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Influence of root structure on root survivorship: an analysis of 18 tree species using a minirhizotron method

  • Original Article
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Ecological Research

Abstract

Fine root survivorship is an important aspect of root ecology and is known to be influenced by a suite of covariates. However, the relative importance of each covariate on root survivorship is not clear. Here, we used minirhizotron-based data from 18 woody species to evaluate the relative strength of influence on root survivorship by root diameter, branch order, soil depth, and season of root birth, and to examine how the relationship between each covariate and root survivorship differed across species. We extracted hazard ratio estimates for 16 species from published studies that performed Cox proportional hazards regression analysis, and from our own unpublished data for two Chinese temperate tree species. The mean change in hazard ratio (CHR) and corresponding coefficient of variation for each factor were calculated across species. On average, root diameter and season of root birth had stronger effects on root survivorship than branch order and soil depth. However, the effects of season varied with species and were stronger in temperate forests, whereas the influence of diameter and order were relatively consistent across species. These results suggest that root structures such as diameter and branch order should be carefully considered in root classification and sampling, and adding season of birth (particularly in temperate forests) as a covariate in root survivorship analysis should further enhance our ability in achieving a better understanding of root demography and more accurate estimates of root turnover in forests of different climate zones.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DL09BA07), National Basic Research Project (2008ZX07314-005-003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30870418 and 30130160), and the One-hundred Talent Program of Shenzhen. We also thank Jianwei Shi, Xiankui Quan and Sen Song for assistance in the field and laboratory.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Forest Tree Genetic Improvement and Biotechnology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, People’s Republic of China

    Jiacun Gu & Zhengquan Wang

  2. College of Forest Resources and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, 210037, People’s Republic of China

    Shuiqiang Yu

  3. Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130012, People’s Republic of China

    Yue Sun

  4. Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, People’s Republic of China

    Dali Guo

  5. The Key Laboratory of Science and Technology of Urban Environment, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, 518055, People’s Republic of China

    Dali Guo

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  1. Jiacun Gu
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  2. Shuiqiang Yu
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  3. Yue Sun
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  4. Zhengquan Wang
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  5. Dali Guo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dali Guo.

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Gu, J., Yu, S., Sun, Y. et al. Influence of root structure on root survivorship: an analysis of 18 tree species using a minirhizotron method. Ecol Res 26, 755–762 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-011-0833-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11284-011-0833-4

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