Abstract
Water table fluctuation in arid land regions may alter tree fine-root growth and mortality, thereby affecting leaf growth. To reveal the effects of water table fluctuation on fine-root growth and mortality and their relation to leaf growth, we exposed P. alba L. cuttings to various fluctuating water table depths. 1-year-old rooted cuttings were grown individually in pots containing sandy soil in a greenhouse in three water table depth treatments for 45 days: constant depth at 45 cm from the soil surface, fluctuating depths between 45 and 30 cm, and fluctuating depths between 45 and 15 cm. Fine-root biomass and mortality, biomass partitioning among plant parts, and whole-tree growth responses were determined in cuttings harvested every 15 days. Fluctuation of water tables increased the mortality of fine roots at the layers near the soil surface. Fine-root mortality increased during the shallower water table depth period. At the whole-root system level, although fine-root mortality increased when the water table was shallower, fine-root biomass was similar among the treatments, suggesting that P. alba cuttings would sustains its standing fine-root biomass under fluctuating water table depth conditions. Our structural equation modeling showed the fine-root proportion affects leaf morphological changes, suggesting that there would be a parallel relationship of morphological changes between roots and leaves with fluctuating water tables.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Block RMA, Rees KCJ, Knight JD (2006) A review of fine root dynamics in Populus plantations. Agrofor Syst 67:73–84
Bryla DR, Bouma TJ, Eissenstat DM (1997) Root respiration in citrus acclimates to temperature and slows during drought. Plant Cell Environ 20:1411–1420
Eissenstat DM, Wells CE, Yanai RD, Whitbeck JL (2000) Building roots in a changing environment: implications for root longevity. New Phytol 147:33–42
Hendricks JJ, Hendrick RL, Wilson CA, Mitchell RJ, Pecot SD, Guo DL (2006) Assessing the patterns and controls of fine root dynamics: an empirical test and methodological review. J Ecol 94:40–57
Huang BR, Gao HW (2000) Root physiological characteristics associated with drought resistance in tall fescue cultivars. Crop Sci 40:196–203
Imada S, Yamanaka N, Tamai S (2008) Water table depth affects Populus alba fine root growth and whole plant biomass. Funct Ecol 22:1018–1026
Joslin JD, Wolfe MH (1998) Impacts of water input manipulations on fine root production and mortality in a mature hardwood forest. Plant Soil 204:165–174
Joslin JD, Wolfe MH, Hanson PJ (2001) Factors controlling the timing of root elongation intensity in a mature upland oak stand. Plant Soil 228:201–212
Kirkham MB, Grecu SJ, Kanemasu ET (1998) Comparison of minirhizotrons and the soil-water-depletion method to determine maize and soybean root length and depth. Eur J Agron 8:117–125
Kojima T (2003) Structural equation modeling and graphical modeling learned with excel (in Japanese). Ohmsha, Tokyo
Kranjcec J, Mahoney JM, Rood SB (1998) The responses of three riparian cottonwood species to water table decline. For Ecol Manage 110:77–87
Mainiero R, Kazda M (2006) Depth-related fine root dynamics of Fagus sylvatica during exceptional drought. For Ecol Manage 237:135–142
Marshall JD (1986) Drought and shade interact to cause fine-root mortality in Douglas-fir seedlings. Plant Soil 91:51–60
Matamala R, Gonzàlez-Meler MA, Jastrow JD, Norby RJ, Schlesinger WH (2003) Impacts of fine root turnover on forest NPP and soil C sequestration potential. Science 30:1385–1387
Naumburg E, Mata-Gonzalez R, Hunter RG, McLendon T, Martin DW (2005) Phreatophytic vegetation and groundwater fluctuations: a review of current research and application of ecosystem response modeling with an emphasis on Great Basin vegetation. Environ Manage 35:726–740
Norby RJ (1994) Issues and perspectives for investigating root responses to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. Plant Soil 165:9–20
Norby RJ, Jackson RB (2000) Root dynamics and global change: seeking an ecosystem perspective. New Phytol 147:3–12
O’Grady AP, Worledge D, Battaglia M (2006) Above- and below-ground relationships, with particular reference to fine roots, in a young Eucalyptus globulus (Labill.) stand in southern Tasmania. Trees 20:531–538
Pregitzer KS, Hendrick RL, Fogel R (1993) The demography of fine roots in response to patches of water and nitrogen. New Phytol 125:575–580
Reich PB, Walters MB, Tjoelker MG, Vanderklein D, Buschena C (1998) Photosynthesis and respiration rates depend on leaf and root morphology and nitrogen concentration in nine boreal tree species differing in relative growth rate. Funct Ecol 12:395–405
Rood SB, Braatne JH, Hughes FMR (2003) Ecophysiology of riparian cottonwoods: stream flow dependency, water relations and restoration. Tree Physiol 23:1113–1124
Yamamoto K (2003) LIA32. Available from World Wide Web. http://www.agr.nagoya-u.ac.jp/~shinkan/LIA32/index.html
Yang SL, Yano T, Aydin M, Kitamura Y, Takeuchi S (2002) Short term effects of saline irrigation on evapotranspiration from lysimeter-grown citrus trees. Agric Water Manage 56:131–141
Yin CY, Wang X, Duan BL, Luo JX, Li CY (2005) Early growth, dry matter allocation and water use efficiency of two sympatric Populus species as affected by water stress. Environ Exp Bot 53:315–322
Zhang X, Wu N, Li C (2005) Physiological and growth responses of Populus davidiana ecotypes to different soil water contents. J Arid Environ 60:567–579
Acknowledgments
We thank Shigeo Katagiri, Faculty of Agriculture, Shimane University, and Mitsuhiro Inoue, Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University for their helpful comments on this study. We also thank Takeshi Taniguchi, Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, for discussion and suggestion on the data analysis. We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and the editor for their comments and suggestions on an earlier version of the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicated by C. Lovelock.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Imada, S., Yamanaka, N. & Tamai, S. Fine-root growth, fine root mortality, and leaf morphological change of Populus alba in response to fluctuating water tables. Trees 24, 499–506 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-010-0419-8
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-010-0419-8