Aims Fine roots play an important role in the biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems and are vital for understanding forest ecosystem functioning and services.Higher plant species diversity has been largely r...Aims Fine roots play an important role in the biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems and are vital for understanding forest ecosystem functioning and services.Higher plant species diversity has been largely reported to increase aboveground community biomass,but how biodiversity affects fine-root production and the related mechanisms in forests remain unclear.In this study,we aim to answer two questions:(i)does fine-root production increase with tree species richness?(ii)Can this effect be explained by niche complementarity among species?Methods We analyzed data from a large forest biodiversity experiment(BEF-China)with 5-year-old trees.Fine-root growth was measured as standing biomass and annual fine-root regrowth was estimated using ingrowth cores.Moreover,relative yield was calculated to test whether over-or under-yielding occurred when mixtures were compared with the average monoculture of the species included in the mixtures.We calculated functional diversity for fine-root(≤2 mm in diameter)traits by Rao’s quadratic entropy index for each species mixture.The effects of manipulated tree species richness and identity on fine-root traits were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models.Mixed models were also used to test the relationships between tree species richness and fine-root standing biomass,annual regrowth and vertical heterogeneity.Important Findings Fine roots of more than one species were found in half of the soil cores in mixtures indicating that belowground interactions in these young forest stands occurred much earlier than canopy closure.We found significant differences among species in fine-root traits such as diameter and specific root length(SRL),which suggested different resource-use strategies and niche partitioning among species.Mean fine-root diameter of species ranged from 0.31 to 0.74 mm,mean SRL ranged from 12.43 m·g^(−1)to 70.22 m·g^(−1)and mean vertical distribution indexβranged from 0.68 to 0.93.There was a significant positive relationship between species richness and the evenness of the vertical distribution of fine-root standing biomass.Moreover,marginally significant positive relationships existed between species richness and standing biomass as well as annual regrowth of fine roots.Relative yields and Rao’s quadratic entropy index were both not significantly affected by species richness.However,the relative yield of fine-root standing biomass was marginally correlated with Rao’s quadratic entropy index,implying that belowground niche complementarity between species does contribute to diversity effects.In conclusion,our study showed positive effects of species richness on the filling of soil volume by fine roots in the studied experimental forest communities.This has positive effects on fine-root standing biomass and may also lead to increased aboveground biomass.展开更多
Aims As the determinant of water availability in drylands,groundwater plays a fundamental role in regulating vegetation distribution and ecosystem processes.Although considerable progress has been made over the past y...Aims As the determinant of water availability in drylands,groundwater plays a fundamental role in regulating vegetation distribution and ecosystem processes.Although considerable progress has been made over the past years in the relationship between environment stress and plant community-level traits,the potential influence of water stress induced by groundwater changes on plant community-level stoichiometry remains largely unclear.Here,we examined whether belowground and aboveground community-level stoichiometry responded differently to groundwater changes.Methods We measured nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)concentrations in plant leaves and fine-roots of 110 plots under a broad range of groundwater depths in a typical arid inland river basin.We examined the spatial patterns and drivers of community-level N:P stoichiometry in leaves and fine-roots.Important Findings Community-level leaf and fine-root N,P and N:P ratios were mainly determined by groundwater,vegetation types and species composition,among which groundwater played a dominant role.Groundwater indirectly regulated community-level N:P stoichiometry through affecting vegetation types and species composition.Vegetation types and species composition had significant direct influences on communitylevel N:P stoichiometry.Furthermore,groundwater depth had opposite influences on community-level leaf and fine-root N:P stoichiometry.Groundwater depth regulated vegetation types and further decreased leaf N,P but increased leaf N:P ratios and fine-root N.Groundwater depth had a positive indirect impact on fine-root P but a negative indirect impact on fine-root N:P ratios primarily by affecting species composition.Our findings indicate that groundwater rather than climate conditions effectively regulates community-level N:P stoichiometry,and below-and aboveground N:P stoichiometry has opposite responses to groundwater.展开更多
Fine roots play a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems.Patterns of fine roots biomass formation for broad geographical areas are still unclear.We use published estimates of characteristi...Fine roots play a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems.Patterns of fine roots biomass formation for broad geographical areas are still unclear.We use published estimates of characteristics of European pine and spruce stands to determine their productivity and calculate the needle biomass.Then,the relationship between the fine-root:needle biomass ratio of European pine and spruce forests and the stand quality index,which is a proxy of soil fertility,was determined.We show that a rise in soil fertility is accompanied by a decrease in this ratio.Moving from the northern edge of the boreal zone southwards,with the related rise in air and soil temperatures,we see a decline in the mass ratio of fine roots and needle.The change in the fine-root:needle biomass ratio is controlled by the change in specific water uptake by roots,which is related to the osmotic pressure of the solution in the absorbing root's central vascular cylinder.The fine-root:needle ratio does not vary among stands of the same age if the stand quality index and the geographical latitude(a proxy of air and soil temperatures)are constant.These findings may be useful for further in-depth analysis of forest ecosystem functioning in Europe.展开更多
基金the general support of the whole BEF-China teamthe Sino-German Centre for Research Promotion in Beijing for travel grants and the participation in a summer school on scientific writing(GZ 785)funded by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.31270496 and No.31300353).
文摘Aims Fine roots play an important role in the biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems and are vital for understanding forest ecosystem functioning and services.Higher plant species diversity has been largely reported to increase aboveground community biomass,but how biodiversity affects fine-root production and the related mechanisms in forests remain unclear.In this study,we aim to answer two questions:(i)does fine-root production increase with tree species richness?(ii)Can this effect be explained by niche complementarity among species?Methods We analyzed data from a large forest biodiversity experiment(BEF-China)with 5-year-old trees.Fine-root growth was measured as standing biomass and annual fine-root regrowth was estimated using ingrowth cores.Moreover,relative yield was calculated to test whether over-or under-yielding occurred when mixtures were compared with the average monoculture of the species included in the mixtures.We calculated functional diversity for fine-root(≤2 mm in diameter)traits by Rao’s quadratic entropy index for each species mixture.The effects of manipulated tree species richness and identity on fine-root traits were analyzed with linear mixed-effects models.Mixed models were also used to test the relationships between tree species richness and fine-root standing biomass,annual regrowth and vertical heterogeneity.Important Findings Fine roots of more than one species were found in half of the soil cores in mixtures indicating that belowground interactions in these young forest stands occurred much earlier than canopy closure.We found significant differences among species in fine-root traits such as diameter and specific root length(SRL),which suggested different resource-use strategies and niche partitioning among species.Mean fine-root diameter of species ranged from 0.31 to 0.74 mm,mean SRL ranged from 12.43 m·g^(−1)to 70.22 m·g^(−1)and mean vertical distribution indexβranged from 0.68 to 0.93.There was a significant positive relationship between species richness and the evenness of the vertical distribution of fine-root standing biomass.Moreover,marginally significant positive relationships existed between species richness and standing biomass as well as annual regrowth of fine roots.Relative yields and Rao’s quadratic entropy index were both not significantly affected by species richness.However,the relative yield of fine-root standing biomass was marginally correlated with Rao’s quadratic entropy index,implying that belowground niche complementarity between species does contribute to diversity effects.In conclusion,our study showed positive effects of species richness on the filling of soil volume by fine roots in the studied experimental forest communities.This has positive effects on fine-root standing biomass and may also lead to increased aboveground biomass.
基金This work was supported by grants from National Natural Science Foundation of China(item identification numbers:31971538 and 31570610).
文摘Aims As the determinant of water availability in drylands,groundwater plays a fundamental role in regulating vegetation distribution and ecosystem processes.Although considerable progress has been made over the past years in the relationship between environment stress and plant community-level traits,the potential influence of water stress induced by groundwater changes on plant community-level stoichiometry remains largely unclear.Here,we examined whether belowground and aboveground community-level stoichiometry responded differently to groundwater changes.Methods We measured nitrogen(N)and phosphorus(P)concentrations in plant leaves and fine-roots of 110 plots under a broad range of groundwater depths in a typical arid inland river basin.We examined the spatial patterns and drivers of community-level N:P stoichiometry in leaves and fine-roots.Important Findings Community-level leaf and fine-root N,P and N:P ratios were mainly determined by groundwater,vegetation types and species composition,among which groundwater played a dominant role.Groundwater indirectly regulated community-level N:P stoichiometry through affecting vegetation types and species composition.Vegetation types and species composition had significant direct influences on communitylevel N:P stoichiometry.Furthermore,groundwater depth had opposite influences on community-level leaf and fine-root N:P stoichiometry.Groundwater depth regulated vegetation types and further decreased leaf N,P but increased leaf N:P ratios and fine-root N.Groundwater depth had a positive indirect impact on fine-root P but a negative indirect impact on fine-root N:P ratios primarily by affecting species composition.Our findings indicate that groundwater rather than climate conditions effectively regulates community-level N:P stoichiometry,and below-and aboveground N:P stoichiometry has opposite responses to groundwater.
基金funded by state order to the Karelian Research Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences(Forest Research Institute of KarRC RAS)。
文摘Fine roots play a crucial role in the biogeochemical cycles of terrestrial ecosystems.Patterns of fine roots biomass formation for broad geographical areas are still unclear.We use published estimates of characteristics of European pine and spruce stands to determine their productivity and calculate the needle biomass.Then,the relationship between the fine-root:needle biomass ratio of European pine and spruce forests and the stand quality index,which is a proxy of soil fertility,was determined.We show that a rise in soil fertility is accompanied by a decrease in this ratio.Moving from the northern edge of the boreal zone southwards,with the related rise in air and soil temperatures,we see a decline in the mass ratio of fine roots and needle.The change in the fine-root:needle biomass ratio is controlled by the change in specific water uptake by roots,which is related to the osmotic pressure of the solution in the absorbing root's central vascular cylinder.The fine-root:needle ratio does not vary among stands of the same age if the stand quality index and the geographical latitude(a proxy of air and soil temperatures)are constant.These findings may be useful for further in-depth analysis of forest ecosystem functioning in Europe.
