Root biomass of a dry deciduous tropical forest in Mexico

The deciduous tropical dry forest at Chamela (Jalisco, Mexico) occurs in a seasonal climate with eight rainless (November through June) and four wet months (700 mm annual precipitation). The forest reaches a mean height of 10 m. Tree density in the research area was 4700 trees per ha with a basal area at breast height of 23 m² per ha. The above-and below-ground biomass of trees, shrubs, and lianas was 73.6 Mg ha^–1 and 31 Mg ha^–1, respectively. A root:shoot biomass ratio of 0.42 was calculated. Nearly two thirds of all roots occur in the 0–20 cm soil layer and 29% of all roots have a diameter of less than 5 mm.