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Insights into root growth, function, and mycorrhizal abundance from chemical and isotopic data across root orders

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Abstract

Background and aims

Detailed analyses of root chemistry by branching order may provide insights into root function, root lifespan and the abundance of root-associated mycorrhizal fungi in forest ecosystems.

Methods

We examined the nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes (δ15N and δ13C) and concentration (%N and %C) in the fine roots of an arbuscular mycorrhizal tree, Fraxinus mandshurica, and an ectomycorrhizal tree, Larix gmelinii, over depth, time, and across five root branching orders.

Results and conclusions

Larix δ15N increased by 2.3 ‰ from 4th order to 1st order roots, reflecting the increased presence of 15N-enriched ECM fungi on the lower root orders. In contrast, arbuscular mycorrhizal Fraxinus only increased by 0.7 ‰ from 4th order to 1st order roots, reflecting the smaller 15N enrichment and lower fungal mass on arbuscular mycorrhizal fine roots. Isotopic and anatomical mass balance calculations indicate that first, second, and third order roots in ectomycorrhizal Larix averaged 36 %, 23 %, and 8 % fungal tissue by mass, respectively. Using literature values of root production by root branching order, we estimate that about 25 % of fine root production in ECM species like Larix is actually of fungal sheaths. In contrast to %N, %C, and δ15N, δ13C changed minimally across depth, time, and branching order. The homogeneity of δ13C suggests root tissues are constructed from a large well-mixed reservoir of carbon, although compound specific δ13C data is needed to fully interpret these patterns. The measurements developed here are an important step towards explicitly including mycorrhizal production in forest ecosystem carbon budgets.

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Fig. 1
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Abbreviations

ECM:

Ectomycorrhizal

AM:

Arbuscular mycorrhizal

Larix :

Larix gmelinii

Fraxinus :

Fraxinus mandshurica

N:

Nitrogen

C:

Carbon

‰:

Per mil

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Acknowledgments

Support for this project came from a grant awarded by the US Department of Energy (DOE). The manuscript was improved by critical reviews from Luke McCormack and Lucie Lepine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Earth Systems Research Center, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA

    Andrew Ouimette & Erik Hobbie

  2. Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Dali Guo

  3. Key Laboratory of Science and Technology of Urban Environment, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, China

    Dali Guo

  4. School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China

    Jiacun Gu

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  1. Andrew Ouimette
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  2. Dali Guo
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  3. Erik Hobbie
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  4. Jiacun Gu
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Correspondence to Andrew Ouimette.

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Ouimette, A., Guo, D., Hobbie, E. et al. Insights into root growth, function, and mycorrhizal abundance from chemical and isotopic data across root orders. Plant Soil 367, 313–326 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-012-1464-4

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