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Fine root dynamics in 60-year-old stands of Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies growing on haplic luvisol soil

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Abstract

Fine root dynamics in mono-specific stands of mature Fagus sylvatica L. and Picea abies Karst. was studied from December 2003 to December 2004 in a stand in Southern Germany. Minirhizotrons were used to draw between species comparisons concerning fine root (≤1 mm) longevity and temporal patterns of fine root dynamics (growth and mortality) as related to seasonal changes in soil water content and soil temperature. In F. sylvatica, median fine root longevity from early seasonal to late-seasonal cohorts was low (77 days). Fine root dynamics scaled positively with seasonal changes in soil water and temperature indicating accelerated fine root turnover during favourable soil conditions. In contrast, fine root longevity in P. abies (273 days) was significantly higher when compared to F. sylvatica and increased from early seasonal to late-seasonal cohorts. Fine root dynamics in P. abies did not correlate with soil environmental conditions. Rather a large proportion of new fine roots occurred during the dry season in superficial soil layers. The data suggest species inherent patterns of fine root longevity and temporal patterns of fine root dynamics.

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Abbreviations

r g :

Root growth rate

r m :

Root mortality rate

TDR:

Time domain reflectometry

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Acknowledgments

We thank the German Science Foundation (DFG) for financial support (Grant No. Ka941/61, 2). The study was performed in cooperation with the SFB 607 project “Formation and parasite defence”. We are grateful to Prof. Dr. Rainer Matyssek, who invited us to participate in this project. Thanks to an anonymous reviewer for helpful comments and suggestions.

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  1. Institute for Applied Plant Biology, Sandgrubenstrasse 27, 4124, Schönenbuch, Switzerland

    Raphael Mainiero

  2. Department Systematic Botany and Ecology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89075, Ulm, Germany

    Marian Kazda & Iris Schmid

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  1. Raphael Mainiero
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  2. Marian Kazda
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Correspondence to Raphael Mainiero.

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Communicated by A. Merino.

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Mainiero, R., Kazda, M. & Schmid, I. Fine root dynamics in 60-year-old stands of Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies growing on haplic luvisol soil. Eur J Forest Res 129, 1001–1009 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-010-0383-2

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