Data from: Contrasting depth-related fine root plastic responses to soil warming in a subtropical Chinese fir plantation
Data files
Feb 23, 2024 version files 337.72 KB
Abstract
Warming-induced soil drought especially in topsoil may enlarge the spatial mismatch between nutrients and water along the soil profile, which impedes the uptake of not only water but also nutrients by trees. Therefore, coordinating the acquisition of soil water and nutrients along the soil profile is an important strategy for trees to cope with global warming.
This study examined soil depth-related changes in nutrient concentrations, biomass, and morphology of fine roots in a Chinese fir plantation after 3 years of large-scale manipulative soil warming.
Soil warming (ambient + 4°C) increased fine root nitrogen (N) concentrations but decreased fine root phosphorus (P) concentrations across soil depths. Warming did not affect total fine root biomass and its vertical distribution. At the 0–10 cm depth, warming increased specific root length (SRL), specific root area (SRA), fine root diameter (RD), and root length density (RLD) but reduced root tissue density (RTD). In the 40–60 cm layer, warming reduced RD, SRL, and RLD while increasing RTD mainly for roots of the 1–2 mm diameter class.
Synthesis: We concluded that roots of Chinese fir plantations could adapt to warming-induced moderate water stress through contrasting depth-related root morphological adjustments, probably to optimize the acquisition of both soil water and nutrients. The results of this study are crucial for understanding the adaptation strategies of subtropical forests under future climate conditions.
README: Data from: Contrasting depth-related fine root plastic responses to soil warming in a subtropical Chinese fir plantation
Dataset DOI: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.9ghx3ffqx
Authors: Linqiao Jia
Email: jialinqiao127@163.com
Address: num. 32 in Qishan Road, Fujian Normal University, Minhou country, Fuzhou, 350007.
Other contributors: Qi Jiang, Jie Sun, David Robinson, Zhijie Yang, Xiaodong Yao, Xiaohong Wang, Xilin Dai, Tingting Chen, Dongmei Wu, Ailian Fan, Liuming Yang, Guangshui Chen, and Yusheng Yang.
Organization: Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, School of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University.
Methodological Information
- Methods of data collection/generation: A randomized complete block design was used in this soil warming experiment. And there were two treatments: soil warming (ambient +4 °C) and the control (ambient), each with five replicate 15 m × 15 m plots. The sampling depth was divided into four layers: 0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, 20–40 cm, and 40–60 cm. Due to the heavy labor demand, only fine roots from the 0–10 cm and 40–60 cm layer, as representatives of the topsoil (0–20 cm) and subsoil layer (20–60 cm), respectively, were analyzed for root morphology and nutrient concentrations.
- Geographic locations of data collection: Fujian Sanming Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Fujian Province, China
Description of the data and file structure
- This dataset has one EXCEL. xls file with 8 sheets supporting the figures in the article.
The fllowing are a brief summary of dataset contents, contextualized in experimental procedures and results
For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Fig. 1
In each plot, soil temperature sensors (F109, Campbell Scientific Inc., Logan, UT, USA; three per control plot and six per warming plot) and soil moisture probes (CS616, Campbell Scientific, Logan, UT, USA; two per control plot and four per warming plot) were placed between two cables at a depth of 10 cm. In three of the five plots per treatment, one additional pair of temperature and moisture sensors were placed at depths of 20 cm, 40 cm and 60 cm, respectively. Soil temperature and moisture were recorded at 1h intervals. In this study, we mainly focused on the soil temperature and moisture of 0-10 cm and 40-60 cm in each month of 2018. SE1 represents the standard error of soil temperature, and SE2 represents the standard error of soil moisture.
For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Fig.2 and Fig.4
All living roots (including 0–1 mm and 1–2 mm diameter classes) of 0-10 cm and 40-60 cm depths collected from the soil cores were scanned (Epson Perfection V370 at a resolution of 300 dpi), then dried to a constant weight at 65 °C to obtain dry weights. And then we have determined the fine root nitrogen concentration (mg g-1) (FRN), fine root phosphorus concentration (mg g-1) (FRP), the nitrogen and phosphorus stoichiometric ratio of fine root (FR_N:P), specific root length (m g-1) (SRL), specific root area (cm2 g-1) (SRA), and root tissue density (g cm-3) (RTD) in the warming and control treatments.
For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Fig.3a, Fig.3b, Fig.3c, and Fig.3d
The living roots of 0-10 cm, 10-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm depth were classified into diameter classes of 0–1 mm, and 1–2 mm. We have determined the fine root biomass (kg m-3) (FRB) grouped by soil layer only (Fig.3a), grouped by diameter classes only (Fig.3b), pooled by soil layer and diameter class (Fig.3c), and the cumulative fraction of fine root biomass (Fig.3d) in the warming and control treatments. Curves were fitted by the asymptotic equation.
For abbreviations of variables in the sheet named Fig.5
Total fine root lengths (with roots of 0–1 mm and 1–2 mm diameter classes pooled) of the same depth from the same treatment were grouped into 40 diameter bins at intervals of 0.05 mm for the regression of root diameter class length distributions (DCLD). And to test the effects of soil warming on fine root total length and diameter, we have used the “Extreme Value” model to fit the root diameter class length distributions (DCLD) at the 0–10 cm and 40–60 cm layers. Note that the Y value in E284 is defined as an outlier at the time of analysis.