Root development across a chronosequence in a Japanese cedar (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis> D. Don) plantation |
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| Authors: | Reiji Fujimaki Ryunosuke Tateno Naoko Tokuchi |
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| Institution: | (1) Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kitashirakawa-Oiwake, Sakyo, Kyoto, Japan;(2) Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan;(3) Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan;(4) Present address: Graduate School of Environment and Information Sciences, Yokohama National University, 79-7 Tokiwadai, Hodogaya, Yokohama 240-8501, Japan;(5) Present address: Faculty of Agriculture, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan |
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| Abstract: | We investigated the biomass, vertical distribution, and specific root length (SRL) of fine and small roots in a chronosequence
of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) plantations in Nara Prefecture, central Japan. Roots were collected from soil blocks up to 50 cm in depth in five
plantations of differing age: 4, 15, 30, 41, and 88 years old. Fine-root biomass reached a maximum (639 g m−2) in the 15-year-old stand before canopy closure, decreased in the 30-year-old stand (422 g m−2), and thereafter was stable. Except in the 30-year-old stand, fine-root biomass increased in deeper soil layers as stand
age increased, and the depth at which the cumulative biomass of fine roots reached 90% exhibited a good allometric relationship
with mean stem diameter. Both root-length density (root length per unit soil volume) and SRL decreased with soil depth in
all stands, indicating that plants mainly acquire water and nutrients from shallow soils. The highest SRL was observed in
the 4-year-old stand, but the relationship between SRL and stand age was unclear in older stands. The SRL in surface soils
seemed to decrease with increases in root-length density, suggesting that branching of the fine-root system during development
is related to density-dependent processes rather than age. |
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| Keywords: | Fine roots Japanese cedar Rooting depth Root morphology Stand age |
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