Unearthing the roots of degradation of Quercus pyrenaica coppices: A root-to-shoot imbalance caused by historical management?

Salomón, Roberto; Rodríguez-Calcerrada, Jesús; Zafra, Elena; Morales del Molino, Cesar; Rodríguez-García, Aida; González-Doncel, Inés; Oleksyn, Jacek; Zytkowiak, Roma; López, Rosana; Miranda, José Carlos; Gil, Luis; Valbuena-Carabaña, María (2016). Unearthing the roots of degradation of Quercus pyrenaica coppices: A root-to-shoot imbalance caused by historical management? Forest Ecology and Management, 363, pp. 200-211. Elsevier 10.1016/j.foreco.2015.12.040

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Slow growth, branch dieback and scarce acorn yield are visible symptoms of decay in abandoned Quercus pyrenaica coppices. A hypothetical root-to-shoot (R:S) imbalance provoked by historical coppicing is investigated as the underlying driver of stand degradation. After stem genotyping, 12 stems belonging to two clones covering 81 and 16 m2 were harvested and excavated to measure above- and below-ground biomass and nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) pools. To study root system functionality, root connections and root longevity were assessed by radiocarbon analysis. Seasonality of NSC was monitored on five additional clones. NSC pools, R:S biomass ratio and fine roots-to-foliage ratio were higher in the large clone, whose centennial root system, estimated to be 550 years old, maintained large amounts of sapwood (51.8%) for NSC storage. 248 root connections were observed within the large clone, whereas the small clone showed comparatively simpler root structure (26 connections). NSC concentrations were higher in spring (before bud burst) and autumn (before leaf fall), and lower in summer (after complete leaf expansion); they were always higher in roots than in stems or twigs. The persistence of massive and highly inter-connected root systems after coppicing may lead to increasing R:S biomass ratios and root NSC pools over time. We highlight the need of surveying belowground organs to understand aboveground dynamics of Q. pyrenaica, and suggest that enhanced belowground NSC storage and consumption reflect a trade-off between clonal vegetative resilience and aboveground performance.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

10 Strategic Research Centers > Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research (OCCR)
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS) > Palaeoecology
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS)

UniBE Contributor:

Morales del Molino, Cesar

Subjects:

500 Science > 580 Plants (Botany)

ISSN:

0378-1127

Publisher:

Elsevier

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Alfred von Ballmoos-Haas

Date Deposited:

22 Feb 2016 15:49

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:51

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/j.foreco.2015.12.040

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Biomass partitioning, Grafting, Multi-stemmed tree, Resprouting, Forest decline, Vegetative regeneration

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.75721

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/75721

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