Abstract
Fine root systems and mycorrhizal associations were examined in the central Amazonian várzea and igapó floodplain forests. While the várzea forest is located on fertile soil, infertile soil conditions prevail in the igapó region. Quantitative root analyses comprised of fine root length density within 8.5 cm soil depth (as a measure of root concentration) and fine root production rate within 43 cm soil depth. Fine root branching patterns and root symbioses with arbuscular/ endomycorrhiza (AM) or ectomycorrhiza (EM) were determined qualitatively. Fine root systems showed marked differences between the forest types. Fine root length densities, for both living and dead roots, were higher in the igapó as compared to the várzea. In spite of the greater fine root concentration within the topsoil, the fine root production rate was lower in the igapó relative to the várzea. It therefore appears that root longevity was greater and dead root decomposition lower in the igapó than in the várzea. While the majority of fine roots were concentrated within the surface horizon of the igapó, they extended to greater soil depth (43 cm) in the várzea. Root branching was characterised by higher ‘numbers of short roots’ in the igapó, while the ‘relative total root lengths’ were much higher in the várzea. In general, igapó roots were better equipped to retain nutrients within the soil-plant ecosystem through greater root concentration, greater root longevity and more intensive branching. Both forests associated predominantly with AM. EM symbiosis was only detected on Aldina latifolia in the igapó. The proposal by Singer and Araujo (1986) that the igapó forest should be viewed as an ectotrophic forest could not be confirmed by this study, as most of the tree species were symbiotically associated with the AM-type in both forests.
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Acknowledgments
The author (Dr. U. Meyer) is grateful to Prof. Dr. Ulrich Babel of the Universität Hohenheim for the supervision of this study. This study was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, the Max-Plank Institute of Limnology and the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia (INPA, Manaus). The plant species composition was determined by Mr. J. Revilla and L. Coehlo.
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Meyer, U., Junk, W.J., Linck, C. (2010). Fine Root Systems and Mycorrhizal Associations in Two Central Amazonian Inundation Forests: Igapó and Várzea. In: Junk, W., Piedade, M., Wittmann, F., Schöngart, J., Parolin, P. (eds) Amazonian Floodplain Forests. Ecological Studies, vol 210. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8725-6_8
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