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Linking belowground and aboveground phenology in two boreal forests in Northeast China

  • Global change ecology - Original research
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Abstract

The functional equilibrium between roots and shoots suggests an intrinsic linkage between belowground and aboveground phenology. However, much less understanding of belowground phenology hinders integrating belowground and aboveground phenology. We measured root respiration (R a) as a surrogate for root phenology and integrated it with observed leaf phenology and radial growth in a birch (Betula platyphylla)–aspen (Populus davidiana) forest and an adjacent larch (Larix gmelinii) forest in Northeast China. A log-normal model successfully described the seasonal variations of R a and indicated the initiation, termination and peak date of root phenology. Both root phenology and leaf phenology were highly specific, with a later onset, earlier termination, and shorter period of growing season for the pioneer tree species (birch and aspen) than the dominant tree species (larch). Root phenology showed later initiation, later peak and later termination dates than leaf phenology. An asynchronous correlation of R a and radial growth was identified with a time lag of approximately 1 month, indicating aprioritization of shoot growth. Furthermore, we found that R a was strongly correlated with soil temperature and air temperature, while radial growth was only significantly correlated with air temperature, implying a down-regulating effect of temperature. Our results indicate different phenologies between pioneer and dominant species and support a down-regulation hypothesis of plant phenology which can be helpful in understanding forest dynamics in the context of climate change.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (no. 31021001), the National Basic Research Program of China on Global Change (2010CB950600), and the Ministry of Science and Technology (2010DFA31290). We are grateful to Dr Lucy Sheppard (Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, UK) for her help with linguistic editing of the manuscript. Neither author has a conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Enzai Du & Jingyun Fang

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  1. Enzai Du
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  2. Jingyun Fang
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Correspondence to Enzai Du or Jingyun Fang.

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Communicated by Russell Monson.

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Du, E., Fang, J. Linking belowground and aboveground phenology in two boreal forests in Northeast China. Oecologia 176, 883–892 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-014-3055-y

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