Loading…

Fine root biomass estimates from minirhizotron imagery in a shrub ecosystem exposed to elevated CO 2

Fine root biomass and C content are critical components in ecosystem C models, but they cannot be directly determined by minirhizotron techniques, and indirect methods involve estimating 3-dimensional values (biomass/ soil volume) from 2-dimensional measurements. To estimate biomass from minirhizotr...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Plant and soil 2009-04, Vol.317 (1/2), p.145-153
Main Authors: Brown, Alisha L. P., Day, Frank P., Stover, Daniel B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Fine root biomass and C content are critical components in ecosystem C models, but they cannot be directly determined by minirhizotron techniques, and indirect methods involve estimating 3-dimensional values (biomass/ soil volume) from 2-dimensional measurements. To estimate biomass from minirhizotron data, a conversion factor for length to biomass must be developed, and assumptions regarding depth of view must be made. In a scrub-oak ecosystem in central Florida, USA, root length density (RLD) was monitored for 10 years in a CO2 manipulation experiment using minirhizotron tubes. In the seventh year of the study, soil cores were removed from both ambient and elevated CO2 chambers. Roots from those cores were used to determine specific root length values (m/g) that were applied to the long-term RLD data for an estimation of root biomass over 10 years of CO2 manipulation. Root length and biomass estimated from minirhizotron data were comparable to determinations from soil cores, suggesting that the minirhizotron biomass model is valid. Biomass estimates from minirhizotrons indicate the
ISSN:0032-079X
1573-5036