Carbon cost of root systems: an architectural approach

Root architecture is an important component of nutrient uptake and may be sensitive to carbon allocational changes brought about by rising CO2. We describe a deformable geometric model of root growth, SimRoot, for the dynamic morphological and physiological simulation of root architectures. Using SimRoot, and measurements of root biomass deposition, respiration and exudation, carbon/phosphorus budgets were developed for three contrasting root architectures. Carbon allocation patterns and phosphorus acquisition efficiencies were estimated for Phaseolus vulgaris seedlings with either a dichotomous, herringbone, or empirically determined bean root architecture. Carbon allocation to biomass, respiration, and exudation varied significantly among architectures. Root systems also varied in the relationship between C expenditure and P acquisition, providing evidence for the importance of architecture in nutrient acquisition efficiency.

[1]  F. I. Woodward,et al.  The root system architecture and development of Senecio vulgaris in elevated CO_2 and drought , 1992 .

[2]  S. Long,et al.  Effect of the Long-Term Elevation of CO(2) Concentration in the Field on the Quantum Yield of Photosynthesis of the C(3) Sedge, Scirpus olneyi. , 1991, Plant physiology.

[3]  H. Rogers,et al.  Response of plant roots to elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide , 1992 .

[4]  A. Narayanan,et al.  Promotion of root elongation by phosphorus deficiency , 1991, Plant and Soil.

[5]  E. J. Kamprath,et al.  Soil Nutrient Bioavailability—A Mechanistic Approach , 1985 .

[6]  B. Amiro,et al.  Physiological conditions and uptake of inorganic carbon-14 by plant roots , 1992 .

[7]  R. Koide,et al.  Phosphorus uptake and utilization in wild and cultivated oats (avena spp.) , 1991 .

[8]  A. Bloom,et al.  Root excision decreases nutrient absorption and gas fluxes. , 1988, Plant physiology.

[9]  Harold A. Mooney,et al.  The Carbon Balance of Plants , 1972 .

[10]  J. Lynch,et al.  Growth and architecture of seedling roots of common bean genotypes , 1993 .

[11]  P. B. Tinker,et al.  Uptake of solutes by multiple root systems from soil , 1971, Plant and Soil.

[12]  L. Berry,et al.  POLAR DISTRIBUTION OF RESPIRATORY RATE IN THE ONION ROOT TIP. , 1946, Plant physiology.

[13]  Tosiyasu L. Kunii,et al.  Botanical Tree Image Generation , 1984, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications.

[14]  A. Pradet,et al.  Soluble Sugars, Respiration, and Energy Charge during Aging of Excised Maize Root Tips. , 1980, Plant physiology.

[15]  P. Curtis,et al.  Elevated atmospheric CO2 and feedback between carbon and nitrogen cycles , 1993, Plant and Soil.

[16]  P. Rundel,et al.  Structure and function in desert root systems. , 1991 .

[17]  A. Diggle.  Rootmap: a root growth model , 1988 .

[18]  P. B. Tinker,et al.  Solute Movement in the Soil-Root System. , 1978 .

[19]  S V Krupa,et al.  Plant responses to atmospheric CO2 enrichment with emphasis on roots and the rhizosphere. , 1994, Environmental pollution.

[20]  D. Lungley,et al.  The growth of root systems — A numerical computer simulation model , 1973, Plant and Soil.

[21]  H. Mooney,et al.  Resource Limitation in Plants-An Economic Analogy , 1985 .

[22]  Gordon H. Orians,et al.  A Cost-Income Model of Leaves and Roots with Special Reference to Arid and Semiarid Areas , 1977, The American Naturalist.

[23]  S. Wong,et al.  CO2×nitrogen interaction on seedling growth of four species of Eucalypt , 1992 .

[24]  T. Yoneyama,et al.  Short-Term Nitrate Effects on Hydroponically-Grown Soybean cv. Bragg and its Supernodulating Mutant II. DISTRIBUTION AND RESPIRATION OF RECENTLY-FIXED 13C-LABELLED PHOTOSYNTHATE , 1992 .

[25]  Alastair H. Fitter,et al.  Characteristics and Functions of Root Systems , 2002 .

[26]  Alastair H. Fitter,et al.  Architectural analysis of plant root systems , 1992 .

[27]  L. Pagès,et al.  A simulation model of the three-dimensional architecture of the maize root system , 1989, Plant and Soil.

[28]  V. Reddy,et al.  Elongation and Branching of Roots on Soybean Plants in a Carbon Dioxide‐Enriched Aerial Environment , 1989 .