Root biomass and nutrient dynamics in a scrub-oak ecosystem under the influence of elevated atmospheric CO₂

Abstract

Elevated CO₂ can increase fine root biomass but responses of fine roots to exposure to increased CO₂ over many years are infrequently reported. We investigated the effect of elevated CO₂ on root biomass and N and P pools of a scrub-oak ecosystem on Merritt Island in Florida, USA, after 7 years of CO₂ treatment. Roots were removed from 1-m deep soil cores in 10-cm increments, sorted into different categories (<0.25 mm, 0.25–1 mm, 1–2 mm, 2 mm to 1 cm, >1 cm, dead roots, and organic matter), weighed, and analyzed for N, P and C concentrations. With the exception of surface roots <0.25 mm diameter, there was no effect of elevated CO₂ on root biomass. There was little effect on C, N, or P concentration or content with the exception of dead roots, and <0.25 mm and 1–2 mm diameter live roots at the surface. Thus, fine root mass and element content appear to be relatively insensitive to elevated CO₂. In the top 10 cm of soil, biomass of roots with a diameter of <0.25 mm was depressed by elevated CO₂. Elevated CO₂ tended to decrease the mass and N content of dead roots compared to ambient CO₂. A decreased N concentration of roots <0.25 mm and 1–2 mm in diameter under elevated CO₂ may indicate reduced N supply in the elevated CO₂ treatment. Our study indicated that elevated CO₂ does not increase fine root biomass or the pool of C in fine roots. In fact, elevated CO₂ tends to reduce biomass and C content of the most responsive root fraction (<0.25 mm roots), a finding that may have more general implications for understanding C input into the soil at higher atmospheric CO₂ concentrations.