spruce ecosystems along a climatic gradient in Sweden
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Biogeochemistry. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0168-2563 .- 1573-515X. ; 89:1, s. 7-25
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- This paper presents an integrated analysis of organic carbon (C) pools in soils and vegetation, within-ecosystem fluxes and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in three 40-year old Norway spruce stands along a north-south climatic gradient in Sweden, measured 2001-2004. A process-orientated ecosystem model (CoupModel), previously parameterised on a regional dataset, was used for the analysis. Pools of soil organic carbon (SOC) and tree growth rates were highest at the southernmost site (1.6 and 2.0-fold, respectively). Tree litter production (litterfall and root litter) was also highest in the south, with about half coming from fine roots (< 1 mm) at all sites. However, when the litter input from the forest floor vegetation was included, the difference in total litter input rate between the sites almost disappeared (190-233 g C m(-2) year(-1)). We propose that a higher N deposition and N availability in the south result in a slower turnover of soil organic matter than in the north. This effect seems to overshadow the effect of temperature. At the southern site, 19% of the total litter input to the O horizon was leached to the mineral soil as dissolved organic carbon, while at the two northern sites the corresponding figure was approx. 9%. The CoupModel accurately described general C cycling behaviour in these ecosystems, reproducing the differences between north and south. The simulated changes in SOC pools during the measurement period were small, ranging from -8 g C m(-2) year(-1) in the north to +9 g C m(-2) year(-1) in the south. In contrast, NEE and tree growth measurements at the northernmost site suggest that the soil lost about 90 g C m(-2) year(-1).
|
|
| 4. |
- Björk, Robert G., 1974, et al.
(författare)
-
A Climate Change aspect on root dynamics and nitrogen partitioning in a tundra landscape
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Sediment budgets and rates of sediment transfer across cold environments in Europe. 3rd Workshop of the ESF Network SEDIFLUX, Durham, UK, 15 – 19 December 2005..
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) recently reported that Arctic is rapidly changing due to Climate Change. Likewise, the mountains of Europe are going to experience large shifts in plant composition and 41-56% of the alpine species might be on the edge of extinction according to the 1st synthesis of the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA). Although the tundra ecosystems are subjected to dramatical changes as a result of Climate Change, there is little knowledge of the effect on root dynamics and its implication on the nitrifying and denitrifying microbial community. Here, we compare nitrification enzyme activity (NEA) and denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) rates along an altitudinal gradient with the effects of climatic warming using Open Top Chambers (OTCs) in consideration with root dynamics and architecture. This study was conducted at Latnjajaure Field Station (LFS) located in the midalpine region in northern Sweden. LFS is the Swedish field site for the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX), established in 1993. This gives an opportunity to investigate long-term effects of climatic warming by OTCs and an altitudinal gradient (1000m to 1365m), both within a very small geographical range. The OTCs used at LFS increases the soil surface temperature by approximately 1.5ºC whereas air temperatures normally falls with 0.6ºC with every hundred meter of increased altitude. To analyse the NEA and DEA we used an anaerobic incubation technique, based on acetylene inhibition technique, resulting in N2O as the only end product, which then were analysed by gas chromatography. Soil cores were additionally sampled in the OTCs to study the effects of climatic warming on the root system. The specific root length, root length density and root biomass were determined for the different root fractions. The results from NEA and DEA contradict each other. The gradient study show decreased NEA and DEA rates with falling altitude, whereas the warming experiment show a slight non significant increase due to the temperature enhancement by OTCs. The preliminary results from the root sampling indicate that there is a plant community specific response in root architecture, which has an output on root biomass and particularly in the fraction of fine roots, although, climatic warming did not have any significant affect on the root biomass. The fact that altitudinal temperature decline did not reduce NEA and DEA rates might in part be explained of the variables measured here, although they are not conclusive.
|
|
| 5. |
- Björk, Robert G., 1974, et al.
(författare)
-
Long-term warming effects on root morphology, root mass distribution, and microbial activity in two dry tundra plant communities in northern Sweden
- 2007
-
Ingår i: New Phytologist. - : Wiley. - 0028-646X .- 1469-8137. ; 176:4, s. 862-873
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- center dot Effects of warming on root morphology, root mass distribution and microbial activity were studied in organic and mineral soil layers in two alpine ecosystems over > 10 yr, using open-top chambers, in Swedish Lapland. center dot Root mass was estimated using soil cores. Washed roots were scanned and sorted into four diameter classes, for which variables including root mass (g dry matter (g DM) m(-2)), root length density (RLD; cm cm(-3) soil), specific root length (SRL; m g DM-1), specific root area (SRA; m(2) kg DM-1), and number of root tips m(-2) were determined. Nitrification (NEA) and denitrification enzyme activity (DEA) in the top 10 cm of soil were measured. center dot Soil warming shifted the rooting zone towards the upper soil organic layer in both plant communities. In the dry heath, warming increased SRL and SRA of the finest roots in both soil layers, whereas the dry meadow was unaffected. Neither NEA nor DEA exhibited differences attributable to warming. center dot Tundra plants may respond to climate change by altering their root morphology and mass while microbial activity may be unaffected. This suggests that carbon may be incorporated in tundra soils partly as a result of increases in the mass of the finer roots if temperatures rise.
|
|
| 6. |
- Björk, Robert G., 1974, et al.
(författare)
-
Nitrification and Denitrification Enzyme Activity: a successful tool in Arctic and Alpine soil ecology
- 2007
-
Ingår i: The 14th ITEX workshop, Falls Creek, Victoria, Australia, 2–6 February 2007..
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Nitrogen is consideration to be a limiting factor for plants and microbes in arctic and alpine ecosystems and the rates of mineralization, nitrification, and denitrifi¬cation are known to be generally low. However, Climate Change is expected to alter the nitrogen availability and dynamics and, as a consequence, affect plant community composition and production. The general consensus today is that increased temperature will lead to greater microbial activity and more plant-available nitrogen. Nevertheless, nitrification and denitrification are restricted by a number of environmental factors such as low tem¬perature and low pH. The C/N ratio and the water content of the soils also play an important role in determining the rates of nitrification and denitrification. Since 2002 microbial studies has been undertaken at Latnjajure, and comprise several microbial techniques, e.g. Nitrification Enzyme Activity (NEA), Denitrification Enzyme Activity (DEA), Phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PFLA), and Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (TGGE). These studies focuses on the interaction between plants and microbes along natural environmental gradients, both within plant communities and within the landscape, but also entails the OTCs used in the ITEX studies at Latnjajaure. Here we present the techniques NEA and DEA and give some brief results from how these have been successfully applied at Latnjajaure. In ecosystems with low nitrification activity, small amounts of NO3-/NO2- will be formed and it is thus difficult to measure low fluxes. However, NO3-/NO2- can be converted to N2O and then analysed by gas chromatography, whereby the detection limit is increased at least 1000 times compared to the spectroscopical technique. These techniques are referred to Nitrification (NEA) and Denitrification Enzyme Activity (DEA) and give a potential measure on the nitrification and denitrification rates, which goes back to the actual populations of nitrifiers and denitrifiers in the soil. For instance, NEA has been proved to better correlate with extractable NH4+ concentration than net nitrification does, and still after twelve weeks show a strong correlation with the initial extractable NH4+ concentration. Therefore, these variables, in particular NEA, have the advantage of being a much more stable variable than, for instance, extractable N concentrations and net nitrification, and NEA and DEA are therefore suitable when working in fringe environments with restricted logistics like the Latnjajaure catchment. NEA is measured using a two-step incubation technique; first by incubate the soil with a nutrient solution for 24 hours in darkness, at room temperature on a rotary shaker. Sub-samples are then withdrawn after a specified time schedule. The second step allows NO3- to be reduced to N2O by adding a modified denitrifying bacterium, Pseudomonas chlororaphis ATCC 43928, together with a carbon source. This strain of bacteria lacks the enzyme to reduce N2O to N2. The samples are then again incubated in darkness, at room temperature for 24 hours, and analysed by gas chromatography. This method was first used by Lensi et al. (1985, 1986), to study nitrification potentials in forest soils. Furthermore, the method has been developed for soils with low pH and small amounts of NO3- and the analysis makes the quantification without interference of organic matter, which makes it suitable for arctic and alpine ecosystems. To analyse DEA an anaerobic incubation technique is used, based on acetylene inhibition of the N2O-reductase resulting in N2O as the only end product. The soil sample is evacuated and flushed with N2. Thereafter acetylene is inserted to a final acetylene concentration of 10%, and the samples are shaken continuously and gas samples are withdrawn after a specified time schedule, which is then analysed by gas chromatography. This provides an estimate of the maximum concentration of functional denitrifying enzymes in the soil. Denitrifiers, in contrast to nitrifiers, are heterotrophs and can switch from using NO3- as an alternative electron acceptor to O2 under aerobic conditions. This makes other factors in the soil important determinants of DEA, e.g. availability of oxygen and C. Hence, the presence of denitrifiers is rarely a limitation for denitrification and they usually make up a reasonably large fraction of the soil bacteria. At Latnjajaure NEA shows a larger differentiation across plant communities than DEA. However, the spatial variability in the landscape, at the meso-scale, was in the same range in both variables and increased with altitude from 1000 to 1365 m a.s.l, particularly in heath plant communities. This result suggests that the decrease in mean annual temperature with altitude (0.6ºC with every one hundred meters) did not reduce nitrification and denitrification rates, as one might have expected. None of the other variable studied could explain the altitudinal increase in all cases, and the factors controlling the nitrification and denitrification rates seem to vary with the vegetation type. Furthermore, neither NEA nor DEA exhibited any changes between the ambient and warmed plots in the warming experiments. However, the warming experiment in the dry heath exhibited a change in root morphology via increased specific root length (SRL; m gDM-1) and specific root area (SRA; m2 kgDM -1). As both heterotrophic microbes and plants out-compete nitrifiers for NH4+, a change in root morphology, as seen in the warming experiment, may also explain the increased activity of nitrifying and denitrifying microbes with altitude.
|
|
| 7. |
- Björk, Robert G., 1974, et al.
(författare)
-
Root architecture and nutrient allocation in tundra plants
- 2005
-
Ingår i: ESA-INTECOL 2005 Joint Meeting – Ecology at multiple scales, Montreal, Canada, 7 – 12 August 2005..
-
Konferensbidrag (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) recently reported that the Arctic is rapidly changing due to Climate Change. Likewise, the mountains of Europe are going to experience large shifts in plant composition and 41-56% of the alpine species might be on the edge of extinction according to the 1st synthesis of the Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA). Although the tundra ecosystems are subjected to dramatical changes as a result of Climate Change, there is little knowledge of the effect on root dynamics. Roots are crucial for soil development and nutrient cycling in most ecosystems. The further out in the root system a single root is located, the faster the root turns over. The fine roots are also having a lower C:N ratio than more developed and supporting roots. The aim of this study is to investigate the dynamic of root architecture and how tundra plants allocate carbon and nitrogen between root and shoot biomass and, moreover, how the plants respond to climatic warming. The dominant plant species (e.g. Cassiope tetragona, Vaccinium vitis-idaea and Diapensia lapponica for the dry heath) within each of four plant communities at Latnjajaure Field Station, in northern Swedish Scandes, were sampled and divided into shoot and root. To study the effects of climatic warming on the root system, soil cores were as well sampled in Open Top Chambers (OTCs) that was established in 1993. The root architecture was analysed by observing the degree of branching, colour, consistency etc. of the roots, which then were cut and sorted by diameter. To determine the C and N allocation within the plants we also quantified the shoot:root ratio. The preliminary results indicate that there is a difference between plant species in root biomass and particularly in the fraction of fine roots. As a result of a greater amount of root exudates from fine roots, these results imply that plant distribution has a great impact on the soil microbial community and activity. The large spatial variability often seen in microbial measurement within plant communities may be due to a sampling procedure, in that samples are taken from different plants’ root systems.
|
|
| 8. |
- Børja, Isabella, et al.
(författare)
-
Stand age and fine root biomass, distribution and morphology in a Norway spruce chronosequence in southeast Norway
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Tree Physiology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0829-318X .- 1758-4469. ; 28:5, s. 773-784
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We assessed the influence of stand age on fine root biomass and morphology of trees and understory vegetation in 10-, 30-, 60- and 120-year-old Norway spruce stands growing in sandy soil in southeast Norway. Fine root (< 1, 1–2 and 2–5 mm in diameter) biomass of trees and understory vegetation (< 2 mm in diameter) was sampled by soil coring to a depth of 60 cm. Fine root morphological characteristics, such as specific root length (SRL), root length density (RLD), root surface area (RSA), root tip number and branching frequency (per unit root length or mass), were determined based on digitized root data. Fine root biomass and morphological characteristics related to biomass (RLD and RSA) followed the same tendency with chronosequence and were significantly higher in the 30-year-old stand and lower in the 10-year-old stand than in the other stands. Among stands, mean fine root (< 2 mm) biomass ranged from 49 to 398 g m–2, SLR from 13.4 to 19.8 m g–1, RLD from 980 to 11,650 m m–3 and RSA from 2.4 to 35.4 m2 m–3. Most fine root biomass of trees was concentrated in the upper 20 cm of the mineral soil and in the humus layer (0–5 cm) in all stands. Understory fine roots accounted for 67 and 25% of total fine root biomass in the 10- and 120-year-old stands, respectively. Stand age had no affect on root tip number or branching frequency, but both parameters changed with soil depth, with increasing number of root tips and decreasing branching frequency with increasing soil depth for root fractions < 2 mm in diameter. Specific (mass based) root tip number and branching density were highest for the finest roots (< 1 mm) in the humus layer. Season (spring or fall) had no effect on tree fine root biomass, but there was a small and significant increase in understory fine root biomass in fall relative to spring. All morphological characteristics showed strong seasonal variation, especially the finest root fraction, with consistently and significantly higher values in spring than in fall. We conclude that fine root biomass, especially in the finest fraction (< 1 mm in diameter), is strongly dependent on stand age. Among stands, carbon concentration in fine root biomass was highest in the 30-year-old stand, and appeared to be associated with the high tree and canopy density during the early stage of stand development. Values of RLD and RSA, morphological features indicative of stand nutrient-uptake efficiency, were higher in the 30-year-old stand than in the other stands.
|
|
| 9. |
- Finér, L., et al.
(författare)
-
Variation in fine root biomass of three European tree species : Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.)
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Plant Biosystems. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1126-3504 .- 1724-5575. ; 141:3, s. 394-405
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fine roots (< 2 mm) are very dynamic and play a key role in forest ecosystem carbon and nutrient cycling and accumulation. We reviewed root biomass data of three main European tree species European beech, (Fagus sylvatica L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst.) and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), in order to identify the differences between species, and within and between vegetation zones, and to show the relationships between root biomass and the climatic, site and stand factors. The collected literature consisted of data from 36 beech, 71 spruce and 43 pine stands. The mean fine root biomass of beech was 389 g m(-2), and that of spruce and pine 297 g m(-2) and 277 g m(-2), respectively. Data from pine stands supported the hypothesis that: root biomass is higher in the temperate than in the boreal zone. The results indicated that the root biomass of deciduous trees is higher than that of conifers. The correlations between root biomass and site fertility characteristics seemed to be species specific. There was no correlation between soil acidity and root biomass. Beech fine root. biomass decreased with stand age whereas pine root biomass increased with stand age. Fine root biomass at tree level. correlated better than stand level root biomass with stand characteristics. The results showed that there exists a strong relationship between the fine root biomass and the above-ground biomass.
|
|
| 10. |
- Gaudinski, JB, et al.
(författare)
-
Use of stored carbon reserves in growth of temperate tree roots and leaf buds : analyses using radiocarbon measurements and modeling
- 2009
-
Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 15:4, s. 992-1014
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Characterizing the use of carbon (C) reserves in trees is important for understanding regional and global C cycles, stress responses, asynchrony between photosynthetic activity and growth demand, and isotopic exchanges in studies of tree physiology and ecosystem C cycling. Using an inadvertent, whole-ecosystem radiocarbon ((14)C) release in a temperate deciduous oak forest and numerical modeling, we estimated that the mean age of stored C used to grow both leaf buds and new roots is 0.7 years and about 55% of new-root growth annually comes from stored C. Therefore, the calculated mean age of C used to grow new-root tissue is similar to 0.4 years. In short, new roots contain a lot of stored C but it is young in age. Additionally, the type of structure used to model stored C input is important. Model structures that did not include storage, or that assumed stored and new C mixed well (within root or shoot tissues) before being used for root growth, did not fit the data nearly as well as when a distinct storage pool was used. Consistent with these whole-ecosystem labeling results, the mean age of C in new-root tissues determined using 'bomb-(14)C' in three additional forest sites in North America and Europe (one deciduous, two coniferous) was less than 1-2 years. The effect of stored reserves on estimated ages of fine roots is unlikely to be large in most natural abundance isotope studies. However, models of root C dynamics should take stored reserves into account, particularly for pulse-labeling studies and fast-cycling roots (< 1 years).
|
|
| 11. |
- Majdi, Hooshang, et al.
(författare)
-
Effects of fertilization with dolomite Lime plus PK or wood ash on root distribution and morphology in a Norway spruce stand in Southwest Sweden
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Forest Science. - 0015-749X .- 1938-3738. ; 50:6, s. 802-809
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pelleted wood ash (A) or crushed dolomite lime with added potassium and phosphorous (CaMgPK) was applied to plots in a 60-yr-old Norway spruce stand in Southwest Sweden. Eight years later, we measured the effect of these treatments on a number of root parameters, including root biomass and distribution (in different diameter classes), root length density (cm cm(-3) Soil), specific root length (SRL, mg(-1) DM), and number of mycorrhizal root tips. Layers sampled included the humus layer and the upper 30 cm of the mineral soil. The total fine root (0-1 mm) biomass in the mineral soil layer was lower in the A plots than the control plots, and the fine root (1-2 mm) systems were shallower in the A plots compared to both the control and CaMgPK plots. SRL was higher in the humus layer in both the CaMgPK and A plots than in the controls, and higher in the CaMgPK than in the A plots. The number of mycorrhizal root tips was also higher in the treated plots than in the controls, with the highest numbers being found in CaMgPK plots. Based on our results, we conclude that both the CaMgPK and ash treatments resulted in changes in root morphology and, therefore, presumably increased the capacity for nutrient uptake.
|
|
| 12. |
- Majdi, Hooshang, et al.
(författare)
-
Effects of slash retention and wood ash addition on fine root biomass and production and fungal mycelium in a Norway spruce stand in SW Sweden
- 2008
-
Ingår i: Forest Ecology and Management. - : Elsevier BV. - 1872-7042 .- 0378-1127. ; 255:7, s. 2109-2117
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In the study reported here we examined the short-term effects (1-3 years) of slash retention (SR) and the long-term effects (13-15 years) of wood-ash application (A) on fine roots and mycorrhizae in a 40-year-old Norway spruce forest in southwest Sweden. Soil cores were used to obtain estimates of the biomass (g m(-2)) of roots in three diameter classes (< 0.5, 0.5-1 and 1-2 mm), root length density (RLD), specific root length (SRL) and mycorrhizal root tip density (RTD). Fine root (< 1 mm) length production and mortality, and mycelium production, were estimated using minirhizotron and mesh bag techniques, respectively. Compared with the control plots (C), the biomass of fine roots in diameter classes < 0.5 mm and 0.5-1 mm was significantly higher in A plots, but lower in SR plots. In addition, RLD was significantly lower in the humus layer of SR plots than in the humus layers of C and A plots, but not in the other layers. None of the treatments affected the SRL. In all soil layers, the SR treatment resulted in significant reductions in the number of ectomycorrhizal root tips, and the mycelia production of fungi in mesh bags, relative to the C treatment, but the C and A treatments induced no significant changes in these variables. Fine root length production in the C, A and SR plots amounted to 94, 87 and 70 turn tube(-1) during the 2003 growing season, respectively. Fine root mortality in treated plots did not change over the course of the study. We suggest that leaving logging residues on fertile sites may result in nitrogen mineralisation, which may in turn induce reductions in root biomass, and both root and mycelium production, and consequently affect nutrient uptake and the accumulation of organic carbon in soil derived from roots and mycorrhizae.
|
|
| 13. |
- Majdi, Hooshang, et al.
(författare)
-
Fine Root Production and Turnover in a Norway Spruce Stand in Northern Sweden : Effects of Nitrogen and Water Manipulation
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Ecosystems (New York. Print). - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1432-9840 .- 1435-0629. ; 8:2, s. 191-199
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Abstract: Fine root length production, biomass production, and turnover in forest floor and mineral soil (0-30 cm) layers were studied in relation to irrigated (1) and irrigated-fertilized (IL) treatments in a Norway spruce stand in northern Sweden over a 2-year period. Fine roots (<1 mm) of both spruce and understory vegetation were studied. Mini-rhizotrons were used to estimate fine root length production and turnover, and soil cores were used to estimate standing biomass. Turnover was estimated as both the inverse of root longevity (RTL) and the ratio of annual root length production to observed root length (RTR). RTR values of spruce roots in the forest floor in I and IL plots were 0.6 and 0.5 y(-1), respectively, whereas the corresponding values for RTL were 0.8 and 0.9 y(-1). In mineral soil, corresponding values for I, IL, and control (C) plots were 1.2, 1.2, and 0.9 y(-1) (RTR) and 0.9, 1.1, and 1 y(-1) (RTL). RTR and RTL values of understory vegetation roots were 1 and 1.1 y(-1), respectively. Spruce root length production in both the forest floor and the mineral soil in I plots was higher than in IL plots. The IL-treated plots gave the highest estimates of spruce fine root biomass production in the forest floor, but, for the mineral soil, the estimates obtained for the I plots were the highest. The understory vegetation fine root production in the I and IL plots was similar for both the forest floor and the mineral soil and higher (for both layers) than in C plots. Nitrogen (N) turnover in the forest floor and mineral soil layers (summed) via spruce roots in IL, I, and C plots amounted to 2.4, 2.1, and 1.3 g N m(-2) y(-1), and the corresponding values for field vegetation roots were 0.6, 0.5, and 0.3 g N m(-2) y(-1). It was concluded that fertilization increases standing root biomass, root production, and N turnover of spruce roots in both the forest floor and mineral soil. Data on understory vegetation roots are required for estimating carbon budgets in model studies.
|
|
| 14. |
|
|
| 15. |
- Majdi, Hooshang
(författare)
-
Measuring and modeling the spectrum of fine-root turnover times in three forests using isotopes, minirhizotrons, and the Radix model
- 2010
-
Ingår i: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. - 0886-6236 .- 1944-9224. ; 24
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fine root (<2 mm) cycling rates are important for understanding plant ecology and carbon fluxes in forests, but they are difficult to determine and remain uncertain. This paper synthesizes minirhizotron and isotopic data and a root model and concludes that (1) fine roots have a spectrum of turnover times ranging from months to many years and (2) the mean age of live root biomass (A) and the mean age of roots when they die (i.e., their turnover time (tau)) are not equal. We estimated A and tau of fine roots in three forests using the root model Radix. For short-lived roots, we constrained tau with existing minirhizotron data; for long-lived roots, we used new radiocarbon measurements of roots sampled by diameter size class and root branch order. Long-lived root pools had site mean tau of 8-13 y and 5-9 y when sampled by diameter and branch order, respectively. Mean turnover times across sites were in general not significantly different as a function of branch-order, size class, or depth. Our modeling results indicate that similar to 20% of fine root biomass has turnover times of about a year, and similar to 80% has decadal turnover times. This partitioning is reflected in our predicted mean ages of similar to 9 y and turnover times of similar to 3 y. We estimate that fine root mortality contributes between 38 and 104 g C m(-2) y(-1) to soil in these forests. These estimates are 20 to 80% of previous estimates in these and similar forests, in part because we explicitly account for the large portion of fine-root biomass with decadal cycling rates. Our work shows that both fast and slow cycling roots must be modeled jointly to account for the heterogeneous nature of fine-root dynamics.
|
|
| 16. |
- Majdi, Hooshang, et al.
(författare)
-
Measuring Fine Root Turnover in Forest Ecosystems
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Plant and Soil. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0032-079X .- 1573-5036. ; 276:1-2, s. 1-8
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Development of direct and indirect methods for measuring root turnover and the status of knowledge on fine root turnover in forest ecosystems are discussed. While soil and ingrowth cores give estimates of standing root biomass and relative growth, respectively, minirhizotrons provide estimates of median root longevity (turnover time) i.e., the time by which 50% of the roots are dead. Advanced minirhizotron and carbon tracer studies combined with demographic statistical methods and new models hold the promise of improving our fundamental understanding of the factors controlling root turnover. Using minirhizotron data, fine root turnover (y−1) can be estimated in two ways: as the ratio of annual root length production to average live root length observed and as the inverse of median root longevity. Fine root production and mortality can be estimated by combining data from minirhizotrons and soil cores, provided that these data are based on roots of the same diameter class (e.g., < 1 mm in diameter) and changes in the same time steps. Fluxes of carbon and nutrients via fine root mortality can then be estimated by multiplying the amount of carbon and nutrients in fine root biomass by fine root turnover. It is suggested that the minirhizotron method is suitable for estimating median fine root longevity. In comparison to the minirhizotron method, the radio carbon technique favor larger fine roots that are less dynamics. We need to reconcile and improve both methods to develop a more complete understanding of root turnover.
|
|
| 17. |
|
|
| 18. |
- Majdi, Hooshang
(författare)
-
Root and root-lignin degradation in a Norway spruce stand : effects of long-term nitrogen addition
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Plant Biosystems. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1126-3504 .- 1724-5575. ; 141:2, s. 214-221
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mass loss, degradation of lignin and the qualitative change of the organic C structures of spruce root litter (2-5 mm in diameter) in O-horizon were studied for a period of 6 years (1995-2001) in a Norway spruce stand with a current deposition of 13 kg N and 12 kg S ha(-1) yr(-1). The stand was fertilized annually by addition of 100 kg N and 114 kg S ha(-1) (NS). Litterbags, acid detergent lignin (ADL), CuO-oxidation as well as C-13-NMR were used for measurements of mass loss, lignin concentration, degradation of lignin and changes of the organic C structures, respectively. The roots originating from the NS-treated plots lost 20% of their mass in the first year while in control (CON) plots the corresponding value was 10%. After 1879 days of decomposition the fertilized roots had a cumulative mass loss of 54% compared with the CON roots of 44%. The C/N ratios were significantly lower in the NS roots (35) than in the CON roots (59) after 1879 days of decomposition. The initial concentrations of ADL were 34.7 and 36.6 in CON and NS roots and increased to 50 and 56%, respectively, after 1879 days. Using CuO-oxidation method the degree of lignin degradation was significantly higher in the NS than CON roots after 853 days while C-13 NMR method showed no change. Our results indicate that CuO-oxidation and solid-state C-13 NMR methods give a qualitative measure of lignin decomposition, while the litterbag and ADL methods allow us to quantify mass loss and lignin concentration, respectively. It is concluded that the mass loss of root litter in fertilized plots is higher than needle litter decomposition in the same stand and the higher nitrogen concentration increases the lignin degradation.
|
|
| 19. |
- Majdi, Hooshang, et al.
(författare)
-
Root respiration data and minirhizotron observations conflict with root turnover estimates from sequential soil coring
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0282-7581 .- 1651-1891. ; 22:4, s. 299-303
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The turnover of fine roots in northern coniferous forests has conventionally been assumed to be rapid, in line with results from sequential coring in the late 1970s in a Swedish Scots pine stand (SWECON project) where a rate of 7.4 year(-1) was estimated. New quantifications of the root respiration in other stands motivated a recalculation of the SWECON data; an indirect estimation of the turnover rate was much slower, about 2.1 year(-1). As a consequence, fine-root production is considered to be much lower than in previous estimates. Furthermore, direct observations of Norway spruce fine roots (< 1 mm) from minirhizotrons in Sweden, including a site close to the SWECON site, indicated a slower estimate, with fine-root turnover rate of 0.9 year
|
|
| 20. |
- Oostra, Swantje, et al.
(författare)
-
Impact of tree species on soil carbon stocks and soil acidity in southern Sweden
- 2006
-
Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. - 0282-7581 .- 1651-1891. ; 21:5, s. 364-371
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The impact of tree species on soil carbon stocks and acidity in southern Sweden was studied in a non-replicated plantation with monocultures of 67-year-old ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.), beech ( Fagus silvatica L.), elm (Ulmus glabra Huds.), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus L.), Norway spruce ( Picea abies L.) and oak ( Quercus robur L.). The site was characterized by a cambisol on glacial till. Volume-determined soil samples were taken from the O-horizon and mineral soil layers to 20 cm. Soil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen (TN), pH (H2O), cation-exchange capacity and base saturation at pH 7 and exchangeable calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium ions were analysed in the soil fraction < 2 mm. Root biomass (< 5 mm in diameter) and its proportion in the forest floor and mineral soil varied between tree species. There was a vertical gradient under all species, with the highest concentrations of SOC, TN and base cations in the O-horizon and the lowest in the 10 - 20 cm layer. The tree species differed with respect to SOC, TN and soil acidity in the O-horizon and mineral soil. For SOC and TN, the range in the O-horizon was spruce > hornbeam > oak > beech > ash > elm. The pH in the O-horizon ranged in the order elm > ash > hornbeam > beech > oak > spruce. In the mineral soil, SOC and TN ranged in the order elm > oak > ash = hornbeam > spruce > beech, i.e. partly reversed, and pH ranged in the same order as for the O-horizon. It is suggested that spruce is the best option for fertile sites in southern Sweden if the aim is a high carbon sequestration rate, whereas elm, ash and hornbeam are the best solutions if the aim is a low soil acidification rate.
|
|
| 21. |
- Ostonen, I., et al.
(författare)
-
Specific root length as an indicator of environmental change
- 2007
-
Ingår i: Plant Biosystems. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1126-3504 .- 1724-5575. ; 141:3, s. 426-442
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Specific root length (SRL, m g(-1)) is probably the most frequently measured morphological parameter of fine roots. It is believed to characterize economic aspects of the root system and to be indicative of environmental changes. The main objectives of this paper were to review and summarize the published SRL data for different tree species throughout Europe and to assess SRL under varying environmental conditions. Meta-analysis was used to summarize the response of SRL to the following manipulated environmental conditions: fertilization, irrigation, elevated temperature, elevated CO(2), Al-stress, reduced light, heavy metal stress and physical disturbance of soil. SRL was found to be strongly dependent on the fine root classes, i.e. on the ectomycorrhizal short roots (ECM), and on the roots < 0.5 mm, < 1 mm, < 2 mm and 1-2 mm in diameter SRL was largest for ECM and decreased with increasing diameter. Changes in soil factors influenced most strongly the SRL of ECM and roots < 0.5 mm. The variation in the SRL components, root diameter and root tissue density, and their impact on the SRL value were computed. Meta-analyses showed that SRL decreased significantly under fertilization and Al-stress; it responded negatively to reduced light, elevated temperature and CO(2). We suggest that SRL can be used successfully as an indicator of nutrient availability to trees in experimental conditions.
|
|
| 22. |
- Von Arnold, Karin, et al.
(författare)
-
Can distribution of trees explain variation in nitrous oxide fluxes?
- 2005
-
Ingår i: Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0282-7581 .- 1651-1891. ; 20:6, s. 481-489
-
Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The impact of distance to tree stems on nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes was examined to determine whether it is possible to improve the accuracy of flux estimates from boreal forest soils. Dark static chambers were placed along transects between pairs of trees within a Norway spruce stand and fluxes of N2O and carbon dioxide (CO2) were measured during the period 1999-2003. The groundwater table was measured on every sampling occasion along the transects. In addition, radiation transmission, potential diffusion rate and biomass of forest floor vegetation were measured once at each chamber site along one of the transects and soil samples were collected at three depths, from which pH, denitrification enzyme activity, soil moisture, organic matter, and carbon and nitrogen content were determined. There was a high level of variation in the N2O fluxes, both spatially and temporally. However, the spatial variation in the N2O fluxes within the transect could not be explained by differences in any of the measured variables. Sometimes, mainly when no major peaks occurred, N2O fluxes were significantly correlated with CO2 release. It is concluded that distance to stems cannot be used to improve the design of sampling schemes or for extrapolating flux levels to larger scales.
|
|
