Species traits and shoot-root biomass allocation in 20 dry-grassland species

Husáková, Iveta; Weiner, Jacob; Münzbergová, Zuzana

doi:10.1093/jpe/rtw143

Cited by 22 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…In our experiment, R/S values were generally well above 1 irrespective of the species, suggesting a genetically-fixed higher biomass allocation to roots in species adapted to infertile environments (Aerts and Chapin, 2000;Chapin, 1980;Lambers et al, 2008) or with severe water shortage (Fernández and Reynolds, 2000;Lambers et al, 2008;Padilla et al, 2009;Wright and Westoby, 1999). It is worth note that R/S changes with plant development, as seedlings allocate more biomass to roots (Gedroc et al, 1996), and therefore our results may be consequence of differences in plant size (Husáková et al, 2018). In our dataset, however, there was true plasticity (sensu Weiner, 2004) in Adansonia digitata, although Faidherbia albida showed plasticity regarding within W-treatments and Tamarindus indica in N-treatments.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Functional responses of four Sahelian tree species to resource availability

Diémé

Armas

Rusch

et al. 2019

Flora

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Plants experience a fluctuating environment in time and space that affects resource supply. As human impacts on the environment directly and indirectly alter resource availability, it is important to address plant responses to changing resources to be able to anticipate impacts of these changes on plant communities. We analyzed plant traits to assess responses to resource limitation in four Sahelian tree species of wide ecological and socioeconomic importance. We used species already adapted to harsh conditions (high temperatures, low rainfall) to anticipate how climate change could affect their growth patterns and, indirectly, their spatial distribution and the services they provide. Seedlings grew under two levels of water and nutrient additions in a factorial design. Our results showed differences among species, watering regimes, and nutrient supply in three key functional traits related the plant's resource-use strategy, relative growth rate (RGR), root-to-shoot ratio (R/S), and specific leaf area (SLA). On average, RGR was responsive to the amount of water and nutrients, with species with high RGR showing the largest response to resource supply. RGR in the species with a conservative resource-use strategy (evergreen leaves, lowest RGR) remained unchanged with different levels of water and nutrients. Overall, large RGR was supported by large SLA. All species allocated more biomass to roots than to shoots, particularly under low resource supply, reflecting adaptive strategies to keep RGR leveled to resource supply. Not all species showed similar plasticity in their functional traits responses, however. Acacia tortilis and Faidherbia albida showed the greatest plasticity, which may explain their large geographical distribution range in Africa. Our data suggest that the different Sahelian species will respond differently to future environmental changes, likely affecting their geographical distribution, the structure of plant communities, and the services they provide.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Functional responses of four Sahelian tree species to resource availability

Diémé

Armas

Rusch

et al. 2019

Flora

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“…Meanwhile, increasing temperature had little impact on shoot/root resource allocation pattern (Figure 4). Plants usually allocate more resources to the organs that suffer more selection pressures and constraints (Husáková et al, 2018). The carbon fixation and nutrient acquisition can both limit plant growth under increased temperature.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High Temperature can Change Root System Architecture and Intensify Root Interactions of Plant Seedlings

Luo

Chu

et al. 2020

Front. Plant Sci.

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Climate change could alter plant aboveground and belowground resource allocation. Compared with shoots, we know much less about how roots, especially root system architecture (RSA) and their interactions, may respond to temperature changes. Such responses could have great influence on species'acquisition of resources and their competition with neighbors. We used a gel-based transparent growth system to in situ observe the responses of RSA and root interactions of three common subtropical plant species seedlings in Asia differing in growth forms (herb, shrub, and tree) under a wide growth temperature range of 18-34°C, including low and supra-optimal temperatures. Results showed that the RSA, especially root depth and root width, of the three species varied significantly in response to increased temperature although the response of their aboveground shoot traits was very similar. Increased temperature was also observed to have little impact on shoot/root resource allocation pattern. The variations in RSA responses among species could lead to both the intensity and direction change of root interactions. Under high temperature, negative root interactions could be intensified and species with larger root size and fast early root expansion had competitive advantages. In summary, our findings indicate that greater root resilience play a key role in plant adapting to high temperature. The varied intensity and direction of root interactions suggest changed temperatures could alter plant competition. Seedlings with larger root size and fast early root expansion may better adapt to warmer climates.

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“…As a second species, cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) was included, a bioenergy plant that can produce similar aboveground biomass as maize (Gansberger et al 2015) but has a higher root:shoot ratio. As cup plant is a perennial plant, it likely transfers more C belowground and exudes more organic substances than maize (Husáková et al 2018;Pausch and Kuzyakov 2018). In all treatments, the N supply was scheduled to assure that at the end of the pre-cultivation phase, the soils were equally depleted in plant available N. With respect to background N supply, this permitted nearly equal starting conditions for the subsequent stable isotope labeling experiment.…”

Section: Experimental Conceptmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The amount of rhizodeposited C and its quality depend on plant species, age, and development (Gransee and Wittenmayer 2000;Vancura 1964;Vancura and Hovadik 1965), and plant nutrient status (Carvalhais et al 2011). In general, younger plants translocate a higher share of assimilated C belowground than mature plants (Kuzyakov and Domanski 2000;Nguyen 2003), and perennial plants translocate a higher share of assimilated C belowground than annual plants (Husáková et al 2018;Pausch and Kuzyakov 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nitrate uptake and carbon exudation – do plant roots stimulate or inhibit denitrification?

et al. 2020

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Background and aims Plant growth affects soil moisture, mineral N and organic C availability in soil, all of which influence denitrification. With increasing plant growth, root exudation may stimulate denitrification, while N uptake restricts nitrate availability. Methods We conducted a double labeling pot experiment with either maize (Zea mays L.) or cup plant (Silphium perfoliatum L.) of the same age but differing in size of their shoot and root systems. The 15N gas flux method was applied to directly quantify N2O and N2 fluxes in situ. To link denitrification with available C in the rhizosphere, 13CO2 pulse labeling was used to trace C translocation from shoots to roots and its release by roots into the soil. Results Plant water and N uptake were the main factors controlling daily N2O + N2 fluxes, cumulative N emissions, and N2O production pathways. Accordingly, pool-derived N2O + N2 emissions were 30–40 times higher in the treatment with highest soil NO3− content and highest soil moisture. CO2 efflux from soil was positively correlated with root dry matter, but we could not detect any relationship between root-derived C and N2O + N2 emissions. Conclusions Root-derived C may stimulate denitrification under small plants, while N and water uptake become the controlling factors with increasing plant and root growth.

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Species traits and shoot-root biomass allocation in 20 dry-grassland species

Cited by 22 publications

References 43 publications

Functional responses of four Sahelian tree species to resource availability

Functional responses of four Sahelian tree species to resource availability

High Temperature can Change Root System Architecture and Intensify Root Interactions of Plant Seedlings

Nitrate uptake and carbon exudation – do plant roots stimulate or inhibit denitrification?

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