Article
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Root Foraging by Trees and Shrubs
Version 1
: Received: 3 August 2023 / Approved: 4 August 2023 / Online: 4 August 2023 (11:13:08 CEST)
How to cite: Putz, F.E.; Canham, C.D.; Ollinger, S.V. Root Foraging by Trees and Shrubs. Preprints 2023, 2023080389. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.0389.v1 Putz, F.E.; Canham, C.D.; Ollinger, S.V. Root Foraging by Trees and Shrubs. Preprints 2023, 2023080389. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202308.0389.v1
Abstract
Unlike trees, shrubs (i.e., multiple-stemmed woody plants) do not need evenly spaced large diameter structural roots and thus can spread further per unit belowground biomass. We therefore hypothesized that compared to trees, shrubs respond more to asymmetric distributions of nutrients and reach nutrient-rich patches of soil faster and with less below-ground biomass. To test these hypotheses we planted individual seedlings of shrubs (Cornus racemosa, Rhus glabra, and Viburnum dentatum) and trees (Acer rubrum, Betula populifera, and Fraxinus americana) in the centers of sand-filled rectangular boxes. In one direction we created stepwise gradients of increasing soil nutrients with slow-release fertilizer; in the other direction no fertilizer was added. Seedlings were harvested when their first root reached the plexiglass-covered fertilized end of their box; time taken as well as above- and below-ground biomass by nutrient segment were determined. There were no consistent differences between the shrubs and trees in belowground architectural plasticity (= ratio of biomass in fertilized and unfertilized volumes of soil) or in the rate and efficiency of lateral growth. Interspecific variation appeared more related to edaphic characteristics of the native habitats than to growth form. The fastest and most efficient roots were produced by the shrub (R. glabra) and the tree (B. populifolia) that are characteristic of poor soils. Root foraging by R. glabra was also facilitated by rapid rhizomatous expansion. The tested shrubs and trees did not consistently differ in nutrient foraging efficiencies or rates but further study is warranted with larger plants and more species.
Keywords
environmental heterogeneity; functional traits; root architecture; root foraging; vegetative expansion
Subject
Environmental and Earth Sciences, Ecology
Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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