The lifespan of fast-cycling roots is a critical parameter determining a large flux of plant
carbon into soil through root turnover and is a biological feature regulating the capacity of a …

Although fine roots play an integral role in biogeochemical cycling and supporting plant
function, fundamental understanding of the mechanisms that control fine root life span is …

Fine root dynamics control a dominant flux of carbon from plants and into soils and mediate
potential uptake and cycling of nutrients and water in terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding …

The increasingly widespread use of minirhizotrons, below-ground video cameras, and root
image analysis software has generated information on fine root (< 1 mm in diameter) …

Root turnover is important to the global carbon budget as well as to nutrient cycling in
ecosystems and to the success of individual plants. Our ability to predict the effects of …

Changes in the production and turnover of roots in forests and grasslands in response to
rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, elevated temperatures, altered precipitation, or …

Fine root lifespan is a critical trait associated with contrasting root strategies of resource
acquisition and protection. Yet, its position within the multidimensional “root economics …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the competing theories of root lifespan and
reviews the evidence available to support them. New methods of root observation and …

The timing of fine root production and turnover strongly influences both the seasonal
potential for soil resource acquisition among competing root systems and the plant fluxes of …

Plant phenology is one of the strongest indicators of ecological responses to climate
change, and altered phenology can have pronounced effects on net primary production …