|
|||||
|
|
The effects of water availability on root growth and morphology in an Amazon rainforest |
|
| Authors: | Daniel B Metcalfe Patrick Meir Luiz Eduardo O C Aragão Antonio C L da Costa Alan P Braga Paulo H L Gonçalves Joao de Athaydes Silva Junior Samuel S de Almeida Lorna A Dawson Yadvinder Malhi Mathew Williams |
| Institution: | 1. Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP, UK 2. Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), Ume?, 901 83, Sweden 3. Environmental Change Institute, Centre for the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK 4. Centro de Geociências, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, CP 1611 66017-970, Brazil 5. Coordena??o de Botanica, Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, CP 66077-530, Brazil 6. Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Aberdeen, AB15 8QH, UK 7. Institute of Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JN, UK |
| Abstract: | This study examined how root growth and morphology were affected by variation in soil moisture at four Amazon rainforest sites with contrasting vegetation and soil types. Mean annual site root mass, length and surface area growth ranged between 3–7 t ha?1, 2–4 km m?2 and 8–12 m2 m?2 respectively. Mean site specific root length and surface area varied between 8–10 km kg?1 and 24–34 m2 kg?1. Growth of root mass, length and surface area was lower when soil water was depleted (P?<?0.001) while specific root length and surface area showed the opposite pattern (P?<?0.001). These results indicate that changes in root length and surface area per unit mass, and pulses in root growth to exploit transient periods of high soil water availability may be important means for trees in this ecosystem to increase nutrient and water uptake under seasonal and longer-term drought conditions. |
| Keywords: | |
| 本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录！ | |