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Withington JM, Goebel M, Bułaj B, Oleksyn J, Reich PB, Eissenstat DM. Remarkable Similarity in Timing of Absorptive Fine-Root Production Across 11 Diverse Temperate Tree Species in a Common Garden. Front Plant Sci 2021; 11:623722. [PMID: 33584764 PMCID: PMC7875864 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2020.623722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Long-term minirhizotron observations of absorptive fine roots provide insights into seasonal patterns of belowground root production and carbon dynamics. Our objective was to compare root dynamics over time across mature individuals of 11 temperate trees species: five evergreen and six deciduous. We analyzed the timing and growth on 1st-and 2nd-order roots in minirhizotron images down to a vertical depth of 35 cm, as well as monthly and total annual length production. Production patterns were related to total annual precipitation of the actual and previous year of root production over 6 years. The main or largest peak of annual fine-root production occurred between June and September for almost all species and years. In most years, when peaks occurred, the timing of peak root production was synchronized across all species. A linear mixed model revealed significant differences in monthly fine-root length production across species in certain years (species x year, P < 0.0001), which was strongly influenced by three tree species. Total annual root production was much higher in 2000-2002, when there was above-average rainfall in the previous year, compared with production in 2005-2007, which followed years of lower-than-average rainfall (2003-2006). Compared to the wetter period all species experienced a decline of at least 75% in annual production in the drier years. Total annual root length production was more strongly associated with previous year's (P < 0.001) compared with the actual year's precipitation (P = 0.003). Remarkably similar timing of monthly absorptive fine-root growth can occur across multiple species of diverse phylogeny and leaf habit in a given year, suggesting a strong influence of extrinsic factors on absorptive fine-root growth. The influence of previous year precipitation on annual absorptive fine-root growth underscores the importance of legacy effects in biological responses and suggests that a growth response of temperate trees to extreme precipitation or drought events can be exacerbated across years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M. Withington
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Biology, State University of New York at Oneonta, Oneonta, NY, United States
| | - Marc Goebel
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, United States
| | - Bartosz Bułaj
- Department of Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Jacek Oleksyn
- Department of Forest Resources, The University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- Institute of Dendrology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Kórnik, Poland
| | - Peter B. Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, The University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, United States
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia
| | - David M. Eissenstat
- Intercollege Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States
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Withington JM, Elkin AD, Bułaj B, Olesiński J, Tracy KN, Bouma TJ, Oleksyn J, Anderson LJ, Modrzyński J, Reich PB, Eissenstat DM. The impact of material used for minirhizotron tubes for root research. New Phytol 2003; 160:533-544. [PMID: 33873660 DOI: 10.1046/j.1469-8137.2003.00903.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
• A wide variety of transparent materials are currently used for minirhizotron tubes. We tested the null hypothesis that minirhizotron composition does not influence root morphology and dynamics. • Minirhizotron data were compared for glass, acrylic and butyrate tubes in apple (Malus domestica) and acrylic and butyrate tubes in a study with six forest tree species. • Root phenology and morphology were generally similar among tubes. Apple root production was greatest against glass; these roots became pigmented later and lived longer than roots near acrylic or butyrate. Roots generally became pigmented faster next to butyrate than next to acrylic. Root survivorship was shorter near butyrate tubes in three of the four hardwood species; however, survivorship was shorter near acrylic tubes for the three conifer species. Comparison of minirhizotron standing crop data with root standing crop from cores showed that the acrylic data matched more closely than the butyrate data. • This study reveals that the transparent material used often has little effect on root production but can substantially influence root survivorship in some plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer M Withington
- Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, 103 Tyson Building, University Park, PA 16802-4200 USA
| | - Adrienne D Elkin
- Department of Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University, 103 Tyson Building, University Park, PA 16802-4200 USA
| | - Bartosz Bułaj
- Department of Silviculture, Agricultural University of Poznań, ul. Wojska Polskiego 69, PL 60-625 Poznań, Poland
| | - Jakub Olesiński
- Department of Silviculture, Agricultural University of Poznań, ul. Wojska Polskiego 69, PL 60-625 Poznań, Poland
| | - Keena N Tracy
- Department of Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University, 103 Tyson Building, University Park, PA 16802-4200 USA
| | - Tjeerd J Bouma
- Department of Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University, 103 Tyson Building, University Park, PA 16802-4200 USA
- Present address: Netherlands Institute of Ecology, PO Box 140, NL-4400 AC Yerseke, The Netherlands
| | - Jacek Oleksyn
- Department of Forest Resources, The University of Minnesota, 115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Avenue North, St Paul, MN 55108 USA
- Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Dendrology, Parkowa 5, PL 62-035 Kórnik, Poland
| | - Laurel J Anderson
- Department of Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University, 103 Tyson Building, University Park, PA 16802-4200 USA
- Present address: Department of Botany and Microbiology, 104 Bigelow-Rice Hall, Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, OH 43015 USA
| | - Jerzy Modrzyński
- Department of Silviculture, Agricultural University of Poznań, ul. Wojska Polskiego 69, PL 60-625 Poznań, Poland
| | - Peter B Reich
- Department of Forest Resources, The University of Minnesota, 115 Green Hall, 1530 Cleveland Avenue North, St Paul, MN 55108 USA
| | - David M Eissenstat
- Intercollege Graduate Program in Ecology, The Pennsylvania State University, 103 Tyson Building, University Park, PA 16802-4200 USA
- Department of Horticulture, The Pennsylvania State University, 103 Tyson Building, University Park, PA 16802-4200 USA
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