Abstract
Fine root systems may respond to soil chemical conditions, but contrasting results have been obtained from field studies in non-manipulated forests with distinct soil chemical properties. We investigated biomass, necromass, live/dead ratios, morphology and nutrient concentrations of fine roots (<2 mm) in four mature Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.) stands of south-east Germany, encompassing variations in soil chemical properties and climate. All stands were established on acidic soils (pH (CaCl2) range 2.8–3.8 in the humus layer), two of the four stands had molar ratios in soil solution below 1 and one of the four stands had received a liming treatment 22 years before the study. Soil cores down to 40 cm mineral soil depth were taken in autumn and separated into four fractions: humus layer, 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm and 20–40 cm. We found no indications of negative effects of N availability on fine root properties despite large variations in inorganic N seepage fluxes (4–34 kg N ha−1 yr−1), suggesting that the variation in N deposition between 17 and 26 kg N ha−1 yr−1 does not affect the fine root system of Norway spruce. Fine root biomass was largest in the humus layer and increased with the amount of organic matter stored in the humus layer, indicating that the vertical pattern of fine roots is largely affected by the thickness of this horizon. Only two stands showed significant differences in fine root biomass of the mineral soil which can be explained by differences in soil chemical conditions. The stand with the lowest total biomass had the lowest Ca/Al ratio of 0.1 in seepage, however, Al, Ca, Mg and K concentrations of fine roots were not different among the stands. The Ca/Al ratio in seepage might be a less reliable stress parameter because another stand also had Ca/Al ratios in seepage far below the critical value of 1.0 without any signs of fine root damages. Large differences in the live/dead ratio were positively correlated with the Mn concentration of live fine roots from the mineral soil. This relationship was attributed to faster decay of dead fine roots because Mn is known as an essential element of lignin degrading enzymes. It is questionable if the live/dead ratio can be used as a vitality parameter of fine roots since both longevity of fine roots and decay of root litter may affect this parameter. Morphological properties were different in the humus layer of one stand that was limed in 1983, indicating that a single lime dose of 3–4 Mg ha−1 has a long-lasting effect on fine root architecture of Norway spruce. Almost no differences were found in morphological properties in the mineral soil among the stands, but vertical patterns were apparently different. Two stands with high base saturation in the subsoil showed a vertical decrease in specific root length and specific root tip density whereas the other two stands showed an opposite pattern or no effect. Our results suggest that proliferation of fine roots increased with decreasing base saturation in the subsoil of Norway spruce stands.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Berg B, Ekbohm G, Johansson MB, McClaugherty C, Rutigliano F, Virzo De Santo A (1996) Some foliar litter types have a maximum limit for decomposition—a synthesis of data from forest systems. Can J Bot 74:659–672
Boxman AW, van der Ven PJM, Roelefs JGM (1998) Ecosystem recovery after a decrease in nitrogen input to a Scots pine stand at Ysselsteyn, the Netherlands. For Ecol Manage 101:155–163
Braun S, Cantaluppi L, Flückiger W (2005) Fine roots in stands of Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies along a gradient of soil acidification. Environ Pollut 137:574–579
Clemensson-Lindell A, Asp H (1995) Fine-root morphology and uptake of 32P and 35S in a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand subjected to various nutrient and water supplies. Plant Soil 173:147–155
Clemensson-Lindell A, Persson H (1995) Fine-root vitality in a Norway spruce stand subjected to various nutrient supplies. Plant Soil 168–169:167–172
Cronan CS, Grigal DF (1995) Use of calcium aluminium ratios as indicators of stress in forest ecosystems. J Environ Qual 24:209–226
de Wit HE, Mulder J, Nygaard PH, Aamild D (2001) Testing the aluminium toxicity hypothesis: a filed manipulation experiment in mature spruce forest in Norway. Water Air Soil Pollut 130:995–1000
Eissenstat DM (1991) On the relationship between specific root length and the rate of root proliferation—a field study using citrus rootstocks. New Phytol 118:63–68
Genenger M, Zimmermann S, Hallenbarter D, Landolt W, Frossard E, Brunner I (2003) Fine root growth and element concentrations of Norway spruce as affected by wood ash and liquid fertilisation. Plant Soil 255:253–264
Godbold DL, Fritz HW, Jentschke G, Meesenburg H, Rademacher P (2003) Root turnover and root necromass accumulation of Norway spruce (Picea abies) are affected by soil acidity. Tree Physiol 23:915–921
Hendricks JJ, Aber JD, Nadelhoffer KJ, Hallett RD (2000) Nitrogen controls on fine root substrate quality in temperate forest ecosystems. Ecosystems 3:57–69
Högberg P, Högbom L, Schinkel H (1998) Nitrogen-related root variables of trees along an N-deposition gradient in Europe. Tree Physiol 18:823–828
IUSS Working Group WRB 2006 World reference base for soil resources 2006. 2nd edn. World Soil Resources Report No. 103. FAO, Rome
Janssens IA, Sampson DA, Curiel-Yuste J, Carrara A, Ceulemans R (2002) The carbon cost of fine root turnover in a Scots pine forest. For Ecol Manage.168:231–240
Jentschke G, Drexhage M, Fritz HW, Fritz E, Schella B, Lee DH, Gruber F, Heimann J, Kuhr M, Schmidt J, Schmidt S, Zimmermann R, Godbold DL (2001) Does soil acidity reduce subsoil rooting in Norway spruce (Picea abies)? Plant Soil 237:91–108
Joslin JD, Kelly JM, Wolfe MH (1988) Elemental patterns in roots and foliage of mature spruce across a gradient of soil aluminium. Water Air Soil Pollut 40:375–390
Kreutzer K, Weiss T (1998) The Höglwald field experiments—aims, concept and basic data. Plant Soil 199:1–10
Lamersdorf NP, Borken W (2004) Clean rain promotes fine root growth and soil respiration in a Norway spruce forest. Global Change Biol 10:1351–1362
Leuschner C, Hertel D, Schmid I, Koch O, Muhs A, Hölscher D (2004) Stand fine root biomass and fine root morphology in old-growth beech forests as a function of precipitation and soil fertility. Plant Soil 258:43–56
Magill AH, Aber JD, Currie WS, Nadelhoffer KJ, Martin ME, McDowell WH, Melillo JM, Steudler P (2004) Ecosystem response to 15 years of chronic nitrogen additions at the Harvard Forest LTER, Massachusetts, USA. For Ecol Manage 196:7–28
Majdi H, Rosengren-Brinck U (1994) Effects of ammonium sulphate application on the rhizosphere, fine root and needle chemistry in a Picea abies (L.) Karst. stand. Plant Soil 162:71–80
Majdi H, Andersson P (2005) Fine root production and turnover in a Norway spruce stand in northern Sweden: Effects of nitrogen and water manipulation. Ecosystems 8:191–199
Majdi K, Pregitzer KS, Moren AS, Nylund JE, Agren GI (2005) Measuring fine root turnover in forest ecosystems. Plant Soil 276:1–8
Matzner E, Murach D (1995) Soil changes induced by air pollutant deposition and their implication for forests in Central Europe. Water Air Soil Pollut 85:63–76
Miltner A, Zech W (1998) Carbohydrate decomposition in beech litter as influenced by aluminium, iron and manganese oxides. Soil Biol Biochem 30:1–7
Murach D, Schünemann E (1985) Reaktion der Feinwurzeln von Fichten auf Kalkungsmaßnahmen. AFZ 40:1151–1154
Ostonen I, Lõhmus K, Lasn R (1999) The role of soil conditions in fine root ecomorphology in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). Plant Soil 208:283–292
Parker D, Sposito G, Tebo B (2004) Manganese (III) binding to a pyoverdine siderophore produced by a manganese (II)-oxidizing bacterium. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 68:4809–4820
Persson H, Von Fircks Y, Majdi H, Nilsson LO (1995) Root distribution on a Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand subjected to drought and ammonium-sulphate application. Plant Soil 168–169:1995
Puhe J (2003) Growth and development of the root system of Norway spruce (Picea abies) in forest stands - a review. For Ecol Manage 175:253–273
Püttsepp U, Lõhmus K, Persson HA, Ahlstrom K (2006) Fine-root distribution and morphology in an acidic Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) stand in SW Sweden in relation to granulated wood ash application. For Ecol Manage 221:291–298
Regent Instruments Inc (2003) WinRhizo 2003b, Basic, Reg & Pro For Washed Root Measurement
Rothe A (1997) Einfluß des Baumartenanteils auf Durchwurzelung, Wasserhaushalt, Stoffhaushalt und Zuwachsleistung eines Fichte-Buchen-Mischbestandes am Standort Höglwald. Forstl. Forschungsberichte München 163
Spiecker H (1999) Overview of recent growth trends in European forests. Water Air Soil Pollut 116:33–46
Trumbore SE, Gaudinski JB (2003) The secret lives of roots. Science 302:1344–1345
UBA (2006) Berichterstattung 2006 unter dem Übereinkommen über weiträumige grenzüberschreitende Luftverschmutzung (UN ECE-CLRTAP), http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/ emissionen/publikationen.htm
Acknowledgements
We thank Rita Süss, Andreas Puhr, Sabine Horvarth, Kristin Strobel, and Regina Gerlinger for their assistance in the preparation of roots. We like to thank Stephan Raspe and Christoph Schulz from the Bayerische Landesanstalt für Wald und Forstwirtschaft and Wendelin Weis from the Technical University of Munich for providing element fluxes in throughfall and seepage of the four study sites. We are thankful to the members of the Central Analytical Laboratory of the Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research (BayCEER) for chemical analysis of root samples. Financial support came from the Bavarian State Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Borken, W., Kossmann, G. & Matzner, E. Biomass, morphology and nutrient contents of fine roots in four Norway spruce stands. Plant Soil 292, 79–93 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9204-x
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-007-9204-x