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Root development across a chronosequence in a Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) plantation

  • SPECIAL FEATURE: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Development and function of roots of forest trees in Japan
  • Published:
Journal of Forest Research

Abstract

We investigated the biomass, vertical distribution, and specific root length (SRL) of fine and small roots in a chronosequence of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) plantations in Nara Prefecture, central Japan. Roots were collected from soil blocks up to 50 cm in depth in five plantations of differing age: 4, 15, 30, 41, and 88 years old. Fine-root biomass reached a maximum (639 g m−2) in the 15-year-old stand before canopy closure, decreased in the 30-year-old stand (422 g m−2), and thereafter was stable. Except in the 30-year-old stand, fine-root biomass increased in deeper soil layers as stand age increased, and the depth at which the cumulative biomass of fine roots reached 90% exhibited a good allometric relationship with mean stem diameter. Both root-length density (root length per unit soil volume) and SRL decreased with soil depth in all stands, indicating that plants mainly acquire water and nutrients from shallow soils. The highest SRL was observed in the 4-year-old stand, but the relationship between SRL and stand age was unclear in older stands. The SRL in surface soils seemed to decrease with increases in root-length density, suggesting that branching of the fine-root system during development is related to density-dependent processes rather than age.

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Author notes

  1. Reiji Fujimaki

    Present address: Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-7 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama, 240-8501, Japan

  2. Ryunosuke Tateno

    Present address: Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan

    Reiji Fujimaki

  2. Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan

    Ryunosuke Tateno

  3. Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan

    Naoko Tokuchi

Authors
  1. Reiji Fujimaki
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  2. Ryunosuke Tateno
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  3. Naoko Tokuchi
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Correspondence to Reiji Fujimaki.

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Fujimaki, R., Tateno, R. & Tokuchi, N. Root development across a chronosequence in a Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) plantation. J For Res 12, 96–102 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-006-0256-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10310-006-0256-1

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