Skip to main content

Patterns of above- and belowground biomass allocation in China’s grasslands: Evidence from individual-level observations

Science China Life Sciences volume 53, pages 851–857 (2010)Cite this article

Abstract

Above- and belowground biomass allocation not only influences growth of individual plants, but also influences vegetation structures and functions, and consequently impacts soil carbon input as well as terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling. However, due to sampling difficulties, a considerable amount of uncertainty remains about the root: shoot ratio (R/S), a key parameter for models of terrestrial ecosystem carbon cycling. We investigated biomass allocation patterns across a broad spatial scale. We collected data on individual plant biomass and systematically sampled along a transect across the temperate grasslands in Inner Mongolia as well as in the alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. Our results indicated that the median of R/S for herbaceous species was 0.78 in China’s grasslands as a whole. R/S was significantly higher in temperate grasslands than in alpine grasslands (0.84 vs. 0.65). The slope of the allometric relationship between above- and belowground biomass was steeper for temperate grasslands than for alpine. Our results did not support the hypothesis that aboveground biomass scales isometrically with belowground biomass. The R/S in China’s grasslands was not significantly correlated with mean annual temperature (MAT) or mean annual precipitation (MAP). Moreover, comparisons of our results with previous findings indicated a large difference between R/S data from individual plants and communities. This might be mainly caused by the underestimation of R/S at the individual level as a result of an inevitable loss of fine roots and the overestimation of R/S in community-level surveys due to grazing and difficulties in identifying dead roots. Our findings suggest that root biomass in grasslands tended to have been overestimated in previous reports of R/S.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

43,34 €

Price includes VAT (Finland)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

References

  1. Bazzaz F A. Allocation of resources in plants: State of the sciences and critical questions, in Plant resource allocation, Bazzaz F A and Grace J, Editors. San Diego: Academic Press, 1997. 1–37

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  2. Aerts R, Chapin III F S. The mineral nutrition of wild plants revisited: A re-evaluation of processes and patterns, in Advances in ecological research, 2000. 1–67

  3. Shipley B, Meziane D. The balanced-growth hypothesis and the allometry of leaf and root biomass allocation. Funct Ecol, 2002, 16: 326–331, 10.1046/j.1365-2435.2002.00626.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Niklas K J, Enquist B J. On the vegetative biomass partitioning of seed plant leaves, stems, and roots. Am Nat, 2002, 159: 482–497, 10.1086/339459, 18707431

    PubMed  Article  Google Scholar 

  5. West G B, Brown J H, Enquist B J. A general model for the origin of allometric scaling laws in biology. Science, 1997, 276: 122–126, 10.1126/science.276.5309.122, 1:CAS:528:DyaK2sXitl2jtro%3D, 9082983

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  6. West G B, Brown J H, Enquist B J. A general model for the structure and allometry of plant vascular systems. Nature, 1999, 400: 664–667, 10.1038/23251, 1:CAS:528:DyaK1MXlsVCktLk%3D

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Enquist B J, Niklas K J. Global allocation rules for patterns of biomass partitioning in seed plants. Science, 2002, 295: 1517–1520, 10.1126/science.1066360, 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD38XhsFyqtLo%3D, 11859193

    PubMed  CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Niklas K J. Modelling below-and above-ground biomass for non-woody and woody plants. Ann Bot, 2005, 95: 315–321, 15546927

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cheng D L, Niklas K J. Above-and belowground biomass relationships across 1534 forested communities. Ann Bot, 2007, 99: 95–102, 10.1093/aob/mcl206, 17085476

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Yang Y H, Fang J Y, Ma W H, et al. Large-scale pattern of biomass partitioning across China’s grasslands. Global Ecol Biogeogr, 2010, 19: 268–277, 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2009.00502.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Redmann R E. Primary production, in Natural grasslands. Introduction and western hemisphere, Ecosystems of the world. Coupland R T, Editor. London: Elsevier, 1992. 75–93

    Google Scholar 

  12. Kuzyakov Y, Domanski G. Carbon input by plants into the soil. Review. J Plant Nutr Soil Sci, 2000, 163: 421–431, 10.1002/1522-2624(200008)163:4<421::AID-JPLN421>3.0.CO;2-R, 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3cXmtFyrurc%3D

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Litton C M, Raich J W, Ryan M G. Carbon allocation in forest ecosystems. Global Change Biol, 2007, 13: 2089–2109, 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2007.01420.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Wilson J B. A review of evidence on the control of shoot: root ratio, in relation to models. Ann Bot, 1988, 61: 433–449

    Google Scholar 

  15. Yang Y H, Fang J Y, Ji C J, et al. Above- and belowground biomass allocation in Tibetan grasslands. J Veg Sci, 2009: 177–184

  16. Ma W H, Yang Y H, He J-S, et al. Above- and belowground biomass in relation to environmental factors in temperate grasslands, Inner Mongolia. Sci China Ser C-Life Sci, 2008, 51: 263–270, 10.1007/s11427-008-0029-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Fan J W, Wang K, Harris W, et al. Allocation of vegetation biomass across a climate-related gradient in the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. J Arid Environ, 2009, 73: 521–528, 10.1016/j.jaridenv.2008.12.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Mokany K, Raison R J, Prokushkin A S. Critical analysis of root:shoot ratios in terrestrial biomes. Global Change Biol, 2006, 12: 84–96, 10.1111/j.1365-2486.2005.001043.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Yang Y H. Carbon and Nitrogen storage in alpine grasslands on the Tibetan Plateau. Dissertation for the Doctoral Degree. Beijing: Peking University, 2008

    Google Scholar 

  20. Ma W H. Carbon storage of temperate grasslands ecosystem in Inner Mongolia Dissertation for the Doctoral Degree, Beijing: Peking University, 2006

    Google Scholar 

  21. Mohammat A. Carbon and Nitrogen storage of grasslands in Xinjiang. Dissertation for the Doctoral Degree, Beijing: Peking University, 2006

    Google Scholar 

  22. Ma W H, Fang J Y. R:S ratios of temperate steppe and environment controls in Inner Mongolian. Acta Sci Nat Uni Pek, 2006, 42: 661–665

    Google Scholar 

  23. Chinese Academy of Sciences Vegetation atlas of China. Beijing: Science Press, 2001

  24. Cornelissen J H C, Lavorel S, Garnier E, et al. A handbook of protocols for standardised and easy measurement of plant functional traits worldwide. Aust J Bot, 2003, 51: 335–380, 10.1071/BT02124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Hijmans R J, Cameron S E, Parra J L, et al. Very high resolution interpolated climate surfaces for global land areas. Int J Climatol, 2005, 25: 1965–1978, 10.1002/joc.1276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Ma W H, He J-S, Yang Y H, et al. Environmental factors covary with plant diversity-productivity relationships among Chinese grassland sites. Global Ecol Biogeogr, 2010, 19: 233–243, 10.1111/j.1466-8238.2009.00508.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Falster D S, Warton D I, Wright I J. Smatr: Standardized major axis tests and routines Version 2.0. http://www.bio.mq.edu.au/ecology/smatr accessed June 2007. 2006

  28. Niklas K J. Plant Allometry: The Scaling of Form and Process. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994

    Google Scholar 

  29. Fischer M, Matthies D, Schmid B. Responses of rare calcareous grassland plants to elevated CO2: a field experiment with Gentianella germanica and Gentiana cruciata. J Ecol, 1997, 85: 681–691, 10.2307/2960538

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Meekins J F, McCarthy B C. Responses of the biennial forest herb Alliaria petiolata to variation in population density, nutrient addition and light availability. J Ecol, 2000, 88: 447–463, 10.1046/j.1365-2745.2000.00461.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Vavrek M C, McGraw J B, Bennington C C. Ecological genetic variation in seed banks. III. Phenotypic and genetic differences between young and old seed populations of Carex bigelowii. J Ecol, 1991, 79: 645–662, 10.2307/2260659

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Wilson S D. Competition and resource availability in heath and grassland in the snowy mountains of Australia. J Ecol, 1993, 81: 445–451, 10.2307/2261523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Vogt K A, Persson H. Measuring growth and development of roots, in Techniques and approaches in forest tree ecophysiology, Lassoie J L, Hinckley T M, ed. CRC: Boca Raton. 1991. 477–502

    Google Scholar 

  34. Niklas K J, Enquist B J. Invariant scaling relationships for interspecific plant biomass production rates and body size. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2001, 98: 2922–2927, 10.1073/pnas.041590298, 1:CAS:528:DC%2BD3MXhslKmuro%3D, 11226342

    PubMed  CAS  PubMed Central  Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Hui D, Jackson R B. Geographical and interannual variability in biomass partitioning in grassland ecosystems: A synthesis of field data. New Phytol, 2005, 169: 85–93, 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01569.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Chapin III F S, Bloom A J, Field C B, et al. Plant responses to multiple environmental factors. BioSci, 1987, 37: 49–57, 10.2307/1310177

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China

    Liang Wang, KeChang Niu, YuanHe Yang & Peng Zhou

Authors
  1. Liang Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. KeChang Niu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. YuanHe Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Peng Zhou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liang Wang.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wang, L., Niu, K., Yang, Y. et al. Patterns of above- and belowground biomass allocation in China’s grasslands: Evidence from individual-level observations. Sci. China Life Sci. 53, 851–857 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-010-4027-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-010-4027-z

Keywords

  • aboveground biomass
  • allometry
  • alpine grassland
  • belowground biomass
  • Inner Mongolia
  • isometric relationship
  • root: shoot ratio
  • temperate grassland
  • Tibetan Plateau