Abstract
Root litter transformation is an important determinant of the carbon cycle in grassland ecosystems. Litter quality and rhizosphere activity are species-dependent factors which depend on the attributes of the dead and living roots respectively. These factors were tested, using non-disturbed soil monoliths ofDactylis glomerata L. andLolium perenne L. monocultures.13C-labelled root litter from these monoliths was obtained from a first stand of each crop, cultivated under veryδ 13C-depleted atmospheric CO2 (S1). In a factorial design,13C-labelled root litter of each species was submitted to a second, non13C-labelled, living stand of each species (S2). Carbon derived from S1 and from S2 was measured during an 18-month incubation in the root phytomass and in three particulate organic matter fractions (POM). The decay rate of each particle size fraction was fitted to the experimental data in a mechanistic model of litter transformation, whose outputs were mineralisation and stabilisation of the litter-C. Few differences were found between species, in the amount and biochemical composition of the initial root litter, butDactylis roots showed a greater C:N ratio, a lower mean root diameter and a greater specific root length compared toLolium. A transient accumulation of litter residues arose successively in POM fractions of decreasing particle size. The litter-continuum hypothesis was validated, i.e. that the attributes of the compartments (C:N, chemical composition and residence time) depended mainly on their particle size. The S1 species influenced the rate of litter decay while the S2 species controlled the efficiency of litter-C stabilisation versus mineralisation:Dactylis litter decomposed faster andLolium rhizosphere allowed a greater proportion of litter C stabilisation. Discussions focus on the processes responsible of species strategy in relation with the morphological root traits, and the implication of strategy diversity for rich grassland communities.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Aerts R, Bakker C and De Caluwe H 1992 Root turnover as determinant of the cycling of C, N, and P in a dry heathland ecosystem. Biogeochem. 15, 175–190.
Balabane M and Balesdent J 1992 Input of fertiliser-derived labelled N to soil organic matter during agrowing season of maize in the field. Soil Biol. Biochem. 24, 89–96.
Balesdent J A, Wagner G H and Mariotti A 1988 Soil organic matter turnover in a long-term field experiment as revealed by carbon-13 natural abundance. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 52, 118–124.
Bardgett R D, Mawdsley J L, Edwards S, Hobbs P J, Rodwell J S and Davies W J 1999 Plant species and nitrogen effects on soil biological properties of temperate upland grasslands. Funct. Ecol. 13, 650–660.
Bending G D, Turner M K and Burns I G 1998 Fate of nitrogen from crop residues as affected by biochemical quality and the microbial biomass. Soil Biol. Biochem. 30, 2055–2065.
Berendse F 1994 Litter decomposability - A neglected component of plant fitness. J. Ecol. 82, 187–190.
Bernhard-Reversat F, Main G, Holl K, Loumeto J and Ngao J 2003 Fast disappearance of the water-soluble phenolic fraction in eucalypt leaf litter during laboratory and field experiments. Appl. Soil Ecol. 23, 273–278.
Billès G and Bottner P 1981 Effet des racines vivantes sur la décomposition d’une litière racinaire marquée au14C. Plant Soil 62, 193–208.
Blair J M 1988 Nitrogen, sulfur and phosphorus dynamics in decomposing deciduous leaf litter in the southern appalachians. Soil Biol. Biochem. 20, 693–701.
Bosatta E and Agren G I 1991 Dynamics of carbon and nitrogen in the organic matter of the soil: A generic theory. Amer. Natur. 138, 227–245.
Bottner P, Pansu M and Sallih Z 1999 Modelling the effect of active roots on soil organic matter turnover. Plant Soil 216, 15–25.
Casella E, Soussana J F and Loiseau P 1996 Long-term effects of CO2 enrichment and temperature increase on a temperate grass sward. I. Productivity and water use. Plant Soil 182, 83–99.
Chapin F S III 1980 The mineral nutrition of wild plants. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 11, 233–260.
Cheng W and Coleman D C 1990 Effect of living roots on soil organic matter decomposition. Soil Biol. Biochem. 22, 781–787.
Cornelissen J H C 1996 An experimental comparison of leaf decomposition rates in a wide rage of temperate plant species and types. J. Ecol. 84, 573–582.
Cornelissen J H C and Thompson K 1997 Functional leaf attributes predict litter decomposition rate in herbaceous plants. New Phytol. 135, 109–114.
Dukes J S and Field C B 2000 Diverse mechanisms for CO2 effects on grassland litter decomposition. Global Change Biol. 6, 145–154.
Eckstein R L, Karlsson P S and Weih M 1999 Research review. Leaf life span and nutrient resorption as determinants of plant nutrient conservation in temperate-artic regions. New Phytol. 143, 177–189.
Ellenberg H, Weber H E and Düll R 1992 Zeigerwerte von Pflanzen in Mitteleuropa. Scripta Geobot. 18, 1–258.
Fahey T J 1983 Nutrient dynamics of aboveground detritus in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta ssp. latifolia) ecosystems, southeastern Wyoming. Ecol. Monogr. 53, 51–72.
Fog K 1988 The effect of added nitrogen on the rate of decomposition of organic matter. Biol. Rev. 63, 433–462.
Fontaine S, Bardoux G, Abbadie L and Mariotti A 2001 Cellulose input to soil with low nutrient content had negative effect on soil carbon due to priming effect. In 11th Nitrogen Workshop, Reims, France, 9–12 September 2001, 83 p.
Gorissen A and Cotrufo M F 2000 Decomposition of leaf and root tissue of three perennial grass species grown at two levels of atmospheric CO2 and N supply. Plant Soil 224, 75–84.
Hunt R and Cornelissen J H C 1997 Components of relative growth rate and their interrelations in 59 temperate plant species. New Phytol. 135, 395–417.
Jarrige R 1961 Analyse des constituants glucidiques des plantes fourragères: I. Fractionnement des constituants de la membrane par les hydrolyses acides. Annales Biologie animale. Biochem. Biophys. 1, 163–212.
Kalburtji K L, Mosjidis J A and Mamolos A P 1999 Litter dynamics of low and high tanninSericea lespedeza plants under field conditions. Plant Soil 208, 271–281.
Larsson K and Steen E 1988 Changes in mass and chemical composition of grass roots during decomposition. Gr. For. Sci. 43, 173–177.
Lemaire G and Gastal F 1997 N uptake and distribution in plant canopies.In Diagnosis of the nitrogen status in crops. Ed. G Lemaire. pp. 3–43.
Loiseau P and Soussana J F 1999 Elevated [CO2], temperature increase and N supply effects on the turnover of below-ground carbon in a temperate grassland ecosystem. Plant Soil 210, 233–247.
Melillo J M, Naiman R J, Aber J D and Linkins A E 1984 Factors controlling mass loss and nitrogen dynamics of plant litter decaying in Northern streams Bull. Mar. Sci. 35, 341–356.
Melillo J M, Aber J D, Linkins A E, Ricca A, Fry B and Nadelhoffer K J 1989 Carbon and nitrogen dynamics along the decay continuum: Plant litter to soil organic matter. Plant Soil 115, 189–198.
Moorhead D L, Westerfield M M and Zak J C 1998 Plants retard litter decay in a nutrient-limited soil: A case of exploitative competition? Oecologia 113, 530–536.
Prescott C E, Corbin J P and Parkinson D 1992 Immobilisation and availability of N and P in the forest floors of fertilized Rocky Mountain coniferous forests. Plant Soil 143, 1–10.
Ryser P and Urbas P 2000 Ecological significance of leaf life span among Central European grass species. Oikos 91, 41–50.
Seastedt T R, Parton W J, Ojima D S 1992 Mass loss and nitrogen dynamics of decaying litter of grasslands: The apparent low nitrogen immobilisation potential of root detritus. Can. J. Bot. 70, 384–391.
Tateno M and Chapin F S 1997 The logic of carbon and nitrogen interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. Am. Natur. 149, 723–744.
Tilman D 1990 Mechanisms of plant competition for nutrients: the elements of predictive theory of competition. Perspect. Plant Comp. 117–141.
Van Ginkel J H, Gorissen A, Van Veen J A 1996 Long-term decomposition of grass roots as affected by elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide. J. Envir. Qual. 25, 1122–1128.
Wedin D A and Tilman D 1990 Species effects on nitrogen cycling: A test with perennial grasses. Oecologia 84, 433–441.
Wieder R K and Lang G E 1982 A critique of the analytical methods used in examining decomposition data obtained from litter bags. Ecology 63, 1636–1642.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Personeni, E., Loiseau, P. How does the nature of living and dead roots affect the residence time of carbon in the root litter continuum?. Plant Soil 267, 129–141 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-4656-3
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-005-4656-3