Using Fractal Geometry to Quantify Loblolly Pine Seedling Root System Architecture

Diebel, Kenneth E.; Feret, Peter P.

doi:10.1093/sjaf/17.3.130

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Values of D in crop species range from 1.24 to 1.58 (Tatsumi et al 1989;Fitter and Stickland 1992;Eghball et al 1993). In the present study, D was less than 1.4, similar to that calculated for the evergreen coniferous tree, Pinus taeda (Dieball and Feret 1993), indicative of a relatively simple root structure (Fitter and Stickland 1992). There was no significant difference between evergreen species and deciduous species when each pair of species was pooled.…”

Section: α and D Valuessupporting

confidence: 80%

Root biomass and root fractal analyses of an open Eucalyptus forest in a savanna of north Australia

Eamus¹,

Chen²,

Kelley³

et al. 2002

Aust. J. Bot.

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Below-ground biomass of a Eucalyptus savanna forest was estimated following trenching to depths of 2 m around 16 mature trees in a tropical savanna of north Australia. Correlations among below-ground and various components of above-ground biomass were also investigated. In addition, root morphology was investigated by fractal analyses and a determination of an index of shallow-rootedness was undertaken. Total root biomass was 38.4 t ha–1, including 1 t ha–1 of fine roots. About 77–90&percnt; of total root biomass was found in the upper 0.5 m of soil. While fine-root biomass density was approximately constant (0.1 kg m–3) in the top soil, irrespective of distance from a tree stem, coarse-root biomass showed large variation with distance from the tree stem. Significant positive correlations among total root biomass, total above-ground biomass, diameter at breast height, leaf biomass and leaf area were obtained. It is likely that total root biomass can be reasonably accurately estimated from aboveground biomass and fine-root biomass from tree leaf area. We present equations that allow the prediction of belowground biomass from above-ground measures of tree size. Root morphology of two evergreen and two deciduous species was compared by the use of three parameters. These were the fractal dimension (d), which describes root system complexity; a proportionality factor (α), which is the ratio of the cross-sectional area before and after branching; and two indices of shallow-rootedness (ISR). Roots were found to be amenable to fractal analyses. The proportionality factor was independent of root diameter (Dr) at any branching level in all tree species examined, indicating that branching patterns were similar across all root sizes. The fractal dimension (d) ranged from 1.15 to 1.36, indicating a relatively simple root structure. Mean d was significantly different between E. tetrodonta (evergreen) and T. ferdinandiana (deciduous); however, no significant differences were found among other pairs of species. Terminalia ferdinandiana had the highest ISR, while Planchonia careya (deciduous) had the lowest. In addition, differences in ISR between P. careya and the other three species were significant, but not significant among E. miniata, E. tetrodonta and T. ferdinandiana. There were clear relationships among above-ground tree stem diameter at breast height, stem base diameter, and horizontal and vertical proximal root diameter. By the use of mean values of and stem diameter, we estimated the total crosssectional area of root and root diameter-class distribution for each species studied.

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Section: α and D Valuessupporting

confidence: 80%

Root biomass and root fractal analyses of an open Eucalyptus forest in a savanna of north Australia

Eamus¹,

Chen²,

Kelley³

et al. 2002

Aust. J. Bot.

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Fractal geometry and root system structures of heterogeneous plant communities

Dannowski

Block

2005

Plant Soil

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Above-ground plant growth is widely known in terms of structural diversity. Likewise, the below-ground growth presents a mosaic of heterogeneous structures of differing complexity. In this study, root system structures of heterogeneous plant communities were recorded as integral systems by using the trench profile method. Fractal dimensions of the root images were calculated from image files by the box-counting method. This method allows the structural complexity of such associations to be compared between plant communities, with regard to their potentials for soil resource acquisition and utilization. Distinct and partly significant differences are found (fractal dimension between 1.46 ± 0.09 and 1.71 ± 0.05) in the below-ground structural complexity of plant communities, belonging to different biotope types. The size of the heterogeneous plant community to be examined has an crucial influence on the fractal dimension of the root system structures. The structural heterogeneity becomes particularly evident (fractal dimensions between 1.32 and 1.77) when analysing many small units of a complex root system association. In larger plant communities, a broad variety of below-ground structures is recorded in its entirety, integrating the specific features of single sub-structures. In that way, extreme fractal dimensions are lost and the diversity decreases. Therefore, the analysis of larger units of root system associations provides a general knowledge of the complexity of root system structures for heterogeneous plant communities.

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Influence of nutrient supply and water vapour pressure on root architecture of Douglas-fir and western hemlock seedlings

Conlin¹,

Driessche

2006

Functional Plant Biol.

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Root growth responses of Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla Raf. Sarg.) seedlings to three nutrient concentrations and two shoot vapour pressure deficits were measured. Both species gained dry mass at high and medium nutrient treatments throughout the experiment, but not at low nutrition. Low nutrition gave highest ratios of projected leaf surface area to total root length in both species. Douglas-fir geometry differed from that of hemlock, with longer interior link lengths, particularly at the lowest nutrition. Douglas-fir showed greater numbers of exterior–interior links than hemlock. More links were observed at medium and high nutrition than at low nutrition for both species. Exterior–interior links increased over time for the two highest nutrient treatments. Significant topological differences were observed between species, the lowest and two highest nutrient treatments, and high and low vapour pressure deficits. Both species showed herring-bone root architecture at the lowest nutrition. This architectural configuration became more pronounced in hemlock seedlings grown under higher vapour pressure deficits. Faster-growing Douglas-fir had a dichotomous architecture at medium and high nutrition that was not influenced by increased vapour pressure deficits. Douglas-fir topology appears to be adapted to exploit soil nutrient patches while hemlock appears to rely on efficient exploitation of soil volume.

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Using Fractal Geometry to Quantify Loblolly Pine Seedling Root System Architecture

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Root biomass and root fractal analyses of an open Eucalyptus forest in a savanna of north Australia

Root biomass and root fractal analyses of an open Eucalyptus forest in a savanna of north Australia

Fractal geometry and root system structures of heterogeneous plant communities

Influence of nutrient supply and water vapour pressure on root architecture of Douglas-fir and western hemlock seedlings

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