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Forests
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Fine Root Dynamics in Forests
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Fine Root Dynamics in Forests

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Forest Ecology and Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 March 2020) | Viewed by 6912

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Christoph Leuschner

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Albrecht-von-Haller-Institute for Plant Sciences, Georg August University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
Interests: ecophysiology of temperate and tropical trees (carbon, water and nutrient relations); forest dynamics research; climate change effects on temperate and tropical forests; biodiversity and ecosystem function in forests; vegetation ecology of Central Europe
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fine roots are a highly dynamic part of tree biomass that not only have a large influence on forest water and nutrient cycles but also represent a major source of soil organic carbon. A better understanding of the factors determining fine root lifespan, turnover, and decomposition is crucial for a mechanistic understanding of carbon turnover in forests and tree responses to climate change. Even though fine root dynamics in forest soils have received increasing attention in the last two decades, large knowledge gaps remain. We invite manuscripts from a broad field of topics related to root dynamics in forests, including (1) the dependence of fine root lifespan on climate, drought, nutrient availability, and forest management; (2) changes in fine root lifespan with soil depth and tree age; (3) competition effects on fine root lifespan; (4) the dependence of root physiology on root order and root age; (5) relationships between root lifespan and root orders; and (6) the development of new methods for monitoring fine root vitality in situ. Both field studies on mature trees and studies with potted seedlings or saplings are welcome.

Prof. Dr. Christoph Leuschner
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • fine root dynamics
  • root orders
  • fine root lifespan
  • fine root production
  • fine root turnover
  • fine root mortality
  • fine root decomposition
  • fine root vitality

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 5226 KiB  
Article
Effects of Summer Drought on the Fine Root System of Five Broadleaf Tree Species along a Precipitation Gradient
by Sebastian Fuchs, Dietrich Hertel, Bernhard Schuldt and Christoph Leuschner
Forests 2020, 11(3), 289; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11030289 - 3 Mar 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 3509
Abstract
While much research has addressed the aboveground response of trees to climate warming and related water shortage, not much is known about the drought sensitivity of the fine root system, in particular of mature trees. This study investigates the response of topsoil (0–10 [...] Read more.
While much research has addressed the aboveground response of trees to climate warming and related water shortage, not much is known about the drought sensitivity of the fine root system, in particular of mature trees. This study investigates the response of topsoil (0–10 cm) fine root biomass (FRB), necromass (FRN), and fine root morphology of five temperate broadleaf tree species (Acer platanoides L., Carpinus betulus L., Fraxinus excelsior L., Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., Tilia cordata Mill.) to a reduction in water availability, combining a precipitation gradient study (nine study sites; mean annual precipitation (MAP): 920–530 mm year−1) with the comparison of a moist period (average spring conditions) and an exceptionally dry period in the summer of the subsequent year. The extent of the root necromass/biomass (N/B) ratio increase was used as a measure of the species’ belowground sensitivity to water deficits. We hypothesized that the N/B ratio increases with long-term (precipitation gradient) and short-term reductions (moist vs. dry period) of water availability, while FRB changes only a little. In four of the five species (exception: A. platanoides), FRB did not change with a reduction in MAP, whereas FRN and N/B ratio increased toward the dry sites under ample water supply (exception: Q. petraea). Q. petraea was also the only species not to reduce root tip frequency after summer drought. Different slopes of the N/B ratio-MAP relation similarly point at a lower belowground drought sensitivity of Q. petraea than of the other species. After summer drought, all species lost the MAP dependence of the N/B ratio. Thus, fine root mortality increased more at the moister than the drier sites, suggesting a generally lower belowground drought sensitivity of the drier stands. We conclude that the five species differ in their belowground drought response. Q. petraea follows the most conservative soil exploration strategy with a generally smaller FRB and more drought-tolerant fine roots, as it maintains relatively constant FRB, FRN, and morphology across spatial and temporal dimensions of soil water deficits. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fine Root Dynamics in Forests)
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15 pages, 1402 KiB  
Article
The Dynamics of Living and Dead Fine Roots of Forest Biomes across the Northern Hemisphere
by Cunguo Wang, Ivano Brunner, Shengwei Zong and Mai-He Li
Forests 2019, 10(11), 953; https://doi.org/10.3390/f10110953 - 25 Oct 2019
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2903
Abstract
Research Highlights: A detailed picture of the seasonality in fine root biomass (FRB), necromass (FRN), and the biomass/necromass ratio (FRBN) throughout the whole year is crucial to uncover profound effects of long-term environmental changes on fine root dynamics. Materials and Methods: We used [...] Read more.
Research Highlights: A detailed picture of the seasonality in fine root biomass (FRB), necromass (FRN), and the biomass/necromass ratio (FRBN) throughout the whole year is crucial to uncover profound effects of long-term environmental changes on fine root dynamics. Materials and Methods: We used meta-analysis to characterize the variability of FRB, FRN and FRBN, and determined their relations with climatic (monthly versus annual), edaphic and geomorphic factors for tropical, temperate and boreal forest biomes across the Northern Hemisphere. Results: Boreal forests exhibited the highest FRB and FRN, while tropical forests yielded the lowest FRN, and thus the greatest FRBN. FRB and FRN significantly decreased with sampling depth, but increased with soil organic carbon content and elevation, while an opposite pattern was found for FRBN. Temperature and precipitation at different time scales (monthly versus annual) and latitude had varying influences on fine roots. High FRB and FRN were observed during dry season for tropical forests, but in the late growing season for temperate forests. The three forest biomes exhibited the high root activity (measured as FRBN) in June or July. Conclusions: It is crucial to realize the universal and specific responses of fine roots to multiple environmental factors when attempting to incorporate these parameters into fine root monthly dynamic models in forest ecosystems. The biome-specific fluctuation of fine roots contributes to identify the influence factors on fine root seasonal patterns throughout the whole year. Our analysis is expected to improve the understanding of the key role of fine roots at monthly level in modeling and predicting carbon budget of various forest biomes under future climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fine Root Dynamics in Forests)
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