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Analysing the role of soil properties, initial biomass and ozone on observed plant growth variability in a lysimeter study

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Abstract

This simulation study is based on a lysimeter experiment with juvenile beech trees (Fagus sylvatica L.) which were grown under ambient or doubled ambient atmospheric ozone concentrations. The aim of the study was to analyze the role of differences in soil properties, differences in initial biomass and ozone impacts on observed plant growth variability at the eight lysimeters of this experiment. For this purpose, we established a new simulation model based on the model system Expert-N by coupling soil water and nitrogen transport models with the plant growth model PLATHO, which was already tested and applied for juvenile beech. In order to parameterize the soil model, for all lysimeters soil hydraulic parameters as well as carbon and nitrogen stocks were measured. Simulation results reveal that the observed decreased growth rates under elevated ozone are due to ozone impacts on plant growth, whereas the high plant growth variability between lysimeters is to a major part the consequence of differences in soil hydraulic properties. Differences in initial biomass are of minor importance to explain plant growth variability in this experiment.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft which funded this study within the frame of Sonderforschungsbereich 607 Growth and Parasite Defence—Competition for Resources in Economic Plants from Forestry and Agronomy.

We further thank Dr. Thorsten Grams for providing above ground biomass and stem diameter data, Wolfgang Graf, Hans Lang and Oliver Gefke for providing climate and soil water balance data as well as Dr. Frank Fleischmann, Dr. Felix Haesler, Dr. Jürgen Esperschütz, Gunda Stoelken, Gudrun Hufnagel, Monika Kugelmann, Wolfgang Eigner, Marcus Lehmann, Josef Heckmair and Tina Schmidt for digging soil cores and roots out of approximately 30,000 kg loam.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany

    S. Gayler, C. Klier & E. Priesack

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering, Helmholtz Center Munich, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764, Neuherberg, Germany

    J. B. Winkler

  3. Lehrstuhl für Bodenkunde, Technische Universität München, Am Hochanger 2, 85354, Freising, Germany

    C. W. Mueller

  4. Fachgebiet Waldernährung und Wasserhaushalt, Technische Universität München, Am Hochanger 13, 85354, Freising, Germany

    W. Weis

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  1. S. Gayler
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  2. C. Klier
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  3. C. W. Mueller
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  4. W. Weis
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  5. J. B. Winkler
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  6. E. Priesack
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Correspondence to S. Gayler.

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Responsible Editor: Johan Six.

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Gayler, S., Klier, C., Mueller, C.W. et al. Analysing the role of soil properties, initial biomass and ozone on observed plant growth variability in a lysimeter study. Plant Soil 323, 125–141 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-009-9993-1

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