Publication Date:
2022-05-25
Description:
Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Oecologia 153 (2007): 643-652, doi:10.1007/s00442-007-0753-8.
Description:
Long-term fertilization of acidic tussock tundra has led to changes in plant species
composition, increases in aboveground production and biomass and substantial losses of soil
organic carbon (SOC). Root litter is an important input to SOC pools, though little is known
about fine root demography in tussock tundra. In this study, we examined the response of fine
root production and live standing fine root biomass to short- and long-term fertilization, as
changes in fine root demography may contribute to observed declines in SOC. Live standing
fine root biomass increased with long-term fertilization, while fine root production declined,
reflecting replacement of the annual fine root system of Eriophorum vaginatum, with the long-lived
fine roots of Betula nana. Fine root production increased in fertilized plots during an
unusually warm growing season, but remained unchanged in control plots, consistent with
observations that B. nana shows a positive response to climate warming. Calculations based on
a few simple assumptions suggest changes in fine root demography with long-term fertilization
and species replacement could account for between 20 and 39% of observed declines in SOC
stocks.
Description:
This project was supported by National Science Foundation research grants 9810222,
9911681, 0221606 and 0528748.
Keywords:
Betula nana
;
Eriophorum vaginatum
;
Fertilization
;
Fine roots
;
Ingrowth cores
;
Minirhizotrons
;
Soil organic carbon
;
Tussock tundra
Repository Name:
Woods Hole Open Access Server
Type:
Preprint
Format:
application/pdf
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