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Fine root morphological and functional traits in Fagus sylvatica and Fraxinus excelsior saplings as dependent on species, root order and competition

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Abstract

Aims

The mechanisms of belowground competition are not well understood. Addressing literature reports on competition-induced changes in tree fine root morphology, we conducted a growth experiment with tree saplings to investigate competition effects on important root morphological and functional traits in a root order-focused analysis.

Methods

European beech and European ash saplings were grown for 34 months in containers under greenhouse conditions in monoculture (2 conspecific plants), in mixture (1 beech and 1 ash) or as single plants. The root system was fractionated according to root orders and eight morphological and functional properties were determined.

Results

Root order was the most influential factor affecting the fine root traits (except for root diameter and δ13C); a significant species identity effect was found for root diameter, tissue density, N concentration and δ13C. Ash fine roots were thicker, but had lower tissue densities, contained more N and had systematically higher δ13C values than beech roots. The competition treatments had no significant effect on morphological root traits but altered δ13C in the 2nd root order.

Conclusion

Neither intra- nor interspecific root competition affected fine root morphology significantly suggesting that competition-induced root modification may not be a universal phenomenon in temperate trees.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Centre for Stable Isotope Research and Analysis (KOSI) of the University of Göttingen for isotope analyses and Ann-Catrin Fender for soil chemical analysis. The work was funded by the Ministry of Science and Culture of the State of Lower Saxony, Germany, and the “Niedersächsisches Vorab” in the framework of the Cluster of Excellence “Functional Biodiversity Research”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop Production Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, PO Box 7043, SE-750 07, Uppsala, Sweden

    Friderike Beyer

  2. Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073, Goettingen, Germany

    Dietrich Hertel & Christoph Leuschner

Authors
  1. Friderike Beyer
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  2. Dietrich Hertel
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  3. Christoph Leuschner
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Correspondence to Friderike Beyer.

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Responsible Editor: Peter J. Gregory.

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Beyer, F., Hertel, D. & Leuschner, C. Fine root morphological and functional traits in Fagus sylvatica and Fraxinus excelsior saplings as dependent on species, root order and competition. Plant Soil 373, 143–156 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1752-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-013-1752-7

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