Abstract
Aims
Root respiration and its temperature sensitivity (Q10) are key parameters for understanding the processes and mechanisms of carbon cycling in forest ecosystems. However, the variation and influencing factors of root respiration rate and Q10 among soil depths have been poorly explored.
Methods
We measured root respiration rates of the first five orders at 6, 18 and 24 °C, in surface (0–10 cm) and subsurface (20–30 cm) soil layers in six temperate tree species (Fraxinus mandshurica, Phellodendron amurense, Prunus padus, Larix gmelinii, Picea koraiensis and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) and calculated their Q10. Concurrently, we determined root morphological and chemical traits and soil properties.
Results
Shallow roots generally exhibited faster respiration rates and higher Q10, which was more prominent in the first two order roots. Respiration rates of the first two orders measured at 18 °C were positively correlated with root diameter, root nitrogen concentration and ambient soil temperature (significant only for the first order), but negatively with root tissue density. By contrast, Q10 values were only significantly correlated with soil temperature on the day of root sampling. Furthermore, according to the conceptual framework of the root economics space, root traits along the “conservation” gradient were mainly affected by soil depth, with shallow roots showing “fast” respiration rates and high nitrogen concentrations.
Conclusions
The systematic variation of root respiration and Q10 between soil depths and among root orders should be considered towards a mechanistic understanding of carbon cycling in forest ecosystems which would shed light on modeling the carbon cycle.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We thank Dr Na Wang, Zhi Liu, Siyuan Wang, Hao Ren, Yaoyuan Ma, and Ms. Lijuan Xiao, Xiuxue Xia, Zhendong Ma, for their assistance in field and laboratory works. We also thank Professor Hans Lambers in University of Western Australia for his kind comments and language editing. This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32071749) and by the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (No. 2022YFD2200303).
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JCG, DNW conceived the ideas, DNW, GQG, and SXJ designed methodology; DNW, GQG, and YW collected the data; DNW analyzed the data; DNW and JCG led the writing of the manuscript. All authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.
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Wang, D., Gao, G., Wang, Y. et al. Temperature sensitivity of root respiration declines with increasing soil depth in six temperate tree species. Plant Soil 492, 315–328 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06176-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-023-06176-3