Factors causing variation in fine root biomass in forest ecosystems

Fine roots form one of the most significant components contributing to carbon cycling in forest ecosystems. We study here the effect of variation in root diameter classes, sampling depth and the inclusion of understorey vegetation root biomass in fine root biomass (FRB) estimates. The FRB estimates for different forest biomes are updated using a database of 512 forest stands compiled from the literature. We also investigate the relationships between environmental or forest stand variables and fine root biomass (≤2 mm in diameter) at the stand (g m−2) and tree level (g tree−1). The FRB estimates extrapolated for the whole rooting depth were 526 ± 321 g m−2, 775 ± 474 g m−2 and 776 ± 518 g m−2 for boreal, temperate and tropical forests, respectively, and were 26–67% higher than those based on the original sampling depths used. We found significant positive correlations between ≤1 and ≤2 mm diameter roots and between ≤2 and ≤5 mm roots. The FRB estimates, standardized to the ≤2 mm diameter class, were 34–60% higher and 25–29% smaller than those standardized to the ≤1 mm and ≤5 mm diameter classes, respectively. The FRB of the understorey vegetation accounted for 31% of the total FRB in boreal forests and 20% in temperate forests. The results indicate that environmental factors (latitude, mean annual precipitation, elevation, temperature) or forest stand factors (life form, age, basal area, density) can not explain a significant amount of the variation in the total FRB and a maximum of 30% that in the FRB of trees at the stand level, whereas the mean basal area of the forest stand can explain 49% of the total FRB and 79% of the FRB of trees at the tree level.

Research highlights▶ Sampling depth and the definition of fine root diameter have big impacts on forest ecosystem fine root biomass estimates. ▶ Roots of understorey vegetation can significantly contribute to the total forest ecosystem fine root biomass. ▶ Tree level fine root biomass is highly related to the mean basal area of forest stand.