Chemical composition of the periderm in relation to in situ water absorption rates of oak, beech and spruce fine roots

Leuschner, Christoph; Coners, Heinz; Icke, Regina; Hartmann, Klaus; Effinger, N. Dominique; Schreiber, Lukas

doi:10.1051/forest:2003071

Cited by 16 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In this regard, some authors proposed sequestering SOC in subsoils by planting deep rooting plant species that would allocate root-derived SOC to deep soil layers 3 6 . European beech may develop a deep rooting system 20 , and the amount of root biomass and necromass may still be considerably high at soil depths greater than 0.6 m 52 53 . Our results do not confirm these hypotheses, but indicate that the recent tree vegetation influences the SOC mainly in the uppermost subsoil horizons (down to the 35 cm depth).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing the sources and spatial distribution of organic carbon in subsoils using a multi-biomarker approach

Angst

John

Mueller

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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Soil organic carbon (SOC) from aboveground and belowground sources has rarely been differentiated although it may drive SOC turnover and stabilization due to a presumed differing source dependent degradability. It is thus crucial to better identify the location of SOC from different sources for the parameterization of SOC models, especially in the less investigated subsoils. The aim of this study was to spatially assess contributions of organic carbon from aboveground and belowground parts of beech trees to subsoil organic carbon in a Dystric Cambisol. Different sources of SOC were distinguished by solvent-extractable and hydrolysable lipid biomarkers aided by 14C analyses of soil compartments <63 μm. We found no effect of the distance to the trees on the investigated parameters. Instead, a vertical zonation of the subsoil was detected. A high contribution of fresh leaf- and root-derived organic carbon to the upper subsoil (leaf- and root-affected zone) indicate that supposedly fast-cycling, leaf-derived SOC may still be of considerable importance below the A-horizon. In the deeper subsoil (root-affected zone), roots were an important source of fresh SOC. Simultaneously, strongly increasing apparent 14C ages (3860 yrs BP) indicate considerable contribution of SOC that may be inherited from the Pleistocene parent material.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tracing the sources and spatial distribution of organic carbon in subsoils using a multi-biomarker approach

Angst

John

Mueller

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…Actually, the digestion recalcitrance of the insect feeding materials decreases, and moreover, their nutritional richness increases. In oak roots, an amount of up to 128 mg g −1 of dry weight (DM) was found [32].In contrast, the amount of lignin in leaves is only 32 mg g −1 DM [33]. Furthermore, the content of protein and nitrogen in the roots of woody plants such as oak, tends to be lower than that in leaves.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Evaluation of the Gut Microbiota Associated with the Below- and Above-Ground Life Stages (Larvae and Beetles) of the Forest Cockchafer, Melolontha hippocastani

et al. 2012

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A comparison of the diversity of bacterial communities in the larval midgut and adult gut of the European forest cockchafer (Melolontha hippocastani) was carried out using approaches that were both dependent on and independent of cultivation. Clone libraries of the 16S rRNA gene revealed 150 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) that belong to 11 taxonomical classes and two other groups that could be classified only to the phylum level. The most abundant classes were β, δ and γ-proteobacteria, Clostridia, Bacilli, Erysipelotrichi and Sphingobacteria. Although the insect’s gut is emptied in the prepupal stage and the beetle undergoes a long diapause period, a subset of eight taxonomic classes from the aforementioned eleven were found to be common in the guts of diapausing adults and the larval midguts (L2, L3). Moreover, several bacterial phylotypes belonging to these common bacterial classes were found to be shared by the larval midgut and the adult gut. Despite this, the adult gut bacterial community represented a subset of that found in the larvae midgut. Consequently, the midgut of the larval instars contains a more diverse bacterial community compared to the adult gut. On the other hand, after the bacteria present in the larvae were cultivated, eight bacterial species were isolated. Moreover, we found evidence of the active role of some of the bacterial species isolated in food digestion, namely, the presence of amylase and xylanolytic properties. Finally, fluorescence in situ hybridization allowed us to confirm the presence of selected species in the insect gut and through this, their ecological niche as well as the metagenomic results. The results presented here elucidated the heterogeneity of aerobic and facultative bacteria in the gut of a holometabolous insect species having two different feeding habits.

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“…There is evidence that water uptake by the root system of trees is more dependent on the specific uptake rate of the absorbing fine roots (i.e. the driving root‐soil water potential gradient and the radial hydraulic conductivity of the root) than on the total surface area of the root system itself (Leuschner et al , 2003). For example, by comparing dry and moist beech stands, Burk (2006) found that beech had higher surface‐specific water uptake rates in the stand with lower annual precipitation than in the moister stand, despite a lower fine root biomass at the dry site.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Belowground drought response of European beech: fine root biomass and carbon partitioning in 14 mature stands across a precipitation gradient

Meier

Leuschner

2008

Global Change Biology

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201

140

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How tree root systems will respond to increased drought stress, as predicted for parts of Central Europe, is not well understood. According to the optimal partitioning theory, plants should enhance root growth relative to aboveground growth in order to reduce water limitations. We tested this prediction in a transect study with 14 mature forest stands of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) by analysing the response of the fine root system to a large decrease in annual precipitation (970-520 mm yr À1 ). In 3 years with contrasting precipitation regimes, we investigated leaf area and leaf biomass, fine root biomass and necromass (organic layer and mineral soil to 40 cm) and fine root productivity (ingrowth core approach), and analysed the dependence on precipitation, temperature, soil nutrient availability and stand structure. In contrast to the optimal partitioning theory, fine root biomass decreased by about a third from stands with 4950 mm yr À1 to those with o550 mm yr À1 , while leaf biomass remained constant, resulting in a significant decrease, and not an increase, in the fine root/leaf biomass ratio towards drier sites. Average fine root diameter decreased towards the drier stands, thereby partly compensating for the loss in root biomass and surface area. Both d 13 C-signature of fine root mass and the ingrowth core data indicated a higher fine root turnover in the drier stands. Principal components analyses (PCA) and regression analyses revealed a positive influence of precipitation on the profile total of fine root biomass in the 14 stands and a negative one of temperature and plant-available soil phosphorus. We hypothesize that summer droughts lead to increased fine root mortality, thereby reducing root biomass, but they also stimulate compensatory fine root production in the drier stands. We conclude that the optimal partitioning theory fails to explain the observed decrease in the fine root/leaf biomass ratio, but is supported by the data if carbon allocation to roots is considered, which would account for enhanced root turnover in drier environments.

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Chemical composition of the periderm in relation to in situ water absorption rates of oak, beech and spruce fine roots

Cited by 16 publications

References 48 publications

Tracing the sources and spatial distribution of organic carbon in subsoils using a multi-biomarker approach

Tracing the sources and spatial distribution of organic carbon in subsoils using a multi-biomarker approach

Comparative Evaluation of the Gut Microbiota Associated with the Below- and Above-Ground Life Stages (Larvae and Beetles) of the Forest Cockchafer, Melolontha hippocastani

Belowground drought response of European beech: fine root biomass and carbon partitioning in 14 mature stands across a precipitation gradient

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