On characterizing root function in perennial horticultural crops.

PREMISE: While root-order approaches to fine-root classification have shown wide utility among wild plants, they have seen limited use for perennial crop plants. Moreover, inadequate characterization of fine roots across species of domesticated perennial crops has led to a knowledge gap in the understanding of evolutionary and functional patterns associated with different fine-root orders. METHODS: We examined fine-root traits of common horticultural fruit and nut crops: Malus ×domestica, Prunus persica, Vitus vinifera, Prunus dulcis, and Citrus ×clementina. Additional roots were sampled from 33 common perennial horticultural crops, native to tropical, subtropical, and temperate regions, to examine variation in 1st- and 2nd-order absorptive roots. RESULTS: First-order roots of grape and 1st- and 2nd-order roots of apple and peach were consistently thin, nonwoody, mycorrhizal, and had high N:C ratios. In contrast, 4th- and 5th-order roots of grape and 5th-order roots of apple and peach were woody, nonmycorrhizal, had low N:C ratios, and were thicker than lower-order roots. Among the 33 horticultural species, diameter of 1st- and 2nd-order roots varied about 15-fold, ranging from 0.04 to 0.60 mm and 0.05 to 0.89 mm respectively. This variation generally was phylogenetically conserved across plant lineages. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, our research shows that root-order characterization has considerably more utility than an arbitrary diameter cutoff for identifying roots of different functions in perennial horticultural crops. In addition, much of the variation in root diameter among species can be predicted by evolutionary relationships.

Simple additive effects are rare: a quantitative review of plant biomass and soil process responses to combined manipulations of CO2 and temperature.

In recent years, increased awareness of the potential interactions between rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations ([ CO2 ]) and temperature has illustrated the importance of multifactorial ecosystem manipulation experiments for validating Earth System models. To address the urgent need for increased understanding of responses in multifactorial experiments, this article synthesizes how ecosystem productivity and soil processes respond to combined warming and [ CO2 ] manipulation, and compares it with those obtained in single factor [ CO2 ] and temperature manipulation experiments. Across all combined elevated [ CO2 ] and warming experiments, biomass production and soil respiration were typically enhanced. Responses to the combined treatment were more similar to those in the [ CO2 ]-only treatment than to those in the warming-only treatment. In contrast to warming-only experiments, both the combined and the [ CO2 ]-only treatments elicited larger stimulation of fine root biomass than of aboveground biomass, consistently stimulated soil respiration, and decreased foliar nitrogen (N) concentration. Nonetheless, mineral N availability declined less in the combined treatment than in the [ CO2 ]-only treatment, possibly due to the warming-induced acceleration of decomposition, implying that progressive nitrogen limitation (PNL) may not occur as commonly as anticipated from single factor [ CO2 ] treatment studies. Responses of total plant biomass, especially of aboveground biomass, revealed antagonistic interactions between elevated [ CO2 ] and warming, i.e. the response to the combined treatment was usually less-than-additive. This implies that productivity projections might be overestimated when models are parameterized based on single factor responses. Our results highlight the need for more (and especially more long-term) multifactor manipulation experiments. Because single factor CO2 responses often dominated over warming responses in the combined treatments, our results also suggest that projected responses to future global warming in Earth System models should not be parameterized using single factor warming experiments.

Effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations, clipping regimen and differential day/night atmospheric warming on tissue nitrogen concentrations of a perennial pasture grass.

Forecasting the effects of climate change on nitrogen (N) cycling in pastures requires an understanding of changes in tissue N. We examined the effects of elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration, atmospheric warming and simulated grazing (clipping frequency) on aboveground and belowground tissue N concentrations and C : N ratios of a C3 pasture grass. Phalaris aquatica L. cv. 'Holdfast' was grown in the field in six transparent temperature gradient tunnels (18 × 1.5 × 1.5 m each), three at ambient atmospheric CO2 and three at 759 p.p.m. CO2. Within each tunnel, there were three air temperature treatments: ambient control, +2.2/+4.0 °C above ambient day/night warming and +3.0 °C continuous warming. A frequent and an infrequent clipping treatment were applied to each warming × CO2 combination. Green leaf N concentrations were decreased by elevated CO2 and increased by more frequent clipping. Both warming treatments increased leaf N concentrations under ambient CO2 concentrations, but did not significantly alter leaf N concentrations under elevated CO2 concentrations. Nitrogen resorption from leaves was decreased under elevated CO2 conditions as well as by more frequent clipping. Fine root N concentrations decreased strongly with increasing soil depth and were further decreased at the 10-60 cm soil depths by elevated CO2 concentrations. The interaction between the CO2 and warming treatments showed that leaf N concentration was affected in a non-additive manner. Changes in leaf C : N ratios were driven by changes in N concentration. Overall, the effects of CO2, warming and clipping treatments on aboveground tissue N concentrations were much greater than on belowground tissue.

Climate warming and precipitation redistribution modify tree-grass interactions and tree species establishment in a warm-temperate savanna.

Savanna tree-grass interactions may be particularly sensitive to climate change. Establishment of two tree canopy dominants, post oak (Quercus stellata) and eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana), grown with the dominant C4 perennial grass (Schizachyrium scoparium) in southern oak savanna of the United States were evaluated under four climatic scenarios for 6 years. Tree-grass interactions were examined with and without warming (+1.5 °C) in combination with a long-term mean rainfall treatment and a modified rainfall regime that redistributed 40% of summer rainfall to spring and fall, intensifying summer drought. The aim was to determine: (1) the relative growth response of these species, (2) potential shifts in the balance of tree-grass interactions, and (3) the trajectory of juniper encroachment into savannas, under these anticipated climatic conditions. Precipitation redistribution reduced relative growth rate (RGR) of trees grown with grass. Warming increased growth of J. virginiana and strongly reduced Q. stellata survival. Tiller numbers of S. scoparium plants were unaffected by warming, but the number of reproductive tillers was increasingly suppressed by intensified drought each year. Growth rates of J. virginiana and Q. stellata were suppressed by grass presence early, but in subsequent years were higher when grown with grass. Quercus stellata had overall reduced RGR, but enhanced survival when grown with grass, while survival of J. virginiana remained near 100% in all treatments. Once trees surpassed a threshold height of 1.1 m, both tiller number and survival of S. scoparium plants were drastically reduced by the presence of J. virginiana, but not Q. stellata. Juniperus virginiana was the only savanna dominant in which neither survival nor final aboveground mass were adversely affected by the climate scenario of warming and intensified summer drought. These responses indicate that climate warming and altered precipitation patterns will further accelerate juniper encroachment and woody thickening in a warm-temperate oak savanna.

Estimating nitrogen uptake of individual roots in container- and field-grown plants using a 15N-depletion approach.

We only have a limited understanding of the nutrient uptake physiology of individual roots as they age. Despite this shortcoming, the importance of nutrient uptake processes to our understanding of plant nutrition and nutrient cycling cannot be underestimated. In this study, we used a 15N depletion method that allowed for the measurement of nitrate-N uptake rates on intact, individual, fine roots of known age. We expected that N uptake would decline rapidly as fine roots aged, regardless of the environmental conditions and species used. We compared age dependent uptake patterns of young grape cuttings with those of mature vines and with those of tomato. Although patterns of declining uptake with increasing root age were similar for all species and conditions tested, large differences in maximum N uptake rates existed between young cuttings and mature vines, and between woody and herbaceous species. Maximum rates were 10-fold higher for tomato and 3-fold higher for the grape cuttings, when compared with uptake rates of fine roots of mature vines. Coefficients of variation ranged from 43 to 122% within root age groups. The large variability in physiological characteristics of fine roots of the same age, diameter and order suggests that there is a functional diversity within fine roots that is still poorly understood.

Isoprene emission from terrestrial ecosystems in response to global change: minding the gap between models and observations.

Coupled surface-atmosphere models are being used with increased frequency to make predictions of tropospheric chemistry on a 'future' earth characterized by a warmer climate and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration. One of the key inputs to these models is the emission of isoprene from forest ecosystems. Most models in current use rely on a scheme by which global change is coupled to changes in terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP) which, in turn, is coupled to changes in the magnitude of isoprene emissions. In this study, we conducted measurements of isoprene emissions at three prominent global change experiments in the United States. Our results showed that growth in an atmosphere of elevated CO2 inhibited the emission of isoprene at levels that completely compensate for possible increases in emission due to increases in aboveground NPP. Exposure to a prolonged drought caused leaves to increase their isoprene emissions despite reductions in photosynthesis, and presumably NPP. Thus, the current generation of models intended to predict the response of isoprene emission to future global change probably contain large errors. A framework is offered as a foundation for constructing new isoprene emission models based on the responses of leaf biochemistry to future climate change and elevated atmospheric CO2 concentrations.

Rapid decline in nitrate uptake and respiration with age in fine lateral roots of grape: implications for root efficiency and competitive effectiveness.

Changes in function as an individual root ages has important implications for understanding resource acquisition, competitive ability and optimal lifespan. Both nitrate uptake and respiration rates of differently aged fine roots of grape (Vitis rupestris x V. riparia cv. 3309 C) were measured. The resulting data were then used to simulate nitrate uptake efficiency and nutrient depletion as a function of root age. Both nitrate uptake and root respiration declined remarkably quickly with increasing root age. The decline in both N uptake and root respiration corresponded with a strong decline in root N concentration, suggesting translocation of nitrogen out of the roots. For simulations where no nutrient depletion occurs at the root surface, daily uptake efficiency was maximal at root birth and lifetime nitrate uptake efficiency slowly increased as the roots aged. Simulations of growth of roots into unoccupied soil using a solute transport model indicated the advantage of high uptake capacity in new roots under competitive conditions where nitrate availability is very transitory.