TY - JOUR
T1 - Fine root dynamics across pantropical rainforest ecosystems
AU - Huaraca Huasco, Walter
AU - Riutta, Terhi
AU - Girardin, Cécile A.J.
AU - Hancco Pacha, Fernando
AU - Puma Vilca, Beisit L.
AU - Moore, Sam
AU - Rifai, Sami W.
AU - del Aguila-Pasquel, Jhon
AU - Araujo Murakami, Alejandro
AU - Freitag, Renata
AU - Morel, Alexandra C.
AU - Demissie, Sheleme
AU - Doughty, Christopher E.
AU - Oliveras, Imma
AU - Galiano Cabrera, Darcy F.
AU - Durand Baca, Liliana
AU - Farfán Amézquita, Filio
AU - Silva Espejo, Javier E.
AU - da Costa, Antonio C.L.
AU - Oblitas Mendoza, Erick
AU - Quesada, Carlos Alberto
AU - Evouna Ondo, Fidele
AU - Edzang Ndong, Josué
AU - Jeffery, Kathryn J.
AU - Mihindou, Vianet
AU - White, Lee J.T.
AU - N'ssi Bengone, Natacha
AU - Ibrahim, Forzia
AU - Addo-Danso, Shalom D.
AU - Duah-Gyamfi, Akwasi
AU - Djaney Djagbletey, Gloria
AU - Owusu-Afriyie, Kennedy
AU - Amissah, Lucy
AU - Mbou, Armel T.
AU - Marthews, Toby R.
AU - Metcalfe, Daniel B.
AU - Aragão, Luiz E.O.
AU - Marimon-Junior, Ben H.
AU - Marimon, Beatriz S.
AU - Majalap, Noreen
AU - Adu-Bredu, Stephen
AU - Abernethy, Katharine A.
AU - Silman, Miles
AU - Ewers, Robert M.
AU - Meir, Patrick
AU - Malhi, Yadvinder
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2021/8
Y1 - 2021/8
N2 - Fine roots constitute a significant component of the net primary productivity (NPP) of forest ecosystems but are much less studied than aboveground NPP. Comparisons across sites and regions are also hampered by inconsistent methodologies, especially in tropical areas. Here, we present a novel dataset of fine root biomass, productivity, residence time, and allocation in tropical old-growth rainforest sites worldwide, measured using consistent methods, and examine how these variables are related to consistently determined soil and climatic characteristics. Our pantropical dataset spans intensive monitoring plots in lowland (wet, semi-deciduous, and deciduous) and montane tropical forests in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia (n = 47). Large spatial variation in fine root dynamics was observed across montane and lowland forest types. In lowland forests, we found a strong positive linear relationship between fine root productivity and sand content, this relationship was even stronger when we considered the fractional allocation of total NPP to fine roots, demonstrating that understanding allocation adds explanatory power to understanding fine root productivity and total NPP. Fine root residence time was a function of multiple factors: soil sand content, soil pH, and maximum water deficit, with longest residence times in acidic, sandy, and water-stressed soils. In tropical montane forests, on the other hand, a different set of relationships prevailed, highlighting the very different nature of montane and lowland forest biomes. Root productivity was a strong positive linear function of mean annual temperature, root residence time was a strong positive function of soil nitrogen content in montane forests, and lastly decreasing soil P content increased allocation of productivity to fine roots. In contrast to the lowlands, environmental conditions were a better predictor for fine root productivity than for fractional allocation of total NPP to fine roots, suggesting that root productivity is a particularly strong driver of NPP allocation in tropical mountain regions.
AB - Fine roots constitute a significant component of the net primary productivity (NPP) of forest ecosystems but are much less studied than aboveground NPP. Comparisons across sites and regions are also hampered by inconsistent methodologies, especially in tropical areas. Here, we present a novel dataset of fine root biomass, productivity, residence time, and allocation in tropical old-growth rainforest sites worldwide, measured using consistent methods, and examine how these variables are related to consistently determined soil and climatic characteristics. Our pantropical dataset spans intensive monitoring plots in lowland (wet, semi-deciduous, and deciduous) and montane tropical forests in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia (n = 47). Large spatial variation in fine root dynamics was observed across montane and lowland forest types. In lowland forests, we found a strong positive linear relationship between fine root productivity and sand content, this relationship was even stronger when we considered the fractional allocation of total NPP to fine roots, demonstrating that understanding allocation adds explanatory power to understanding fine root productivity and total NPP. Fine root residence time was a function of multiple factors: soil sand content, soil pH, and maximum water deficit, with longest residence times in acidic, sandy, and water-stressed soils. In tropical montane forests, on the other hand, a different set of relationships prevailed, highlighting the very different nature of montane and lowland forest biomes. Root productivity was a strong positive linear function of mean annual temperature, root residence time was a strong positive function of soil nitrogen content in montane forests, and lastly decreasing soil P content increased allocation of productivity to fine roots. In contrast to the lowlands, environmental conditions were a better predictor for fine root productivity than for fractional allocation of total NPP to fine roots, suggesting that root productivity is a particularly strong driver of NPP allocation in tropical mountain regions.
KW - allocation
KW - biomass
KW - fine roots
KW - productivity
KW - residence time
KW - soil
KW - turnover
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85107349599&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/gcb.15677
DO - 10.1111/gcb.15677
M3 - Article
SN - 1354-1013
VL - 27
SP - 3657
EP - 3680
JO - Global Change Biology
JF - Global Change Biology
IS - 15
ER -