Informing the potential of mature temperate forests as natural climate solutions: Changed fine root biomass and morphology under elevated CO2
Adriane Esquivel Muelbert and colleagues investigated the effects of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2) on fine tree roots, the primary source of soil carbon. To increase the available surface area for water and nutrient uptake from the soil under elevated CO2, fine roots had a ~40% greater biomass and changes in morphology. Better characterisation of fine roots under environmental CO2 can benefit below ground carbon modelling, improving predictions of forest carbon sinks as natural climate solutions for climate policy.
This study is part of the PhD thesis of Grace Handy, co-supervised by Adriane, and took place at the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research Free Air Carbon dioxide Enrichment Experiment (BIFoR FACE).
Image shows the BIFoR FACE experiment that aims to understand the effects of elevated CO2 on mature temperate woodlands. Credit BIFoR field team.
Link to the paper in Plants People Planet:https://doi.org/10.1002/ppp3.70222