Shift from Acquisitive to Conservative Root Resource Acquisition Strategy Associated with Increasing Tree Age: A Case Study of Fraxinus mandshurica
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Study Site
2.2. Trees Selection and Root Sampling
2.3. Root Exudation Measurements
2.4. Root Respiration Measurements
2.5. Measurements of Root Morphological Traits
2.6. Measurements of Soil Properties and Root Nitrogen Concentration
2.7. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Root Morphological Traits
3.2. Root N Concentration, Respiration and Exudation Rates
3.3. Linkages of Root Respiration and Exudation Rates to Root Morphological and Chemical Traits
3.4. Relationship between Root Respiration Rate and Exudation Rate
4. Discussion
4.1. Variations of Root Traits Associated with Tree Age
4.2. Relationships of Root Respiration and Exudation with Other Root Traits
4.3. Root-Derived C Allocation to Root Respiration and Exudation
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Ontogenetic Stage (Tree Age (Years)) | Mean DBH/Ground Diameter (Cm) | Mean Height (M) | Soil Ph | Total Soil Carbon (G Kg−1) | Total Soil Nitrogen (G Kg−1) | Soil Total Available Nitrogen (Mg Kg−1) | Soil Available Phosphorus (Mg Kg−1) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Young (4–10) | 2.17 ± 0.41 | 0.64 ± 0.08 | 5.55 ± 0.06b | 66.44 ± 6.22b | 4.79 ± 0.43b | 24.54 ± 2.20a | 7.93 ± 1.35a |
Middle-aged (30–50) | 16.26 ± 1.80 | 17.16 ± 1.61 | 5.51 ± 0.10b | 151.44 ± 14.81a | 12.05 ± 0.99a | 24.48 ± 1.45a | 9.65 ± 1.81a |
Mature (70–90) | 35.46 ± 0.82 | 24.97 ± 1.69 | 6.08 ± 0.13a | 149.93 ± 21.89a | 12.23 ± 1.69a | 25.94 ± 1.92a | 7.94 ± 1.23a |
Root Traits | RR (n mol CO2 g−1 h−1) | RE (mg C g−1 h−1) | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Young | Middle-Aged | Mature | All Ages | Young | Middle-Aged | Mature | All Ages | ||
RD (mm) | r | −0.89 | −0.94 | −0.85 | −0.93 | −0.74 | −0.90 | −0.91 | −0.84 |
p | 0.046 | 0.016 | 0.067 | <0.001 | 0.156 | 0.039 | 0.035 | <0.001 | |
SRL (m g−1) | r | 0.95 | 0.97 | 0.71 | 0.73 | 0.82 | 0.96 | 0.76 | 0.84 |
p | 0.012 | 0.005 | 0.177 | 0.002 | 0.088 | 0.011 | 0.137 | <0.001 | |
SRA (m2 kg−1) | r | 0.96 | 0.97 | 0.99 | 0.72 | 0.97 | 0.94 | 0.97 | 0.87 |
p | 0.010 | 0.005 | 0.002 | 0.001 | 0.005 | 0.018 | 0.007 | 0.011 | |
RTD (g cm−3) | r | −0.98 | −0.97 | −0.82 | −0.28 | −0.93 | −0.97 | −0.90 | −0.40 |
p | 0.004 | 0.007 | 0.088 | 0.309 | 0.024 | 0.008 | 0.039 | 0.135 | |
RN (mg g−1) | r | 0.98 | 0.76 | 0.94 | 0.89 | 0.89 | 0.84 | 0.97 | 0.91 |
p | 0.004 | 0.133 | 0.019 | <0.001 | 0.044 | 0.075 | 0.008 | <0.001 |
Ontogenetic Stage (Tree Age (Years)) | Slope | Intercept | R2 | p |
---|---|---|---|---|
Young (4–10) | 0.55a | −0.34 | 0.84 | 0.028 |
Middle-aged (30–50) | 0.19b | 0.15 | 0.94 | 0.007 |
Mature (70–90) | 0.27ab | 0.09 | 0.95 | 0.005 |
All ages | 0.26 | 0.11 | 0.82 | 0.022 |
Fine Root Traits | Total Soil Carbon (g kg−1) | Total Soil Nitrogen (g kg−1) | Soil pH | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Correlation Coefficient (r) | p | Correlation Coefficient (r) | p | Correlation Coefficient (r) | p | |
RR (n mol CO2 g−1 h−1) | −0.011 | 0.969 | −0.077 | 0.785 | −0.062 | 0.826 |
RE (mg C g−1 h−1) | −0.088 | 0.755 | −0.138 | 0.624 | 0.060 | 0.829 |
RD (mm) | −0.107 | 0.704 | −0.044 | 0.875 | 0.036 | 0.899 |
SRL (m g−1) | −0.127 | 0.653 | −0.152 | 0.588 | 0.067 | 0.814 |
SRA (m2 kg−1) | −0.473 | 0.075 | −0.500 | 0.058 | −0.105 | 0.709 |
RTD (g cm−3) | −0.757 | 0.001 | −0.739 | 0.002 | −0.743 | 0.002 |
RN (mg g−1) | −0.227 | 0.416 | −0.282 | 0.309 | −0.081 | 0.774 |
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Li, Z.; Liu, Z.; Gao, G.; Yang, X.; Gu, J. Shift from Acquisitive to Conservative Root Resource Acquisition Strategy Associated with Increasing Tree Age: A Case Study of Fraxinus mandshurica. Forests 2021, 12, 1797. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12121797
Li Z, Liu Z, Gao G, Yang X, Gu J. Shift from Acquisitive to Conservative Root Resource Acquisition Strategy Associated with Increasing Tree Age: A Case Study of Fraxinus mandshurica. Forests. 2021; 12(12):1797. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12121797
Chicago/Turabian StyleLi, Zuwang, Zhi Liu, Guoqiang Gao, Xinlei Yang, and Jiacun Gu. 2021. "Shift from Acquisitive to Conservative Root Resource Acquisition Strategy Associated with Increasing Tree Age: A Case Study of Fraxinus mandshurica" Forests 12, no. 12: 1797. https://doi.org/10.3390/f12121797