Plant Root Characteristics and Dynamics in Arctic Tundra Ecosystems, 1960-2012
Plant roots play a critical role in ecosystem function in arctic tundra, but root dynamics in these ecosystems are poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, we synthesized available literature on tundra roots, including their distribution, dynamics, and contribution to ecosystem carbon and nutrient fluxes, and we highlighted key aspects of their representation in terrestrial biosphere models. Across all tundra ecosystems, belowground plant biomass exceeded aboveground biomass, with the exception of polar desert tundra. Roots were shallowly-distributed in the thin layer of soil that thaws annually, and were often found in surface organic soil horizons. Root traits including distribution, chemistry, anatomy, and resource partitioning play an important role in controlling plant species competition, and therefore ecosystem carbon and nutrient fluxes, under changing climatic conditions, but have only been quantified for a small fraction of tundra plants. Further, the annual production and mortality of fine roots are key components of ecosystem processes in tundra, but extant data are sparse. Tundra root traits and dynamics should be the focus of future research efforts. Better representation of the dynamics and characteristics of tundra roots will improve the utility of models for evaluating the responses of tundra ecosystems to changing environmental conditions. Dataset DOI: 10.5440/1114222; https://doi.org/10.5440/1114222
- Research Organization:
- Next Generation Ecosystems Experiment - Arctic, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (US); NGEE Arctic, Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- Contributing Organization:
- PNL, BNL,ANL,ORNL
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC05-00OR22725
- OSTI ID:
- 1114222
- Report Number(s):
- NGA059; ngee_898DB1AF4A9FED3D5DCE6DFB59B700492018_07_17_12210333
- Availability:
- ORNL
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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