Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-wg55d Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-30T22:01:33.276Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

46 - Fine root mass and fine root production in tropical moist forests as dependent on soil, climate, and elevation

from Part IV - Nutrient dynamics in tropical montane cloud forests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 May 2011

By
D. Hertel  and
Ch. Leuschner
Edited by
L. A. Bruijnzeel ,
F. N. Scatena  and
L. S. Hamilton
D. Hertel
Affiliation:
University of Göttingen, Germany
Ch. Leuschner
Affiliation:
University of Göttingen, Germany
L. A. Bruijnzeel
Affiliation:
Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam
F. N. Scatena
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
L. S. Hamilton
Affiliation:
Cornell University, New York
Get access

Summary

ABSTRACT

This chapter presents a meta-analysis of fine root mass and productivity in tropical moist forests in terms of the dependence on various environmental factors, using 87 data-sets from both Paleo- and Neotropical forests. The present review differs from earlier analyses in that it focuses strictly on the fine root fraction (<2 mm in diameter) and applies relatively rigid criteria with respect to the selection of data (a.o. to prevent the merging of data on live and dead root mass). Forests in the upper montane belt (>2000 m.a.s.l.) have markedly higher live fine root biomass compared to mid-elevation and lowland forests, both in the Paleotropics/Australia and the Neotropics. Hence, the ratio of shoot to fine root biomass decreases significantly with elevation. Fine root production is negatively related to above-ground biomass. These findings highlight the increasing ecological importance of the fine root system of tropical moist forests with increasing elevation.

INTRODUCTION

Fine roots play an important role in the functioning of trees because they are the organs of water and nutrient acquisition. Although representing a relatively small part of total tree biomass, fine roots often consume a large portion of the annual carbon gain (Grier et al., 1981; Vogt et al., 1996). Decaying fine roots are a major source of carbon addition to the soil organic matter pool. The rising interest in the below-ground compartment of forests in the last decades has led to an increasing number of studies on fine root biomass and turnover, mainly in temperate and boreal forests (see global reviews by Vogt et al., 1996; Cairns et al., 1997; Gill and Jackson, 2000).

Type
Chapter
Information
Tropical Montane Cloud Forests
Science for Conservation and Management
 , pp. 428 - 444
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aber, J. D., Melillo, J. M., Nadelhoffer, K. J., McClaugherty, C. A., and Pastor, J. (1985). Fine root turnover in forest ecosystems in relation to quantity and form of nitrogen availability: a comparison of two methods. Oecologia 66: 317–321.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, J. M., and Swift, M. J. (1983). Decomposition in tropical forests. In Tropical Rain Forest: Ecology and Management, eds. Sutton, S. L., Whitmore, T. C., and Chadwick, A. C., pp. 287–309. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Scientific.Google Scholar
Berendse, F., Bobbink, R., and Rouwenhorst, G. (1989). A comparative study on nutrient mineralization. Oecologia 78: 338–348.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruijnzeel, L. A., and Proctor, J. (1995). Hydrology and biogeochemistry of tropical montane cloud forests: what do we really know? In Tropical Montane Cloud Forests, eds. Hamilton, L. S., Juvik, J. O., and Scatena, F. N., pp. 38–78. New York: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bruijnzeel, L. A., and Veneklaas, E. J. (1998). Climatic conditions and tropical montane forest productivity: the fog has not lifted yet. Ecology 79: 3–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cairns, M. A., Brown, S., Helmer, E. H., and Baumgardner, G. A. (1997). Root biomass allocation in the world's upland forests. Oecologia 111: 1–11.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cavelier, J. (1992). Fine-root biomass and soil properties in a semideciduous and a lower montane rain forest in Panama. Plant and Soil 142: 187–201.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavelier, J., Estevez, J., and Arjona, B. (1996). Fine root biomass in three successional stages of an Andean cloud forest in Colombia. Biotropica 28: 728–736.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cavelier, J., Wright, S. J., and Santamaria, J. (1999). Effects of irrigation on litterfall, fine root biomass and production in a semideciduous lowland forest in Panama. Plant and Soil 211: 207–213.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chuyong, G. B., Newbery, D. M., and Songwe, N. C. (2000). Litter nutrients and retranslocation in a central African rain forest dominated by ectomycorrhizal trees. New Phytologist 148: 493–510.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cuevas, E., and Medina, E. (1988). Nutrient dynamics within Amazonian forests. II. Fine root growth, nutrient availability and leaf litter decomposition. Oecologia 76: 222–235.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Davidson, E. A., Ishida, F. Y., and Nepstad, D. C. (2004). Effects of an experimental drought on soil emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and nitric oxide in a moist tropical forest. Global Change Biology 10: 718–730.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Denslow, J. S., Ellison, A. M., and Sanford, R. E. (1998). Treefall gap size effects on above- and below-ground processes in a tropical wet forest. Journal of Ecology 86: 597–609.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dixon, R. K., Brown, S., Houghton, R. A., et al. (1994). Carbon pools and flux of global forest ecosystems. Science 263: 185–190.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Edwards, P. J., and Grubb, P. J. (1977). Studies of mineral cycling in a montane rainforest in New Guinea. I. The distribution of organic matter in the vegetation and soil. Journal of Ecology 65: 943–969.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Edwards, P. J., and Grubb, P. J. (1982). Studies of mineral cycling in a montane rainforest in New Guinea. IV. Soil characteristics and the division of mineral elements between the vegetation and soil. Journal of Ecology 70: 649–666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fogel, R. (1985). Roots as primary producers in below-ground ecosystems. In Ecological Interactions in Soil: Plants, Microbes and Animals, eds. Fitter, A. H., Atkinson, D. and Read, D. J., pp. 23–35. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Scientific.Google Scholar
Gill, R. A., and Jackson, R. B. (2000). Global patterns of root turnover for terrestrial ecosystems. New Phytologist 147: 13–31.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Godbold, D. L., Fritz, H. W., Jentschke, G., Meesenburg, H., and Rademacher, P. (2003). Root turnover and root necromass accumulation of Norway spruce (Picea abies) are affected by soil acidity. Tree Physiology 23: 915–921.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gower, S. T. (1987). Relations between mineral nutrient availability and fine root biomass in two Costa Rican tropical forests: a hypothesis. Biotropica 19: 171–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grier, C. C., Vogt, K. A., Keyes, M. L., and Edmonds, R. L. (1981). Biomass distribution and above- and below-ground production in young and mature Abies amabilis zone ecosystems of the Washington Cascades. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 11: 155–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grubb, P. J. (1977). Control of forest growth and distribution on wet tropical mountains, with special reference to mineral nutrition. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 8: 83–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hafkenscheid, R. L. L. J. (2000). Hydrology and biogeochemistry of tropical montane rain forests of contrasting stature in the Blue Mountains, Jamaica. Ph.D. thesis, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Also available at http://dare.ubvu.vu.nl/ bitstream/1871/12734/1/tekst.pdf.Google Scholar
Herbert, D. A., and Fownes, J. H. (1999). Forest productivity and efficiency of resource use across a chronosequence of tropical montane soils. Ecosystems 2: 242–254.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hertel, D, and Wesche, K. (2008). Tropical moist Polylepis stands at the treeline in East Bolivia: the effect of elevation on stand microclimate, above- and below-ground structure, and regeneration. Trees 22: 303–315.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hertel, D., Leuschner, C., and Hölscher, D. (2003). Size and structure of fine root systems in old-growth and secondary tropical montane forests (Costa Rica). Biotropica 35: 143–153.Google Scholar
Huttel, C. (1975). Root distribution and biomass in three Ivory Coast rain forest plots. In Tropical Ecological Systems, eds. Golley, F. B. and Medina, E., pp. 123–130. New York: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huttel, Ch., and Bernhard-Reversat, F. (1975). Recherches sur l'écosystème de la forêt subéquatoriale de basse Côte-d'Ivoire: cycle de la matière organique. Terre et Vie 29: 203–228.Google Scholar
Ibrahima, A., Schmidt, P., Ketner, P., and Mohren, G. J. M. (2002). Phytomasse et cycle des nutrients dans la forêt tropicale dense humide du Sud Cameroun, Tropenbos-Cameroon Documents No. 9. Kribi, Cameroon: The Tropenbos–Cameroon Programme.Google Scholar
Jackson, R. B., Canadell, J., Ehleringer, J. R., et al. (1996). A global analysis of root distribution for terrestrial biomes. Oecologia 108: 389–411.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jaramillo, V. J., Ahedo-Hernández, R., and Kauffman, J. B. (2003). Root biomass and carbon in a tropical evergreen forest of Mexico: changes with secondary succession and forest conversion to pasture. Journal of Tropical Ecology 19: 457–464.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jenny, H., Gessel, S. P., and Bingham, F. T. (1949). Comparative study of decomposition rates of organic matter in temperate and tropical regions. Soil Science 68: 419–432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jourdan, C. F., and Escalante, G. (1980). Root productivity in an Amazonian rain forest. Ecology 61: 14–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kira, T. (1978). Community architecture and organic matter dynamics in tropical lowland rain forest of Southeast Asia with special reference to Pasoh Forest, West Malaysia. In Tropical Trees as Living Systems, eds. Tomlinson, P. B. and Zimmerman, M. H., pp. 561–590. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Kitayama, K., and Aiba, S. -I. (2002). Ecosystem structure and productivity of tropical rain forests along altitudinal gradients with contrasting soil phosphorus pools on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Journal of Ecology 90: 37–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klinge, H. (1973). Root mass estimation in lowland tropical rain forests of central Amazonia, Brazil. I. Fine root masses of a pale yellow latosol and a giant humus podzol. Tropical Ecology 14: 29–38.Google Scholar
Lal, R. (2005). Forest soils and carbon sequestration. Forest Ecology and Management 220: 242–258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leuschner, Ch., and Hertel, D. (2003). Fine root biomass of temperate forests in relation to soil acidity and fertility, climate, age and species. Progress in Botany 64: 405–438.Google Scholar
Leuschner, C h., Moser, G., Bertsch, C., Röderstein, M., and Hertel, D. (2007). Large altitudinal increase in tree root/shoot ratio in tropical mountain forests of Ecuador. Basic and Applied Ecology 8: 219–230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malhi, Y., Baldocchi, D. D., and Jarvis, P. G. (1999). The carbon balance of tropical, temperate and boreal forests. Plant, Cell and Environment 22: 715–740.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malhi, Y., Baker, T. R., Phillips, O. L., et al. (2004). The above-ground coarse wood productivity of 104 Neotropical forest plots. Global Change Biology 10: 563–591.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Malhi, Y., Meir, P., Bird, M., Salinas, N., and Silman, M. (2006a). Detailed Assessment of Ecosystem Carbon Dynamics along a Tropical Forest Altitudinal Gradient, research proposal to the National Environment Research Council of the UK. Oxford, UK: University of Oxford.Google Scholar
Malhi, Y., Wood, D., Baker, T. R., et al. (2006b). The regional variation of aboveground live biomass in old-growth Amazonian forests. Global Change Biology 12: 1107–1138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marrs, R., Proctor, J., Heaney, A., and Mountford, M. (1988). Changes in soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrification along an altitudinal transect in tropical rain forest in Costa Rica. Journal of Ecology 76: 466–482.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maycock, C. R., and Congdon, R. A. (2000). Fine root biomass and soil N and P in north Queensland rain forests. Biotropica 32: 185–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGroddy, M., and Silver, W. L. (2000). Variations in belowground carbon storage and soil CO2 flux rates along a wet tropical climate gradient. Biotropica 32: 614–624.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meentemeyer, V. (1977). Climatic regulation of decomposition rates of organic matter in terrestrial ecosystems. In Environmental Chemistry and Cycling Processes, eds. Adrians, D. C. and Brisbin, I. L., pp. 779–789. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Energy.Google Scholar
Moser, G., Hertel, D., and Leuschner, C h. (2007). Altitudinal change in LAI and stand leaf biomass in tropical montane forests: a transect study in Ecuador and a pan-tropical meta-analysis. Ecosystems 10: 924–935.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moser, G., Röderstein, M., Soethe, N., Hertel, D., and Leuschner, Ch. (2008). Altitudinal changes in stand structure and biomass allocation of tropical mountain forest in relation to microclimate and soil chemistry. In Gradients in a Tropical Mountain Ecosystem of Ecuador, eds. Beck, E., Bendix, J., Kottke, I., Makeschin, F., and Mosandl, R., pp. 229–242. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nepstad, D. C., Moutinho, P., Dias, M. B., et al. (2002). The effects of partial throughfall exclusion on canopy processes, aboveground production, and biogeochemistry of an Amazon forest. Journal of Geophysical Research 107: 1–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Newbery, D. M., Alexander, I. J., and Rother, J. A. (1997). Phosphorus dynamics in a lowland African rain forest: the influence of ectomycorrhizal trees. Ecological Monographs 67: 367–409.Google Scholar
Nomura, N., and Kikuzawa, K. (2003). Productive phenology of tropical montane forests: fertilization experiments along a moisture gradient. Ecological Research 18: 573–586.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ostertag, R. (2001). Effects of nitrogen and phosphorus availability on fine-root dynamics in Hawaiian montane forests. Ecology 82: 485–499.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pavlis, J., and Jenik, J. (2000). Roots of pioneer trees in the Amazonian rain forest. Trees 14: 442–455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Post, W. M., and Kwon, K. C. (2000). Soil carbon sequestration and land use change, processes and potential. Global Change Biology 6: 317–327.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pregitzer, K. S., Hendrick, R. L., and Fogel, R. (1993). The demography of fine roots in response to patches of water and nitrogen. New Phytologist 125: 575–580.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Priess, T., Then, C., and Fölster, H. (1999). Litter and fine-root production in three types of tropical premontane rain forest in Venezuela. Plant Ecology 143: 171–187.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raich, J. W. (1980). Fine root regrow rapidly after forest felling. Biotropica 12: 231–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raich, J. W. (1983). Effects of forest conversion on the carbon budget of a tropical soil. Biotropica 15: 177–184.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raich, J. W., and Nadelhoffer, K. J. (1989). Belowground carbon allocation in forest ecosystems: global trends. Ecology 70: 1346–1354.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richards, P. W. (1996). The Tropical Rain Forest, 2nd edn. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Röderstein, M., Hertel, D., and Leuschner, C. (2005). Above- and below-ground litter production in three tropical mountain forests (Ecuador). Journal of Tropical Ecology 21: 483–492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sánchez-Gallén, I., and Alvarez-Sánchez, J. (1996). Root productivity in a lowland tropical rain forest in Mexico. Vegetatio 123: 109–115.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanford, R. L. (1989). Fine root biomass under a tropical forest light opening in Costa Rica. Journal of Tropical Ecology 5: 251–256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santiago, L. S., Goldstein, G., Meinzer, F. C., Fownes, J. H., and Mueller-Dombois, D. (2000). Transpiration and forest structure in relation to soil waterlogging in a Hawaiian montane cloud forest. Tree Physiology 20: 673–681.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schawe, M., Glatzel, S., and Gerold, G. (2007). Soil development along an altitudinal transect in a Bolivian tropical montane rainforest: Podzolization vs. hydromorphy. Catena 69: 83–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schrumpf, M., Guggenberger, M., Schubert, G., Valarezo, C., and Zech, W. (2001). Tropical montane rainforest soils: development and nutritional status along an altitudinal gradient in the south Ecuadorian Andes. Die Erde 132: 43–59.Google Scholar
Schuur, E. (2001). The effect of water on decomposition dynamics in mesic to wet Hawaiian montane forests. Ecosystems 4: 259–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schuur, E. A. G., and Matson, P. A. (2001). Net primary productivity and nutrient cycling across a mesic to wet precipitation gradient in Hawaiian montane forest. Oecologia 128: 431–442.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Silver, W. L., and Vogt, K. A. (1993). Fine root dynamics following single and multiple disturbance in a subtropical wet forest ecosystem. Journal of Ecology 81: 729–738.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silver, W. L., Scatena, F. N., Johnson, A. H., Siccama, T. G., and Watt, F. (1996). At what temporal scales does disturbance affect belowground nutrient pools?Biotropica 28: 441–457.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silver, W. L., Keller, M., and Lugo, A. E. (1999). Soil oxygen availability and biogeochemical cycling along elevation and topographic gradients in Puerto Rico. Biogeochemistry 44: 301–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Silver, W. L., Neff, J., McGroddy, M., et al. (2000). Effects of soil texture on belowground carbon and nutrient storage in a lowland Amazonian forest ecosystem. Ecosystems 3: 193–209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soethe, N., Lehmann, J., and Engels, C. (2006). The vertical pattern of rooting and nutrient uptake at different altitudes of a south Ecuadorian montane forest. Plant and Soil 286: 287–299.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soethe, N., Lehmann, J., and Engels, C. (2008a). Nutrient availability at different altitudes in a tropical montane forest in Ecuador. Journal of Tropical Ecology 24: 397–406.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Soethe, N., Wilcke, W., Homeier, J., Lehmann, J., and Engels, C. (2008b). Plant growth along the altitudinal gradient: role of plant nutritional status, fine root activity, and soil properties. In Gradients in a Tropical Mountain Ecosystem of Ecuador, eds. Beck, E., Bendix, J., Kottke, I., Makeschin, F., and Mosandl, R., pp. 259–266. Berlin: Springer-Verlag.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stark, N., and Spratt, M. (1977). Root biomass and nutrient storage in rain forest oxisols near San Carlos de Rio Negro. Tropical Ecology 18: 1–9.Google Scholar
Stewart, C. G. (2000). Fine root growth in response to local nutrient enrichment in two tropical montane forests. Biotropica 32: 369–373.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sundarapandian, S. M., and Swamy, P. S. (1996). Fine root biomass distribution and productivity patterns under open and closed canopies of tropical forest ecosystems at Kodayar in Western Ghats, South India. Forest Ecology and Management 86: 181–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Takyu, M., Aiba, S. I., and Kitayama, K. (2003). Changes in biomass, productivity and decomposition along topographical gradients under different geological conditions in tropical lower montane forests on Mount Kinabalu, Borneo. Oecologia 134: 397–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanner, E. V. J. (1977). Four montane rain forests of Jamaica: a quantitative characterization of the floristics, the soils and the foliar mineral levels, and a discussion of the interrelations. Journal of Ecology 65: 883–918.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanner, E. V. J. (1980). Studies on the biomass and productivity in a series of montane rain forests in Jamaica. Journal of Ecology 68: 573–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanner, E. V. J. (1981). The decomposition of leaf litter in Jamaican montane rain forests. Journal of Ecology 69: 263–273.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tanner, E. V. J., Vitousek, P. M., and Cuevas, E. (1998). Experimental investigation of nutrient limitation of forest growth on wet tropical mountains. Ecology 79: 10–22.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vance, E. D., and Nadkarni, N. M. (1992). Root biomass distribution in a moist tropical montane forest. Plant and Soil 142: 31–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vitousek, P. M., and Sanford, R. L. (1986). Nutrient cycling in moist tropical forest. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 17: 137–167.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vogt, K. A., Vogt, D. J., et al. (1996). Review of root dynamics in forest ecosystems grouped by climate, climatic forest type and species. Plant and Soil 187: 159–219.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yavitt, J. B., and Wright, S. J. (2001). Drought and irrigation effects on fine root dynamics in a tropical moist forest, Panama. Biotropica 33: 421–434.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×