INVESTIGADORES
VILLAGRA Pablo Eugenio
artículos
Título:
Phenotypic plasticity of the coarse root system of Prosopis flexuosa, a phreatophyte tree, in the Monte Desert (Argentina).
Autor/es:
GUEVARA, A.; GIORDANO, C.; ARANIBAR, J.; QUIROGA, M.; VILLAGRA, P.E.
Revista:
PLANT AND SOIL
Editorial:
SPRINGER
Referencias:
Año: 2010 vol. 330 p. 447 - 464
ISSN:
0032-079X
Resumen:
Prosopis flexuosa trees in the Monte Desert
grow in dune and inter-dune valleys, where the water
table is located at 614 m depth. We asked whether
trees in the dunes, which are less likely to access the
water table, present a coarse surface root architecture
that might favor the exploration / exploitation of dune
resources, compensating for water table inaccessibility.
We characterized the architecture of surface roots of
valley and dune trees, together with the soil environment.
The dune held 50 % less and deeper gravimetric
soil water (along a 4 m profile), 3-times less organic
matter, 2-times less available phosphorous, and a
sharper contrast of ammonium and nitrate concentration
between plant canopies and uncovered soil than
the valley. Coarse surface roots of dune trees were
highly branched and grew tortuously at 0.56±0.16 m
depth before sinking downward near the tree crown,
suggesting an intensive exploitation of the ephemeral,
deep, and canopy-linked resources. In contrast, trees
from the valley spread their profuse and less branched
surface roots mainly horizontally at 0.26±0.08 m
depth, several meters outside the crown probably
exploring this resource-rich site. A model for the
environmental control of root architecture together
with potential ecological effects is discussed.
trees in the Monte Desert
grow in dune and inter-dune valleys, where the water
table is located at 614 m depth. We asked whether
trees in the dunes, which are less likely to access the
water table, present a coarse surface root architecture
that might favor the exploration / exploitation of dune
resources, compensating for water table inaccessibility.
We characterized the architecture of surface roots of
valley and dune trees, together with the soil environment.
The dune held 50 % less and deeper gravimetric
soil water (along a 4 m profile), 3-times less organic
matter, 2-times less available phosphorous, and a
sharper contrast of ammonium and nitrate concentration
between plant canopies and uncovered soil than
the valley. Coarse surface roots of dune trees were
highly branched and grew tortuously at 0.56±0.16 m
depth before sinking downward near the tree crown,
suggesting an intensive exploitation of the ephemeral,
deep, and canopy-linked resources. In contrast, trees
from the valley spread their profuse and less branched
surface roots mainly horizontally at 0.26±0.08 m
depth, several meters outside the crown probably
exploring this resource-rich site. A model for the
environmental control of root architecture together
with potential ecological effects is discussed.
14 m depth. We asked whether
trees in the dunes, which are less likely to access the
water table, present a coarse surface root architecture
that might favor the exploration / exploitation of dune
resources, compensating for water table inaccessibility.
We characterized the architecture of surface roots of
valley and dune trees, together with the soil environment.
The dune held 50 % less and deeper gravimetric
soil water (along a 4 m profile), 3-times less organic
matter, 2-times less available phosphorous, and a
sharper contrast of ammonium and nitrate concentration
between plant canopies and uncovered soil than
the valley. Coarse surface roots of dune trees were
highly branched and grew tortuously at 0.56±0.16 m
depth before sinking downward near the tree crown,
suggesting an intensive exploitation of the ephemeral,
deep, and canopy-linked resources. In contrast, trees
from the valley spread their profuse and less branched
surface roots mainly horizontally at 0.26±0.08 m
depth, several meters outside the crown probably
exploring this resource-rich site. A model for the
environmental control of root architecture together
with potential ecological effects is discussed.