Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T16:16:49.708Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Seasonal patterns of fine-root productivity and turnover in a tropical savanna of northern Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 March 2004

Xiaoyong Chen ,
Derek Eamus  and
Lindsay B. Hutley
Xiaoyong Chen
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research Centre for the Sustainable Development of Tropical Savannas, Faculty of Science, Information Technology and Education, Northern Territory University, Darwin NT 0909, Australia Corresponding author. Current address: Department of Geography, University of Toronto, 100 St. Georges Street, Room 5047, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada. E-mail: chenx@geog.utoronto.ca
Derek Eamus
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research Centre for the Sustainable Development of Tropical Savannas, Faculty of Science, Information Technology and Education, Northern Territory University, Darwin NT 0909, Australia Corresponding author. Current address: Department of Geography, University of Toronto, 100 St. Georges Street, Room 5047, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G3, Canada. E-mail: chenx@geog.utoronto.ca
Lindsay B. Hutley
Affiliation:
Cooperative Research Centre for the Sustainable Development of Tropical Savannas, Faculty of Science, Information Technology and Education, Northern Territory University, Darwin NT 0909, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Fine roots and their turnover represent a dynamic aspect of below-ground biomass (BGB) and nutrient capital in forest ecosystems, and account for a significant fraction of net primary productivity (NPP) (Cuevas 1995, Vogt et al. 1990). On a weight basis, coarse roots contribute more to total ecosystem biomass than fine roots, but they account for only a small portion of annual root production (Eamus et al. 2002). Despite the fact that fine roots may compose less than 2% of total ecosystem biomass, they may contribute up to 40% of total ecosystem production (Vogt et al. 1990). Therefore, estimates of root production, like estimates of root biomass, should differentiate between coarse- and fine-root production.

Keywords

Australiabelow-groundfine-root growthin-growth bagnet primary productivitysavannastemporal and spatial distributionturnover rate
Type
Brief Report
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 20 , Issue 2 , March 2004 , pp. 221 - 224
Copyright
2004 Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)