Soil Exploitation Strategies of Fine Roots in Different Tree Species of the Southern Boreal Forest of Eastern Canada

摘要: This study compared the ability of conifers (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill., Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) and deciduous trees (Populus tremuloides Michx., Betula papyrifera Marsh.) shrubs herbs to exploit soils in a southern boreal forest. Root samples were collected from undisturbed soil ingrowth cores (disturbed soil) aspenand conifer-dominated plots. Total fine-root biomass was similar aspen conifer plots but length density higher under aspen. The low root (0.7 cm·cm-3) suggests dependency on mycorrhizal associations for effective nutrient uptake. Coniferous fine roots thicker than other species. tip internode lengths showed little differences between disturbed soil, whereas these parameters increased substantially soil. growth architecture indicated that follow conservative strategy optimizing exploitation efficiency through relatively slow development coarse systems. In contrast, understorey colonized favourable environments larger extent maintaining highly ramified thin optimize exploited volume. different strategies may be as important those reported aboveground explain coexistence