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39 results for “root decomposition”
Patterns of root biomass, productivity, turnover, and decomposition in riverine and scrub mangroves in the Everglades, Florida, USA, immediate-post-Irma, 2018-2019, and post-Irma, 2023-2024
Mangrove root biomass, productivity, and decomposition in the shallow (0-45 cm depth) root zone were estimated at Florida Coastal Everglades Long Term Ecological Research (FCE-LTER) Program Shark River (SRS4, SRS5, SRS6, SRS7) and Taylor River (TS/Ph6b, TS/Ph7b) mangrove sites during 2018-2019 and 2023-2024 following Hurricane Irma’s impacts in September 2017. Root biomass was estimated at all sites during both immediate-post-Irma (March 2018) and post-Irma (February-May 2023) periods with a PVC coring device (10.2 cm diameter x 45 cm length) using the same sampling protocol previously published for the study area (Castañeda-Moya et al. 2011). After collection, root cores were processed individually and initially rinsed with water through a 1-mm screen mesh to remove soil particles. Roots were separated manually based on their buoyancy, turgor, and color into biomass (live) and necromass (dead) components (Castañeda-Moya et al. 2011; Cormier et al. 2015; Medina-Calderon et al. 2021). Live roots were further sorted into three size diameter classes including fine (<2 mm), small (2-5 mm), and coarse (5-20 mm). Roots greater than 20 mm in diameter were not included in this study due to sampling limitations (i.e., core area). All root samples were oven-dried at 60°C to a constant mass and weighed to estimate root biomass and necromass (g m-2). Root productivity was estimated with the ingrowth core technique (Vogt et al., 1998) during both the immediate-post-Irma and post-Irma periods using the same sampling protocol previously published for the study area (Castañeda-Moya et al. 2011). Ingrowth cores (10.2 cm diameter x 45 cm length) were made of synthetic material (3 mm mesh) and filled with root-free commercial sphagnum peat moss. This material has similar soil properties (i.e., bulk density, organic matter content, total C and N) as mangrove peat in our study sites. Ingrowth cores were installed in each of the cored holes formed during sampling of root biomass. At each
Effects of Nitrogen Fertilization on Litter and Soil Decomposition: Fine Root Biomass and Chemistry
The influence of inorganic nitrogen (N) inputs on decomposition is poorly understood. Some prior studies suggest that N may reduce the decomposition of substrates with high concentrations of lignin via inhibitory effects on the activity of lignin-degrading enzymes, although such inhibition has not always been demonstrated. The purpose of E145 was to study the effects of nitrogen (N) addition on decomposition of seven substrates ranging in initial lignin concentrations (from 7.4 - 25.6%) over five years in eight different grassland and forest sites in central Minnesota.
Decomposition of Fine Woody Roots: a Time Series Approach, 1995 to 2006
We examined the effects of species, initial substrate quality, and site differences on woody root decomposition and its nitrogen dynamics in Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) dominated forests in Oregon, U.S.A. using a time series approach. Roots of fourteen species and five size classes were placed in the field to incubate and then collected at pre-planned intervals to determine mass loss and nitrogen content.
Ectomycorrhizal fungal effects on soil carbon storage, root litter decomposition, and fungal necromass decomposition
This project investigates the impacts of ectomycorrhizal-saprotrophic fungal interactions on soil C storage and the decomposition of root litter and fungal necromass. Specifically, we conducted a field experiment wherein the ectomycorrhizal:saprotrophic fungal ratio was reduced via experimental trenching (with control plots left untrenched). From these plots we then measured bulk soil C stocks, particulate organic matter C stocks, mineral associated organic matter C stocks, and the decomposition of root litter and fungal necromass. The Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve (CCESR) experiment name is e309 "The effects of mycelial morphology and mycorrhizal type on fungal necromass decomposition."
Root Decomposition and root in-growth rates for GCE marsh sites 6-9 from June 2003 to June 2004
Rates of decomposition and root in-growth were measured in four tidal marshes of the Georgia coast (USA) that vary in freshwater input. Replicate nylon mesh bags containing roots of dominant plant species were buried 20cm deep in marsh sediments at stream-side levee and marsh plain locations within GCE sampling sites 6, 7, 8 and 9 in June 2003. Dry weight, carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus content, and root in-growth were measured initially and every three months to evaluate the effects of freshwater input on root decomposition and growth rates. This study was part of the GCE-LTER soil monitoring program.
WAT04 Root decomposition and nutrient dynamics are resistant to rainfall legacies in tallgrass prairie
Purpose: Litter decomposition is an important component of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, and rates of mass loss and nutrient release are sensitive to current climate conditions. Growing evidence suggests that past climate conditions can exert legacies on soil C and N cycling, but little is known about how belowground decomposition dynamics relate to these climate legacies. Results: Root litter mass loss was resistant to most climate treatments. Contrary to expectations, decomposition rates were slowest in plots with a history of long-term irrigation and fastest under drought in lowland prairie. Similarly, mass loss rates were overall faster in the drier uplands. Changes in N concentration as a function of mass loss were similar across treatments and patterns of litter N release largely tracked mass loss. Conclusions: Changes in the decomposer community with long-term release from water stress may have led to slowed root decomposition, but these effects were subtle. Our results suggest that changes in decomposition rates are not a cause of observed climate legacy effects on C and N cycling in prairies.
Fine-root biomass production, sedge root, sedge leaf, and moss shoot decomposition, soil water-table level, and temperature data from two sedge fens in Finland
<p>Dataset including fine-root biomass production, mass loss of sedge (<em>Carex rostrata</em>) roots and leaves, and moss (<em>Sphagnum</em> <em>fallax</em>) shoots, along with environmental data (soil water-table level, air temperature, soil temperature at 5 cm, and soil temperature at 15 cm) from two sedge fens located in southern Finland (Lakkasuo, Orivesi, 61°48' N 24°19'E) and northern Finland (Lompolojänkkä, Kittilä, 68°N 24°12'E). Data are from a climate change experiment, where warming was induced with open top chambers (OTCs) and drying with shallow ditching. Data are from years 2011-2013.</p>
Microbial decomposition of 13-C labeled substrates across a gradient of root density, Marcell Experimental Forest, Minnesota, USA, 2014
Roots influence microbial decomposition of organic matter. We investigated how roots influence decomposition of a simple and complex carbon (C) substrate in mesocosms in a field experiment. Mesocosms were PVC lined with mesh that varied in size, which manipulated root access to soil and produced a gradient of root density. Mesocosms either received an injection of water (control), 13C labeled starch or 13C labeled leaf material. We collected gas samples from the mesocosms and analyzed 13C-CO2, microbial biomass, and enzyme activity. Our empirical data set was compared to a rhizosphere simulation model, CORPSE, to evaluate two alternative model hypotheses: 1) microbes are generalist decomposers, and 2) microbes have different affinities for substrates and may be influenced by roots differently. Our field experiment was conducted in 2014 at Marcell Experimental Forest, MN, USA. We installed mesocosms in May and after six weeks we injected water or substrates into soil. Gas samples were collected 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20, and 40 days after injections. Mesocosms that received the starch substrate were harvested from the field 5 days after injections and those receiving leaf material were harvested 40 days after injections. Half of the water-control mesocosm were harvested 5 and 40 days after injections to pair with the substrate mesocosm harvests. Our results suggested decomposition of leaf material was more sensitive to root density than starch. The CORPSE model simulations with microbe-substrate affinity (hypothesis 2) showed a similar pattern to the field experiment. One way that roots influence microbial decomposition is through alleviating C limitation via exudates. Overall, our results suggest that microbial decomposition of starch is not a C limited process and that root density does not alter the rate of starch decomposition. On the other hand, decomposition of more complex substrates such as leaf tissue, which contains cellulose, hemi cellulose, and lignin, may be
Long-term Carbon and Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Dynamics of Leaf and Fine Root Litter project (LIDET-Long-term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team) data for the ARC, Arctic LTER. 1990 to 2000.
This file is from the Long-term Carbon and Nitrogen, and Phosphorus Dynamics of Leaf and Fine Root Litter project (LIDET-Long-term Intersite Decomposition Experiment Team). This file contains only the Arctic LTER data. In particular the mass looses over the ten year study. Three types of fine roots (graminoid, hardwood, and conifer), six types of leaf litter (which ranged in lignin/nitrogen ratio from 5 to 75), and wooden dowels were used for litter incubations over a ten year period.
Litter and root decomposition data for Saddle, 1993 - 1994.
Plant tissues, foliage, and roots were collected from Niwot Ridge tundra species and composited into separate 2-gm samples. Foliage was placed in 10x20 cm litter bags with a 2mm^2 mesh to allow entry of invertebrates. Root tissues were placed in 10x20 cm^2 polyester fabric bags to prevent loss of fine root particulates. The foliage litter bags were placed on the tundra surface and secured by 10-penny nails. Root bags were buried in slits 15 cm deep. Each of the 18 1-m^2 research plots, consisted of 2 rows of 5 surface litterbags each. The upper row (with respect to slope) served as the control. The lower row was treated with ammonium nitrate at a rate of 20 g per m^2. Nitrogen will be applied at 3 monthly intervals during each of the growing seasons for the duration of the study. Litter bags (1 surface and 1 buried from each control and treatment) were collected from each plot on 18 September 1993. Additional collections were scheduled to be made in spring and fall of 1994 and spring of 1995. The samples were to be analyzed for changes in total mass, N concentration, and variation in C fractions.
Decoupling of nitrogen and phosphorus release from fine and coarse roots during seven years of decomposition
<ol> <li><span>Belowground litter decomposition represents an important source of the limiting nutrients nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to forest soils, but roots also immobilize these nutrients during the decomposition process.</span></li> <li> <span>Despite clear implications for soil fertility, the rates and drivers of nutrient immobilization and release </span><span>(as the percent of increase and decrease of the initial pool) </span><span>from root litter remain poorly understood, especially in coarse roots (> 2 mm diameter).</span> </li> <li> <span>To address this gap, we conducted a seven-year field decomposition experiment using roots from three species, across five diameter classes (</span><span>< 1 mm, 1–2 mm, 2–5 mm, 5–10 mm, and 10–20 mm</span><span>) in a temperate forest.</span> </li> <li> <span>Nitrogen and P dynamics were largely decoupled over the course of the experiment, and both </span><span>varied </span><span>by</span><span> species and root diameter. Roots released P to the surrounding soil within the first year of decomposition. In contrast, roots immobilized N for much longer, with the coarsest roots remaining a net N sink after 7 years.</span><span> Long-term N release was jointly controlled by initial nutrient and carbon (C) quality, whereas P release and decomposition rate </span><span>were</span><span> better predicted by initial C quality. Initial root nutrients well predicted the difference between long-term N versus P release.</span> </li> <li> <span><em>Synthesis</em>.</span><span> Our results highlight the fact that N and P dynamics should be considered separately when modelling nutrient release during root decomposition and suggest that the functional diversity of belowground biomass may have considerable afterlife effects on the relative availability of N and P in soil. We conclude that root litter, especially coarse root litter, represents a</span><span>n</span><span> underappreciated N sink in forest soils.</span> </li> </ol>
Data from: Different dynamics and controls of enzyme activities of leaf and root litter during decomposition
<p>Litter enzyme dynamics are strongly shaped by litter, soil, and microbial attributes during decomposition, however, enzyme dynamics of leaf and root litter remains unresolved due to contrasting differences in rates and controls on leaf and root litter decomposition.</p> <p>Herein, we conducted a 784-day field experiment to evaluate the relative importance of litter, alkaline soil, and microbial attributes to enzyme activities and their C:N:P stoichiometry of leaf and root litter during decomposition under subtropical land use change of China.</p> <p>We found that only the C- and N-acquiring enzyme activities of shrub leaves were greater than those of wood and crop, and there was no significant difference in P-acquiring enzyme activity among the three species of leaves. Both the C- and P-acquiring enzyme activities of crop roots were significantly lower than those of afforested lands (i.e., woodland and shrubland). The N-acquiring activities of wood roots were significantly lower than those of shrub and crop. At the temporal dynamics, the C-, N-, and P-acquiring enzyme activities of the leaves decreased with mass loss, which was affected by the shift in litter nutrients (e.g., N and P) and soil moisture during decomposition. In contrast, the three enzyme activities of roots increased with mass loss, largely due to the increase in microbial biomass of bacteria regulated by litter stoichiometry. The enzymatic C:nutrient (N and P) ratios declined with mass loss, but the enzymatic P:N ratios remained relatively constant with mass loss during the leaf litter decomposition. Whereas, both of the enzymatic C:nutrient ratios and enzymatic P:N ratios decreased with mass during the root litter decomposition. Our results showed that the enzymatic C:N:P stoichiometry of decaying leaves and roots was predominantly predicted by microbial biomass and bacterial biomass, respectively.</p> <p>Overall, we outlined the pattern of contrasting contributions of litter, soil, and microbial attributes to enzyme dynamics during decomposition, which provided a framework for better understanding litter C, N, and P dynamics in relation to microbial resource allocation strategy during decomposition.</p>
Data: Salt marsh litter quality and decomposition under sea-level rise scenarios: from leaves to fine absorptive roots
<p>litter chemical characteristic in salt marshes, including fine absorptive roots, fine transportive roots, rhizomes and leaves. </p> <p>mass loss of litter and chemical characteristics of those litter under sea level scenarios (manipulated in situ)</p>
The coordination between leaf and fine root litter decomposition and the difference of their controlling factors
<p><strong>Aim:</strong> As the two largest components of plant detritus input, leaf and root litter together determines ecosystem vegetation turnover and nutrient cycling rates. However, it remains unknown the similarities and differences between the controlling factors for their decomposition. We evaluated the relationship between leaf and fine root litter decomposition across biomes, and analyzed how litter traits, climate, soil conditions and decomposers shape their relationship.</p> <p><strong>Location:</strong> Global.</p> <p><strong>Time Period:</strong> 1984–2020.</p> <p><strong>Major Taxa Studied</strong>: Vascular plant.</p> <p><strong>Methods:</strong> We collected 352 paired leaf and fine root decomposition rates (k values) and ancillary traits, climate, soil condition and decomposer abundance data from 88 sites spanning the major global biomes. Boosted regression trees (BRTs) were applied to partition the factors that control root and leaf decomposition rates.</p> <p><strong>Results: </strong>Averaged across all biomes, leaf litter decomposes significantly faster (kleaf=0.72) than fine root (kroot=0.42). The BRTs indicated that plant traits best explained the variance in both leaf and root litter decomposition. The key chemical traits of leaf litter and fine root, including C:N, [P], N:P, [lignin], [cellulose], [NSCs] and [tannins], were positively correlated. Therefore, leaf and fine root k values were positively correlated within and across biomes, even after removing the influence of climate, soil conditions and decomposers. However, climate and decomposers had different impacts on leaf and fine root decomposition. Climate induced a greater impact on fine root litter decomposition, whereas decomposers had a greater influence on leaf litter decomposition.</p> <p><strong>Main Conclusions:</strong> Our finding indicates that plants evolve a coordinated nutrient supply and demand strategy. The high nutrient demand plants produce labile leaf and fine root litter, which decompose fast to meet their high nutrient requirements. However, leaf and fine root decomposition are also mediated by different combinations of trait, climate, soil condition and decomposer factors, which weakens the coordination between leaf and fine root decomposition.</p>
Data from: A trait-based root acquisition-defence-decomposition framework in angiosperm tree species
<p>Plants make trade-offs between root resource acquisition and defence ability, for adapting to the complex belowground environment. This includes forming partnerships with different types of root associating microorganisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi. These trade-offs, by mediating root chemistry, exert legacy effects on nutrient release during decomposition, which may, in turn, affect the ability of new roots to re-acquire resources, thereby generating a feedback loop. However, the linkages at the basis of this potential feedback loop remain largely unquantified. Here, we propose a trait-based root 'acquisition-defence-decomposition' conceptual framework and test the strength of relevant linkages across 90 angiosperm tree species. We show that, at the plant species level, the root-fungal symbiosis gradient within the root economics space, root chemical defence (condensed tannins), and root decomposition rate are closely linked, providing support to this framework. Beyond the dichotomy between arbuscular mycorrhizal-dominated versus ectomycorrhizal-dominated systems, we suggest a continuous shift in feedback loops, from "high arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis-low defence-fast decomposition-inorganic nutrition" by evolutionarily ancient taxa to "high ectomycorrhizal symbiosis-high defence-slow decomposition-organic nutrition" by more modern taxa. This 'acquisition-defence-decomposition' framework provides solid foundation for testable hypotheses on the multidimensional linkages between species' belowground strategies and ecosystem nutrient cycling in evolutionary context.</p>
Salt marsh litter quality and decomposition under sea-level rise scenarios: from leaves to fine absorptive roots
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Home-field advantage meets priming effect in root decomposition: Implications for belowground carbon dynamics
<p>1. Home-field advantage (HFA) states that litter decomposes faster in 'home' than in 'away' soil, due to the specialization of decomposer organisms in decomposing litter derived from their local plant community. Demonstration of the HFA effect has been overwhelmingly based on aboveground leaf litter despite the fact that roots play a pivotal role in carbon (C) and nutrient cycling.</p> <p>2. Labile C input in root exudates and newly shed root litters can enhance the activity of soil microorganisms, which in turn can favor the breakdown of older root litter, also referred to as the priming effect. It remains, however, unclear how the addition of fresh root-derived inputs affects HFA on the decomposition of absorptive roots (ARs) and transport roots (TRs), which have a different chemical composition.</p> <p>3. Here, we conducted a two-stage (endogenous C consumption versus exogenous C priming) reciprocal transplant microcosm experiment to explore the effects of HFA on the decomposition of lower-quality ARs and higher-quality TRs of two subtropical tree species (Pinus elliottii and Cunninghamia lanceolata) and their responses to either labile (glucose) or recalcitrant (fresh ARs) C additions.</p> <p>4. Decomposition of lower-quality ARs exhibited neutral HFA, while decomposition of higher-quality TRs exhibited positive HFA. The absence of HFA for short-lived ARs was possibly due to the legacy effect of their chemical defenses on decomposition. The neutral HFA for ARs became negative with glucose addition, which was linked to the dissimilarity of fungal community between the home and away soils. Neither glucose nor fresh ARs additions changed the HFA pattern of TRs, implying that these long-lived roots play a reinforced role in soil C accumulation when they decompose away from their origins.</p> <p>5. These results indicate that the effect of HFA on decomposition differs between ARs and TRs, and could be modified by the priming effect induced by the root-derived C input. In general, our findings highlight that complex 'HFA-priming' interactions on root decomposition should be explicitly considered in the paradigm of belowground C dynamics.</p>
Decomposition and nutrient dynamics of stumps and coarse roots of Eucalyptus plantations in southern China
<p>This study aimed to (1) quantify the stocks of biomass and nutrients from <em>Eucalyptus</em> stumps and coarse roots along a chrono-sequence of 0–6-year-old clear-cutting stands and (2) estimate the loss rate of biomass and nutrients, as well as the nutrient dynamics of stumps and coarse roots, to elucidate (1) if the biomass of coarse roots is higher than that of stumps and (2) if there is faster decomposition and nutrient loss rate from stumps from than coarse roots. <strong><em>Conclusion:</em></strong> Stumps and coarse roots serve as significant nutrients stocks that decay at varying rates. The loss of nutrients must be considered while analyzing the decomposition dynamics following clear-cutting in <em>Eucalyptus</em> plantations.</p> <p>This dataset is related to a research paper submitted to Annals of Forest Science.</p>
Root litter decomposition is suppressed in species mixtures and in the presence of living roots
<p>Plant species diversity and identity can significantly modify litter decomposition, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive, particularly for root litter. Here, we aimed to disentangle the mechanisms by which plant species diversity alters root litter decomposition We hypothesised that 1) interactions between species in mixed communities result in litter that decomposes faster than litter produced in monocultures; 2) litter decomposition is accelerated in the presence of living plants, especially when the litter and living plant identities are matched (known as home field advantage).</p> <p>Monocultures and a mixture of four common grassland species were established to obtain individual litter and a 'natural' root litter mixture. An 'artificial' mixed litter was created using litter from monocultures, mixed in the same proportions as the species composition in the natural litter mixtures based on qPCR measurements. These six root litter types were incubated in four monocultures, a four-species mixture, and an unplanted soil.</p> <p>Root decomposition was strongly affected by root litter identity and the presence, but not diversity, of living roots. Mixed-species litter decomposed slower than expected based on the decomposition of single-species litters. In addition, the presence of living roots suppressed decomposition independent of the match between litter and living plant identities. Decomposition was not significantly different between the 'natural' and 'artificial' root litter mixtures, indicating that root-root interactions in species mixtures did not affect root chemical quality.</p> <p>Synthesis: Suppressed decomposition in the presence of living roots indicates that interactions between microbial communities associated with living roots and root litter control root litter decomposition. As we found no support for the importance of home field advantage or interspecific root interactions in modifying decomposition, suppressed decomposition of mixed-species litter seems to be primarily driven by chemical rather than biotic interactions.</p>
Data from: Soil moisture mediates the effect of plant belowground carbon allocation on the decomposition of root litter in a subtropical forest
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