The Subterranean System of Colonial Grass (Guinea Grass) in Various Soils of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Villares, J. B.; Tundisi, A. G. A.; Becker, Marko

doi:10.2307/3894506

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 4 publications

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“…Additionally, there can be a large degree of rooting depth plasticity within the same species and environment. For example, a study on the rooting depth of Panicum maximum , a tropical perennial bunchgrass, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, found rooting depths for mature grasses ranging from 0.85 to 4.85 ms across > 50 observations (Villares et al ., 1953).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant sizes and shapes above and belowground and their interactions with climate

Tumber‐Dávila

Schenk

et al. 2022

New Phytologist

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Summary Although the above and belowground sizes and shapes of plants strongly influence plant competition, community structure, and plant–environment interactions, plant sizes and shapes remain poorly characterized across climate regimes. We investigated relationships among shoot and root system size and climate. We assembled and analyzed, to our knowledge, the largest global database describing the maximum rooting depth, lateral spread, and shoot size of terrestrial plants – more than doubling the Root Systems of Individual Plants database to 5647 observations. Water availability and growth form greatly influence shoot size, and rooting depth is primarily influenced by temperature seasonality. Shoot size is the strongest predictor of lateral spread, with root system diameter being two times wider than shoot width on average for woody plants. Shoot size covaries strongly with rooting system size; however, the geometries of plants differ considerably across climates, with woody plants in more arid climates having shorter shoots, but deeper, narrower root systems. Additionally, estimates of the depth and lateral spread of plant root systems are likely underestimated at the global scale.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant sizes and shapes above and belowground and their interactions with climate

Tumber‐Dávila

Schenk

et al. 2022

New Phytologist

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“…8). Such regions were largely outside the limits of this study, but data sets of rooting depths from such regions in Africa (Savory 1963), India (Howard 1925) and south‐eastern Brazil (Villares et al . 1953) all support this prediction.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…H. Jochen Schenk & R. B. Jackson © 2002 British Ecological Society, Journal of Ecology, 90, 480-494 (Savory 1963), India (Howard 1925) and south-eastern Brazil (Villares et al 1953) all support this prediction. A major problem of root studies in subtropical and tropical areas is that sample depths often appear to be insufficient for estimating maximum rooting depths there .…”

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confidence: 93%

Rooting depths, lateral root spreads and below‐ground/above‐ground allometries of plants in water‐limited ecosystems

2002

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Summary 1In water-limited environments, the availability of water and nutrients to plants depends on environmental conditions, sizes and shapes of their root systems, and root competition. The goal of this study was to predict root system sizes and shapes for different plant growth forms using data on above-ground plant sizes, climate and soil texture. 2 A new data set of > 1300 records of root system sizes for individual plants was collected from the literature for deserts, scrublands, grasslands and savannas with ≤ 1000 mm mean annual precipitation (MAP). Maximum rooting depths, maximum lateral root spreads and their ratios were measured. 3 Root system sizes differed among growth forms and increased with above-ground size: annuals < perennial forbs = grasses < semi-shrubs < shrubs < trees. Stem succulents were as shallowly rooted as annuals but had lateral root spreads similar to shrubs. 4 Absolute rooting depths increased with MAP in all growth forms except shrubs and trees, but were not strongly related to potential evapotranspiration (PET). Except in trees, root systems tended to be shallower and wider in dry and hot climates and deeper and narrower in cold and wet climates. Shrubs were more shallowly rooted under climates with summer than winter precipitation regimes. 5 Relative to above-ground plant sizes, root system sizes decreased with increasing PET for all growth forms, but decreased with increasing MAP only for herbaceous plants. Thus relative rooting depths tended to increase with aridity, although absolute rooting depths decreased with aridity. 6 Using an independent data set of 20 test locations, rooting depths were predicted from MAP using regression models for three broad growth forms. The models succeeded in explaining 62% of the observed variance in median rooting depths. 7 Based on the data analysed here, Walter's two-layer model of soil depth partitioning between woody and herbaceous plants appears to be most appropriate in drier regimes (< 500 mm MAP) and in systems with substantial winter precipitation.

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The Subterranean System of Colonial Grass (Guinea Grass) in Various Soils of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Cited by 2 publications

References 4 publications

Plant sizes and shapes above and belowground and their interactions with climate

Plant sizes and shapes above and belowground and their interactions with climate

Rooting depths, lateral root spreads and below‐ground/above‐ground allometries of plants in water‐limited ecosystems

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