PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #25: Mycorrhizal Fungi and Root Processes.
Tuesday, August 6. Presentation from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

Root production along a primary succession chronosequence .

Uselman, Shauna^*,1, Lilienfein, Juliane¹, Qualls, Robert¹, ¹ University of Nevada-Reno, Reno, NV

ABSTRACT- Roots are significant contributors to total ecosystem nutrient cycling. For example, root production may supply up to 50% of the carbon annually cycled in forests (Vogt et al. 1996). In this study, we have measured root production along a primary succession chronosequence at the Mt. Shasta Mudflows Research Natural Area, near McCloud, California. Preliminary results, using the root ingrowth cores method, indicate that root production increases to a maximum before declining again over the 1200+ year chronosequence. Over a 7-month period, root production is 148 g/m2 at 73 years, is 197 g/m2 at 113 years, reaches a maximum of 537 g/m2 at 640 years, and decreases to 229 g/m2 at 1200+ years. This pattern is similar to aboveground patterns observed during ecosystem development, whereby biomass increases to a maximum and then decreases to a steady-state. For example, input of leaf litter to the forest floor has been shown to reach a climax in many temperate forest types, after which a steady-state is reached (Waring and Schlesinger 1985). Root litter inputs could have implications for soil C storage during ecosystem development.

KEY WORDS: root production, ecosystem development