Distinct patterns of below- and aboveground growth phenology and litter carbon inputs along a boreal site type gradient

Ding, Yiyang; Leppälammi‐Kujansuu, Jaana; Salemaa, Maija; Schiestl-Aalto, Pauliina; Kulmala, Liisa; Ukonmaanaho, Liisa; Nöjd, Pekka; Minkkinen, Kari; Makita, Naoki; Železnik, Peter; Merilä, Päivi; Helmisaari, Heljä‐Sisko

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119081

Cited by 16 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 74 publications

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“…Some previous studies on boreal forests estimated fine root (litter) production rates of trees and understory plants separately, in which, for example, understory plants accounted for 19-21% (black spruce forests; Steele et al, 1997), 6-29% (drained fen or bog forests with Scots pine, etc. ; Bhuiyan et al, 2017), and 20-47% (Scots pine forests; Ding et al, 2021) of total fine root (litter) production, which were comparable or smaller than our data on understory contribution to fine root growth (25-78%; Figure 6). Therefore, to better understand belowground carbon flux in permafrost forests, it is recommended that future studies will focus more on the roles of understory plants such as Ericaceae shrubs.…”

Section: Implication To Carbon Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 74%

Fine Root Growth of Black Spruce Trees and Understory Plants in a Permafrost Forest Along a North-Facing Slope in Interior Alaska

et al. 2021

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Permafrost forests play an important role in the global carbon budget due to the huge amounts of carbon stored below ground in these ecosystems. Although fine roots are considered to be a major pathway of belowground carbon flux, separate contributions of overstory trees and understory shrubs to fine root dynamics in these forests have not been specifically characterized in relation to permafrost conditions, such as active layer thickness. In this study, we investigated fine root growth and morphology of trees and understory shrubs using ingrowth cores with two types of moss substrates (feather- and Sphagnum mosses) in permafrost black spruce (Picea mariana) stands along a north-facing slope in Interior Alaska, where active layer thickness varied substantially. Aboveground biomass, litterfall production rate, and fine root mass were also examined. Results showed that aboveground biomass, fine root mass, and fine root growth of black spruce trees tended to decrease downslope, whereas those of understory Ericaceae shrubs increased. Belowground allocation (e.g., ratio of fine root growth/leaf litter production) increased downslope in both of black spruce and understory plants. These results suggested that, at a lower slope, belowground resource availability was lower than at upper slope, but higher light availability under open canopy seemed to benefit the growth of the understory shrubs. On the other hand, understory shrubs were more responsive to the moss substrates than black spruce, in which Sphagnum moss substrates increased fine root growth of the shrubs as compared with feather moss substrates, whereas the effect was unclear for black spruce. This is probably due to higher moisture contents in Sphagnum moss substrates, which benefited the growth of small diameter (high specific root length) fine roots of understory shrubs. Hence, the contribution of understory shrubs to fine root growth was greater at lower slope than at upper slope, or in Sphagnum than in feather-moss substrates in our study site. Taken together, our data show that fine roots of Ericaceae shrubs are a key component in belowground carbon flux at permafrost black spruce forests with shallow active layer and/or with Sphagnum dominated forest floor.

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Section: Implication To Carbon Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 74%

Fine Root Growth of Black Spruce Trees and Understory Plants in a Permafrost Forest Along a North-Facing Slope in Interior Alaska

et al. 2021

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“…The soil nutrient regime thus clearly influences FRP; however, the directions of the responses have varied among studies in different ecosystems. Recent FRP studies from stands on mineral soils have shown total FRP (pine and understorey) to decrease with increasing site fertility (Ding et al, 2021). For peatlands, total FRP has previously been observed to be higher in more nutrient-rich and floristically diverse sites than in nutrient-poor sites (Finér and Laine, 2000;Bhuiyan et al, 2017).…”

Section: Fine-root Production In Peatland Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-Root Production in Boreal Peatland Forests: Effects of Stand and Environmental Factors

Mäkiranta

Straková³

et al. 2023

Preprint

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“…The dry-mass-based respiration of excised roots was upscaled to the ground area, using an estimate for daily living pine root biomass at the study site in Hyytiälä (SMEAR II station). The daily living root biomass per ground area was calculated for each day of the year, using the total pine root (diameter < 5 mm) biomass of 221 g m -2 at the site (Ding et al 2021) and daily growth measured at the site in 2018 (Ding et al 2020), whereas the turnover rate of the roots was assumed to be 1 yr.…”

Section: Root Incubations (Iii)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Belowground carbon dynamics in Scots pine stands

Ryht¹

2022

Diss. For.

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Boreal forest soils are globally one of the most extensive carbon storages, whereas soil respiration (CO2 efflux) forms the largest carbon flux from the ecosystem to the atmosphere. Current changes in the world climate may have unpredictable effects on belowground carbon processes, and thereby, on the carbon balance of boreal forests. To better understand the various processes in soil and to quantify the potential changes in the carbon cycle, forest-floor respiration (RFF) was partitioned into five different components, and tree-root respiration (RR) was estimated, using four different methods in a mature boreal Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) stand in southern Finland. Non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations in tree roots were determined, and carbon allocation to belowground by trees was estimated with the whole-tree carbon model ‘CASSIA’. In addition, RR and heterotrophic soil respiration (RH) were separated using root exclusion in seven coniferous forests along a latitudinal gradient in Northern and Central Europe. The RR comprised almost half of the RFF, the RH almost a third, and ground vegetation and respiration of mycorrhizal hyphae the remaining fifth in the boreal Scots pine stand. While the annual RR decreased throughout the first three study years, the RH increased when the mycorrhizal roots were excluded from the treatments. The RR and most of the NSC concentrations were higher in the warmer years and lower in the cooler, as estimated with most of the methods. Three methods resulted in rather similar RR estimations, while the RR estimated with root incubation was significantly lower. The RR was over 50% of the annual photosynthesis in the northernmost forest stand, whereas in the southernmost stand it was only up to 15%. Carbon allocation to the belowground, as modelled with CASSIA was a third of the annual photosynthesis on average and almost 5% for the symbiotic mycorrhizae.

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Distinct patterns of below- and aboveground growth phenology and litter carbon inputs along a boreal site type gradient

Cited by 16 publications

References 74 publications

Fine Root Growth of Black Spruce Trees and Understory Plants in a Permafrost Forest Along a North-Facing Slope in Interior Alaska

Fine Root Growth of Black Spruce Trees and Understory Plants in a Permafrost Forest Along a North-Facing Slope in Interior Alaska

Fine-Root Production in Boreal Peatland Forests: Effects of Stand and Environmental Factors

Belowground carbon dynamics in Scots pine stands

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