Root distribution of a Mediterranean shrubland in Portugal

Abstract

The distribution of roots of an Erica (Erica scoparia and Erica lusitanica) dominated Mediterranean maquis was studied using three different approaches: root counts on trench walls (down to 120 cm), estimation of the maximum rooting depth using an allometric relationship and estimation of fine root biomass and fine root length using soil cores (down to 100 cm). Roots were classified according to diameter (fine, ≤1.0 mm; small, 1.1–5.0 mm; medium, 5.1–10.0 mm; coarse, >10.0 mm) and species (Erica sp., Pteridium aquilinum, Rubus ulmifolius and Ulex jussiaei). The depth corresponding to 50% of all roots (D 50) was determined by fitting a new model to the cumulative root distribution. Fine roots represented 96% of root counts. Root counts of Erica represented 59%, Ulex 34%, Rubus 6% and Pteridium 1%. Overall root counts showed a D 50 of 26 cm. D 50 was higher for Ulex (40 cm) and Erica (22 cm), than for Pteridium (9 cm) and Rubus (3 cm). D 50 for fine roots was 27 cm, for small roots 11 cm, for medium roots 6 cm and for coarse roots 4 cm. The estimated average maximum rooting depth of the 28 deepest Erica roots was 222 cm. The deepest Erica root was estimated to reach 329 cm. A total of 82% of roots growing deeper than 125 cm were not reaching more than 175 cm. The overall fine root length density ranged from 4.6 cm/cm3 at 10 cm to 0.8 cm/cm3 at 80 cm. The overall fine root biomass ranged from 7.7 mg/cm3 at 10 cm to 0.6 mg/cm3 at 40 cm. D 50 for root biomass was 12 cm and D 50 for root length was 14 cm. Fine root biomass was estimated as 1.6 kg/m2 and the respective root length as 18.7 km/m2.