Fine root biomass and morphology in a temperate forest are influenced more by canopy water addition than by canopy nitrogen addition

Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

Ecology and Evolution

Mengke Li¹  Wen Li¹  Haowei Liu¹  Ruomin Sun¹  Dandan Zhu¹  Lei Ma¹  Shenglei Fu¹  Wenqian Wang¹  Chuang Wang¹  Wenzhi Du²  Yifei Shi³ 

[1] College of Geography and Environmental Science, Henan University, Kaifeng, China;Dabieshan National Observation and Research Field Station of Forest Ecosystem at Henan, Kaifeng, China;Key Laboratory of Geospatial Technology for Middle and Lower Yellow River Regions (Henan University), Ministry of Education, Kaifeng, China;Jigongshan National Nature Reserve, Xinyang, China;State Key Laboratory of Cotton Biology, Institute of Cotton Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Anyang, China;

关键词: canopy nitrogen addition;    canopy water addition;    fine root biomass;    temperate forest;    root morphology;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fevo.2023.1132248

 received in 2022-12-27, accepted in 2023-03-08,  发布年份 2023

来源: Frontiers

【 摘 要 】

IntroductionIncreasing atmospheric N deposition and changes in precipitation patterns could profoundly impact forest community structure and ecosystem functions. However, most N and water (W) addition experiments have focused on direct N application to leaf litter or soil, neglecting canopy processes such as leaf evaporation and absorption.MethodsIn this study, we aimed to assess the effects of atmospheric N deposition and increased precipitation on the fine root biomass and morphology of plants in a temperate deciduous forest. To achieve this, we applied N and W above the forest canopy and quantified the seasonal dynamics (January, July, and October) of fine root biomass and morphology.ResultsOur results revealed that only canopy W addition significantly increased the biomass of fine roots in January compared to that in other seasons (p < 0.05). We observed no significant interaction effect of N and W on fine root biomass. However, we found that the different growth seasons had a significant impact on the fine root biomass (p < 0.001). The combined application of N and W significantly affected the root tip density (p = 0.002). Although canopy N addition was significantly positively correlated with available soil N (p < 0.05), we detected no significant association with fine root biomass or morphology.DiscussionThe findings of this study indicated that fine root biomass and morphology, are affected to a greater extent by the provision of W than by N application. These findings provide a new perspective and a more precise understanding of the effects of the actual N deposition and precipitation on the dynamics of plant fine roots in forest ecosystems.

【 授权许可】

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Copyright © 2023 Li, Wang, Liu, Wang, Sun, Li, Shi, Zhu, Du, Ma and Fu.