Journal ArticleDOI
A global analysis of root distributions for terrestrial biomes
Robert B. Jackson,Josep G. Canadell,James R. Ehleringer,Harold A. Mooney,Osvaldo E. Sala,Ernst Detlef Schulze +5 more
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TLDR
Rooting patterns for terrestrial biomes are analyzed and distributions for various plant functional groups are compared and the merits and possible shortcomings of the analysis are discussed in the context of root biomass and root functioning.Abstract:
Understanding and predicting ecosystem functioning (e.g., carbon and water fluxes) and the role of soils in carbon storage requires an accurate assessment of plant rooting distributions. Here, in a comprehensive literature synthesis, we analyze rooting patterns for terrestrial biomes and compare distributions for various plant functional groups. We compiled a database of 250 root studies, subdividing suitable results into 11 biomes, and fitted the depth coefficient β to the data for each biome (Gale and Grigal 1987). β is a simple numerical index of rooting distribution based on the asymptotic equation Y=1-βd, where d = depth and Y = the proportion of roots from the surface to depth d. High values of β correspond to a greater proportion of roots with depth. Tundra, boreal forest, and temperate grasslands showed the shallowest rooting profiles (β=0.913, 0.943, and 0.943, respectively), with 80-90% of roots in the top 30 cm of soil; deserts and temperate coniferous forests showed the deepest profiles (β=0.975 and 0.976, respectively) and had only 50% of their roots in the upper 30 cm. Standing root biomass varied by over an order of magnitude across biomes, from approximately 0.2 to 5 kg m-2. Tropical evergreen forests had the highest root biomass (5 kg m-2), but other forest biomes and sclerophyllous shrublands were of similar magnitude. Root biomass for croplands, deserts, tundra and grasslands was below 1.5 kg m-2. Root/shoot (R/S) ratios were highest for tundra, grasslands, and cold deserts (ranging from 4 to 7); forest ecosystems and croplands had the lowest R/S ratios (approximately 0.1 to 0.5). Comparing data across biomes for plant functional groups, grasses had 44% of their roots in the top 10 cm of soil. (β=0.952), while shrubs had only 21% in the same depth increment (β=0.978). The rooting distribution of all temperate and tropical trees was β=0.970 with 26% of roots in the top 10 cm and 60% in the top 30 cm. Overall, the globally averaged root distribution for all ecosystems was β=0.966 (r 2=0.89) with approximately 30%, 50%, and 75% of roots in the top 10 cm, 20 cm, and 40 cm, respectively. We discuss the merits and possible shortcomings of our analysis in the context of root biomass and root functioning.read more
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Journal ArticleDOI
Carbon isotopes for estimating soil decomposition and physical mixing in well-drained forest soils
TL;DR: In this article, carbon isotopes are applied to estimate soil decomposition and physical mixing in well-drained forest soils by coupling new isotope and soil organic carbon (SOC) data with literature meta-analysis and carbon isotope mass balance modeling.
Journal ArticleDOI
Influence of soil thickness on stand characteristics in a Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest
Marc D. Meyer,Malcolm P. North,Malcolm P. North,Andrew N. Gray,Harold S. J. Zald,Harold S. J. Zald +5 more
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compared seismic and soil penetration measurements of combined A + C and Cr horizon thickness, soil moisture and tem- perature, and stand variables in a contiguous 4-ha mixed-conifer stand of the Sierra Nevada.
Book ChapterDOI
Functional Differences in Soil Water Pools: a New Perspective on Plant Water Use in Water-Limited Ecosystems
TL;DR: In this article, a new conceptual model that considers two pools of soil water accessed by plants: a growth pool that is located in shallow soil layers, and a maintenance pool often in deeper soil layers is presented.
Journal ArticleDOI
Sensitivity of soil carbon fractions and their specific stabilization mechanisms to extreme soil warming in a subarctic grassland
Christopher Poeplau,Thomas Kätterer,Niki I. W. Leblans,Niki I. W. Leblans,Bjarni D. Sigurdsson +4 more
TL;DR: The sensitivity of SOC to warming was not a function of age or chemical recalcitrance, but triggered by changes in biophysical stabilization mechanisms, such as aggregation.
SURFEX scientific documentation
TL;DR: SURFEX as mentioned in this paper is a series of books and guides about SURFEX, which is available on Meso-NH website under Documentation / Books and Guides (DBG).
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Terrestrial ecosystem production: A process model based on global satellite and surface data
Christopher S. Potter,James T. Randerson,Christopher B. Field,Pamela A. Matson,Peter M. Vitousek,Harold A. Mooney,Steven Klooster +6 more
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a modeling approach aimed at seasonal resolution of global climatic and edaphic controls on patterns of terrestrial ecosystem production and soil microbial respiration using satellite imagery (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer and International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project solar radiation), along with historical climate (monthly temperature and precipitation) and soil attributes (texture, C and N contents) from global (1°) data sets as model inputs.
Journal ArticleDOI
A global biome model based on plant physiology and dominance, soil properties and climate
I. Colin Prentice,Wolfgang Cramer,Sandy P. Harrison,Rik Leemans,Robert A. Monserud,Allen M. Solomon +5 more
TL;DR: A model to predict global patterns in vegetation physiognomy was developed from physiological considera- tions influencing the distributions of different functional types of plant in a given environment, and selected the potentially dominant types from among them as discussed by the authors.
Journal ArticleDOI
Global climate change and terrestrial net primary production
Jerry M. Melillo,A. David McGuire,David W. Kicklighter,Berrien Moore,Charles J. Vörösmarty,Annette L. Schloss +5 more
TL;DR: In this paper, a process-based model was used to estimate global patterns of net primary production and soil nitrogen cycling for contemporary climate conditions and current atmospheric CO2 concentration, with most of the production attributable to tropical evergreen forest.