Root Growth Dynamics and Structure in Seedlings of Four Shade Tolerant Mediterranean Species Grown under Moderate and Low Light

Specific functional traits such as shade tolerance or leaf habits can enhance root growth dynamics and structure of planted seedlings in the understory of planted forests. We assessed how low and moderate light levels (17 and 33% of full sunlight, mimicking after-thinning stocking) affect the root g...

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Autores principales:	José L. García-Pérez, Juan A. Oliet, Pedro Villar-Salvador, Jorge Eduardo Guzmán
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	late successional species rhizotron root architecture rooting depth shade tolerance specific leaf area Plant ecology QK900-989
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/466e7b6b9d1d4f76ae6390db0ad365b9
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:466e7b6b9d1d4f76ae6390db0ad365b92021-11-25T17:38:29ZRoot Growth Dynamics and Structure in Seedlings of Four Shade Tolerant Mediterranean Species Grown under Moderate and Low Light10.3390/f121115401999-4907https://doaj.org/article/466e7b6b9d1d4f76ae6390db0ad365b92021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/11/1540https://doaj.org/toc/1999-4907Specific functional traits such as shade tolerance or leaf habits can enhance root growth dynamics and structure of planted seedlings in the understory of planted forests. We assessed how low and moderate light levels (17 and 33% of full sunlight, mimicking after-thinning stocking) affect the root growth dynamics and structure of four late successional trees, three deciduous (<i>Acer monspessulanum</i> L., <i>Quercus pyrenaica</i> Willd and <i>Sorbus torminalis</i> (L.) Crantz) and one evergreen (<i>Quercus ilex</i> L.) species. Rooting depth, dynamics and structure were mainly explained by species functional differences. Roots of deciduous trees elongated faster and deeper and were larger than the roots of the evergreen <i>Q. ilex</i>. Among deciduous trees, <i>S. torminalis</i> had the lowest root growth. Specific leaf area and nutrient concentration were positively related to root growth, highlighting the importance of traits related to the plant economic spectrum, as determinants of species root growth differences. Moderate light level slightly enhanced root growth and decreased the specific leaf area (SLA). Species differences in water potential under drought were positively related to rooting depth, evidencing the importance of its role in overcoming drought stress during seedling establishment. These findings can guide the selection of late successional, shade tolerant tree species for underplanting thinned Mediterranean plantations and provide insights into their ecology.José L. García-PérezJuan A. OlietPedro Villar-SalvadorJorge Eduardo GuzmánMDPI AGarticlelate successional speciesrhizotronroot architecturerooting depthshade tolerancespecific leaf areaPlant ecologyQK900-989ENForests, Vol 12, Iss 1540, p 1540 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	late successional species rhizotron root architecture rooting depth shade tolerance specific leaf area Plant ecology QK900-989
spellingShingle	late successional species rhizotron root architecture rooting depth shade tolerance specific leaf area Plant ecology QK900-989 José L. García-Pérez Juan A. Oliet Pedro Villar-Salvador Jorge Eduardo Guzmán Root Growth Dynamics and Structure in Seedlings of Four Shade Tolerant Mediterranean Species Grown under Moderate and Low Light
description	Specific functional traits such as shade tolerance or leaf habits can enhance root growth dynamics and structure of planted seedlings in the understory of planted forests. We assessed how low and moderate light levels (17 and 33% of full sunlight, mimicking after-thinning stocking) affect the root growth dynamics and structure of four late successional trees, three deciduous (<i>Acer monspessulanum</i> L., <i>Quercus pyrenaica</i> Willd and <i>Sorbus torminalis</i> (L.) Crantz) and one evergreen (<i>Quercus ilex</i> L.) species. Rooting depth, dynamics and structure were mainly explained by species functional differences. Roots of deciduous trees elongated faster and deeper and were larger than the roots of the evergreen <i>Q. ilex</i>. Among deciduous trees, <i>S. torminalis</i> had the lowest root growth. Specific leaf area and nutrient concentration were positively related to root growth, highlighting the importance of traits related to the plant economic spectrum, as determinants of species root growth differences. Moderate light level slightly enhanced root growth and decreased the specific leaf area (SLA). Species differences in water potential under drought were positively related to rooting depth, evidencing the importance of its role in overcoming drought stress during seedling establishment. These findings can guide the selection of late successional, shade tolerant tree species for underplanting thinned Mediterranean plantations and provide insights into their ecology.
format	article
author	José L. García-Pérez Juan A. Oliet Pedro Villar-Salvador Jorge Eduardo Guzmán
author_facet	José L. García-Pérez Juan A. Oliet Pedro Villar-Salvador Jorge Eduardo Guzmán
author_sort	José L. García-Pérez
title	Root Growth Dynamics and Structure in Seedlings of Four Shade Tolerant Mediterranean Species Grown under Moderate and Low Light
title_short	Root Growth Dynamics and Structure in Seedlings of Four Shade Tolerant Mediterranean Species Grown under Moderate and Low Light
title_full	Root Growth Dynamics and Structure in Seedlings of Four Shade Tolerant Mediterranean Species Grown under Moderate and Low Light
title_fullStr	Root Growth Dynamics and Structure in Seedlings of Four Shade Tolerant Mediterranean Species Grown under Moderate and Low Light
title_full_unstemmed	Root Growth Dynamics and Structure in Seedlings of Four Shade Tolerant Mediterranean Species Grown under Moderate and Low Light
title_sort	root growth dynamics and structure in seedlings of four shade tolerant mediterranean species grown under moderate and low light
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/466e7b6b9d1d4f76ae6390db0ad365b9
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Root Growth Dynamics and Structure in Seedlings of Four Shade Tolerant Mediterranean Species Grown under Moderate and Low Light

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