How do trees behave and change underground?

 

Forest Research present research findings at the 4th International Symposium on Physiological Processes in Roots of Woody Plants

News from Forest Research: November 2007

Like icebergs, trees hide much of their structure beneath the surface. Their root systems are vital but often a poorly investigated element of natural ecosystems. As the environment is now rapidly changing, variations in soil are causing root system processes to alter, which may in turn have consequences for tree water and nutrient uptake, carbon balance and tree stability.

A network of European researchers have been working together on woody root processes. The group was established as part of European concerted research action Cost E38 ‘Woody roots processes’ (2004–2008).

The main goal is to better understand the topic, improve methods of measuring root responses to environmental change and identify funding sources for collaborative research in this key area of environmental research. The project has three working groups focusing on roots as indicators of environmental change, fine root dynamics and modelling coarse root structure.

Elena Vanguelova and Bruce Nicoll from Forest Research presented some of the research findings at the 4th International Symposium on Physiological Processes in Roots of Woody Plants in Bangor this September.

Bruce ran a workshop on ‘3D architecture of coarse root systems — measurement and analysis’ along with Fred Danjon from INRA (Bordeaux). The workshop covered software tools that can help analyse root system data, and focused on issues including architectural analysis, tree stability, and root system plasticity as a response to several environmental factors.

Elena, who has led working group 1, presented the results of the group’s research into ‘Bio-indicators of stress in tree fine roots’. Elena said: “Although studies on fine-root responses to environmental changes are labour-intensive, they can yield useful information about damage and indicate long-term changes in ecosystem functioning”.

There will be a series of outputs from this EU Cost Action, the first being a special issue of Plant Biosystems called ‘Advances in Woody Root Research’, volume 141, published in November 2007, which contains seven review papers written by the three working groups. For more details visit informaworld.com or contact Elena Vanguelova.