ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Functional Plant Ecology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2025.1630639
Fine root decomposition and nutrient release of different age Caragana intermedia plantation in alpine sandy land
Provisionally accepted- 1Institute of Ecological Conservation and Restoration, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- 2Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
- 3Qinghai Gonghe Desert Ecosystem Research Station, Qinghai, China
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A better understanding of fine root decomposition and nutrient release characteristics is essential for accurate assessment and prediction of nutrient cycling in plantation ecosystems. Decomposition bag method was used to study the fine root (1 mm < D ≤ 2 mm, 0.5 mm < D ≤ 1 mm and D ≤ 0.5 mm) decomposition and nutrient release of Caragana intermedia plantation with different age (4-, 9-, 11-, 16-and 22-years old) in Gonghe Basin of the Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that (1)The C and K contents of fine root with 1 mm < D ≤ 2 mm and 0.5 mm < D ≤ 1 mm were higher than those D ≤ 0.5 mm. The N content of all fine root was significantly increased (P < 0.05), while the K content was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) with plantation age. (2) In the first decomposition period (81d), the fine root mass decomposition and nutrient release rate reached more than 50% (except P), and the K release was the fastest (76.86-94.73%). ( 3) The decomposition coefficient and nutrient release rate increased with fine root diameter. Only the fine root with 1 mm < D ≤ 2 mm decomposition rate decreased (except 9-year-old) with plantation age. (4) The mass loss and nutrient release of fine root were positively correlated with their K, C, N and P contents (P < 0.01). RDA analysis showed that the K content of fine root had the highest explanation for the mass loss and nutrient release (68.50-91.50%), followed by the C content (5.10-20.20%), and both reached a very significant level (P < 0.01).
Keywords: Alpine sandy land, Caragana intermedia plantation, fine root, decomposition, nutrient release
Received: 18 May 2025; Accepted: 09 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Jia, He, Zhao and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Zhiqing Jia, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China
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