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Short sampling intervals reveal very rapid root turnover in a temperate grassland

  • Ecosystem Ecology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Although root growth and mortality play critical regulatory roles in terrestrial ecosystems, little is known about the temporal scale of these dynamics. In temperate grasslands, root dynamics may be particularly rapid because of the high proportion of production allocated to very fine root biomass. In this study, we used minirhizotron tubes to estimate root growth and mortality in an upland grassland in Yellowstone National Park that was grazed by migratory herds of ungulates. Monthly rates of root growth and mortality were estimated from May to September 2005, by measuring the elongation (growth) and disappearance (mortality) of roots at 3-day intervals. Average daily growth (millimeters of root length) was approximately 5 times greater in May and June than in July, August, and September. Average daily mortality (millimeters of root length) did not differ among months. A comparison of the June–September rates of root growth and mortality derived from sampling at short (3-day) and long (1-month) time intervals indicated that the long sampling intervals underestimated both growth and mortality by approximately 60% relative to the short intervals. These results suggest that estimates of grassland root dynamics from minirhizotrons are influenced significantly by sampling interval length, and that rapid root turnover may play a more critical role in regulating energy and nutrient fluxes in temperate grasslands than has previously been recognized.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank A. Risch, V. Green, and M. Wysser for assistance in the field. J. Fridley, C. Hellquist, T. Spier, and M. Thorne provided helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation grant DEB-0318716, the Syracuse University Ruth Meyer grant, and the National Science Foundation GK-12 grant 0638686. All experiments complied with the current laws of the United States.

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  1. Anna M. Stewart

    Present address: Department of Environmental and Forest Biology, State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, NY, 13210, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biological Research Laboratory, Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA

    Anna M. Stewart & Douglas A. Frank

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  1. Anna M. Stewart
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  2. Douglas A. Frank
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Correspondence to Anna M. Stewart.

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Communicated by Tim Seastedt.

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Stewart, A.M., Frank, D.A. Short sampling intervals reveal very rapid root turnover in a temperate grassland. Oecologia 157, 453–458 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1088-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-008-1088-9

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