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Impact of elevated CO2 on root traits of a sapling community of three birches and an oak: a free-air-CO2 enrichment (FACE) in northern Japan

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The CO 2 effect on the root production of a broad-leaved community was insignificant when grown in brown forest soil, however, it was positively large when grown in volcanic ash soil.

Abstract

We evaluated the root response to elevated CO2 fumigation of 3 birches (Betula sp.) and 1 deciduous oak (Quercus sp.) grown in immature volcanic ash soil (VA) or brown forest soil (BF). VA is a nutrient-poor, phosphorus-impoverished soil, broadly distributed in northern Japan. Each species had been exposed to either ambient (375–395 μmol mol−1) (aCO2) or elevated (500 μmol mol−1) (eCO2) CO2 during the daytime (more than 70 μmol m−2 s−1) over 4 growing seasons. The results suggest that eCO2 did not cause an increase in total root production when the community had grown in fertile BF soil, however, it did cause a large increase when the community was grown in infertile VA soil. Yet, carbon allocation to plant roots was not affected by eCO2 in either the BF or VA soils. Rhizo-morphogenesis appeared to occur to a greater extent under eCO2. It seems that the saplings developed a massive amount of fine roots under the VA and eCO2 conditions. Unexpectedly, eCO2 resulted in a larger total root mass when the community was grown in VA soil than when grown in BF soil (eCO2 × VA vs. eCO2 × BF). These results may hint to a site-specific potential of communities to sequester future atmospheric carbon. The growing substance of plants is an important factor which root response to eCO2 depends on, however, further studies are needed for a better understanding.

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Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate Mr. Tatsushiro Ueda of Dalton Co. (Hokkaido Branch) for his continuous engineering assistance in the FACE system, as well as Mr. K. Ichikawa of Hokkaido University Forests for the operation of the bulldozer. The authors also recognize Dr. Rhett Loban of the Queensland University of Technology, Australia, for proofreading the manuscript. Two anonymous reviewers are acknowledged for their positive comments, especially related to above- and belowground balance. E.A. extends his sincere thanks to JSPS for funding (scholarship no: 140539). This study was financially supported by JSPS via research funds to T.K. (Innovation type: 21114008, Type B: 26292075).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Silviculture and Forest Ecological Studies, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8589, Japan

    Evgenios Agathokleous, Xiaona Wang & Takayoshi Koike

  2. Institute of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, Fuchu, Tokyo, 183-8509, Japan

    Makoto Watanabe

  3. Hokkaido University Forests, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-0809, Japan

    Tatsuro Nakaji & Fuyuki Satoh

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  1. Evgenios Agathokleous
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  2. Makoto Watanabe
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  3. Tatsuro Nakaji
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  4. Xiaona Wang
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Correspondence to Evgenios Agathokleous.

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The financial source support of this study (Japan Society for the Promotion of Science) is a non-profit organization. We declare that our research has no conflict of interest.

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Communicated by K. Noguchi and T. Koike.

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Agathokleous, E., Watanabe, M., Nakaji, T. et al. Impact of elevated CO2 on root traits of a sapling community of three birches and an oak: a free-air-CO2 enrichment (FACE) in northern Japan. Trees 30, 353–362 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-015-1272-6

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