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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: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
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
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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

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