Skip to main content
Log in

Species-dependent responses of root growth of herbaceous plants to snow cover changes in a temperate desert, Northwest China

  • Regular Article
  • Published:
Plant and Soil Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background and aims

Changes in snow cover can influence root growth and distribution of herbaceous species in water limiting desert ecosystems. However, how the growth of root systems of herbaceous species responds to snow cover changes remains unclear. Thus, the present study was aimed to examine the influence of snow cover changes on root growth of herbaceous species in a temperate desert of central Asia.

Methods

Plots with four snow cover depth treatments in winter were investigated in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The four treatments were snow removal (− S), ambient snow, double snow (+ S), and triple snow (+ 2S). We examined the root growth of two typical herbaceous species: one ephemeral species, Erodium oxyrhinchum, and one annual species, Ceratocarpus arenarius.

Result

The root length of the annual plant was significantly reduced by snow removal compared with the ambient treatment. The specific root length and specific surface area of the ephemeral plants increased with increasing snow depth, whereas the annual plants showed the opposite trends. Snow removal significantly increased the root–shoot ratio of the annual plants, with no effects found in the ephemeral plants. The individual root biomass and total underground biomass of the two species had similar responses to the snow depth treatments, with the highest values found with the ambient treatment.

Conclusions

These results can contribute to explaining to changing winter snow cover depth can alter plant growth, community structure, and ecosystem function in the growing season in temperate desert ecosystems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aanderud ZT, Jones SE, Schoolmaster DR Jr, Fierer N, Lennon JT (2013) Sensitivity of soil respiration and microbial communities to altered snowfall. Soil Biol Biochem 57:217–227

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Adiku SG, Ozier-Lafontaine H, Bajazet T (2001) Patterns of root growth and water uptake of a maize-cowpea mixture grown under greenhouse conditions. Plant Soil 235:85–94

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brooks PD, Williams MW (1999) Snowpack controls on nitrogen cycling and export in seasonally snow-covered catchments. Hydrol Process 13:2177–2190

    Google Scholar 

  • Burylo M, Rey F, Roumet C, Buisson E, Dutoit T (2009) Linking plant morphological traits to uprooting resistance in eroded marly lands (Southern Alps, France). Plant Soil 324:31

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Decagon Devices I (2002) ECH2O data collection system. Operator’s manual for models Em50/Em50R, Decagon Devices, Inc., 2365 NE Hopkins Court Pullman WA 99163, 6th Edn

  • Decagon Devices, Inc. (2008) ECH2O soil moisture sensor. Operator’s manual for model 5TE, 3rd edn. Decagon Devices, Inc., Pullman

  • Delory BM, Delaplace P, Fauconnier M-L, Du Jardin P (2016) Root-emitted volatile organic compounds: can they mediate belowground plant-plant interactions? Plant Soil 402:1–26

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dorrepaal E, Aerts R, Cornelissen JH, Callaghan TV, Van Logtestijn RS (2004) Summer warming and increased winter snow cover affect Sphagnum fuscum growth, structure and production in a sub-arctic bog. Glob Change Biol 10:93–104

    Google Scholar 

  • Eissenstat D, Wells C, Yanai R, Whitbeck J (2000) Building roots in a changing environment: implications for root longevity. New Phytol 147:33–42

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fan LL, Tang LS, Wu LF, Ma J, Li Y (2014) The limited role of snow water in the growth and development of ephemeral plants in a cold desert. J Veg Sci 25:681–690

    Google Scholar 

  • Fazeli F, Ghorbanli M, Niknam V (2007) Effect of drought on biomass, protein content, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzymes in two sesame cultivars. Biol Plant 51:98–103

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer C, Leimer S, Roscher C, Ravenek J, de Kroon H, Kreutziger Y, Baade J, Beßler H, Eisenhauer N, Weigelt A (2019) Plant species richness and functional groups have different effects on soil water content in a decade-long grassland experiment. J Ecol 107:127–141

    Google Scholar 

  • Gambetta GA, Fei J, Rost TL, Knipfer T, Matthews MA, Shackel KA, Walker MA, McElrone AJ (2013) Water uptake along the length of grapevine fine roots: developmental anatomy, tissue-specific aquaporin expression, and pathways of water transport. Plant Physiol 163:1254–1265

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Gould IJ, Quinton JN, Weigelt A, De Deyn GB, Bardgett RD (2016) Plant diversity and root traits benefit physical properties key to soil function in grasslands. Ecol Lett 19:1140–1149

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Granier C, Tardieu F (1999) Water deficit and spatial pattern of leaf development. Variability in responses can be simulated using a simple model of leaf development. Plant Physiol 119:609–620

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Grossman JD, Rice KJ (2012) Evolution of root plasticity responses to variation in soil nutrient distribution and concentration. Evol Appl 5:850–857

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Guo DL, Robert JM, Joseph JH (2004) Fine root branch orders respond differentially to carbon source-sink manipulations in a longleaf pine forest. Oecologia 140:450–457

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hardy JP, Groffman PM, Fitzhugh RD, Henry KS, Welman AT, Demers JD, Fahey TJ, Driscoll CT, Tierney GL, Nolan S (2001) Snow depth manipulation and its influence on soil frost and water dynamics in a northern hardwood forest. Biogeochemistry 56:151–174

    Google Scholar 

  • Hooper DU, Vitousek PM (1997) The effects of plant composition and diversity on ecosystem processes. Science 277:1302–1305

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang G, Li Ch, Li Y (2018) Phenological responses to nitrogen and water addition are linked to plant growth patterns in a desert herbaceous community. Ecol Evol 8:5139–5152

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Jones MH, Fahnestock JT, Walker DA (1998) Carbon dioxide fluxes in moist and dry arctic tundra during the snow-free season: responses to increases in summer temperature and winter snow accumulation. Arct Alp Res 30:373–380

    Google Scholar 

  • Kramer‐Walter KR, Bellingham PJ, Millar TR, Smissen RD, Richardson SJ, Laughlin DC (2016) Root traits are multidimensional: specific root length is independent from root tissue density and the plant economic spectrum. J Ecol 104:1299–1310

  • Lauenroth WK, Gill R (2003) Turnover of root systems. Root ecology. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Leuschner C, Hertel D (2003) Fine root biomass of temperate forests in relation to soil acidity and fertility, climate, age and species. Progress in botany. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu R, Cieraad E, Li Y, Ma J (2016) Precipitation pattern determines the inter-annual variation of herbaceous layer and carbon fluxes in a phreatophyte-dominated desert ecosystem. Ecosystems 19:601–614

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Loik ME, Griffith AB, Alpert H (2013) Impacts of long-term snow climate change on a high-elevation cold desert shrubland, California, USA. Plant Ecol 214:255–266

    Google Scholar 

  • López-Bucio J, Cruz-Ramırez A, Herrera-Estrella L (2003) The role of nutrient availability in regulating root architecture. Curr Opin Plant Biol 6:280–287

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Malamy JE (2005) Intrinsic and environmental response pathways that regulate root system architecture. Plant Cell Environ 28:67–77

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mariko S, Bekku Y, Koizumi H (1994) Efflux of carbon dioxide from snow-covered forest floors. Ecol Res 9:343–350

    Google Scholar 

  • Maxwell J (1992) Understanding and validity in qualitative research. Harvard Educ Rev 62:279–301

    Google Scholar 

  • Mmolawa K, Or D (2000) Root zone solute dynamics under drip irrigation: A review. Plant Soil 222:163–190

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mou P, Jones R, Mitchell R, Zutter B (1995) Spatial distribution of roots in sweetgum and loblolly pine monocultures and relations with above-ground biomass and soil nutrients. Funct Ecol 9:689–699

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy M, Laiho R, Moore TR (2009) Effects of water table drawdown on root production and aboveground biomass in a boreal bog. Ecosystems 12:1268–1282

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ogbonnaya C, Sarr B, Brou C, Diouf O, Diop N, Roy-Macauley H (2003) Selection of cowpea genotypes in hydroponics, pots, and field for drought tolerance. Crop Sci 43:1114–1120

    Google Scholar 

  • Osmont KS, Sibout R, Hardtke CS (2007) Hidden branches: developments in root system architecture. Annu Rev Plant Biol 58:93–113

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ozier-Lafontaine H, Lafolie F, Bruckler L, Tournebize R, Mollier A (1998) Modelling competition for water in intercrops: theory and comparison with field experiments. Plant Soil 204:183–201

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Peng S, Piao S, Ciais P, Fang J, Wang X (2010) Change in winter snow depth and its impacts on vegetation in China. Glob Change Biol 16:3004–3013

    Google Scholar 

  • Poorter H, Niklas KJ, Reich PB, Oleksyn J, Poot P, Mommer L (2012) Biomass allocation to leaves, stems and roots: meta-analyses of interspecific variation and environmental control. New Phytol 193:30–50

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rascher C, Driscoll CT, Peters N (1987) Concentration and flux of solutes from snow and forest floor during snowmelt in the West-Central Adirondack region of New York. Biogeochemistry 3:209–224

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rey A, Petsikos C, Jarvis PG (2005) Effect of temperature and moisture on rates of carbon mineralization in a Mediterranean oak forest soil under controlled and field conditions. Eur J Soil Sci 56:589–599

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Skirycz A, De Bodt S, Obata T, De Clercq I, Claeys H, De Rycke R, Andriankaja M, Van Aken O, Van Breusegem F, Fernie AR (2010) Developmental stage specificity and the role of mitochondrial metabolism in the response of Arabidopsis leaves to prolonged mild osmotic stress. Plant Physiol 152:226–244

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Stokes A, Atger C, Bengough AG, Fourcaud T, Sidle RC (2009) Desirable plant root traits for protecting natural and engineered slopes against landslides. Plant Soil 324:1–30

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stottlemyer R, Toczydlowski D (1996) Modification of snowmelt chemistry by forest floor and mineral soil, Northern Michigan. J Environ Qual 25:828–836

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tobias S, Stettler M, Haberecht M, Meyer M, Ingensand H (2008) Measuring soil displacement due to passing over restored soils. Agrarforschung (Switzerland) 15(6):282–287

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Wijk MT, Williams M, Gough L, Hobbie SE, Shaver G (2003) Luxury consumption of soil nutrients: a possible competitive strategy in above-ground and below‐ground biomass allocation and root morphology for slow‐growing arctic vegetation? J Ecol 91:664–676

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang W, Vinocur B, Altman A (2003) Plant responses to drought, salinity and extreme temperatures: towards genetic engineering for stress tolerance. Planta 218:1–14

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Williams MW, Melack JM (1991) Solute chemistry of snowmelt and runoff in an alpine basin, Sierra Nevada. Water Resour Res 27:1575–1588

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wipf S, Stoeckli V, Bebi P (2009) Winter climate change in alpine tundra: plant responses to changes in snow depth and snowmelt timing. Clim Chang 94:105–121

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu P, White PJ, Hochholdinger F, Li C (2014) Phenotypic plasticity of the maize root system in response to heterogeneous nitrogen availability. Planta 240:667–678

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang L, Chen C (2002) On the general characteristics of plant diversity of Gurbantunggut sandy desert. Acta Ecol Sin 22:1923–1932

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou H, Li Y, Tang Y, Zhou B, Xu H (2009) The characteristics of the snow-cover and snowmelt water storage in Gurbantunggut Desert. Ganhanqu Yanjiu (Arid Zone Res) 26:312–317

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou X, Bowker MA, Tao Y, Wu L, Zhang Y (2018) Chronic nitrogen addition induces a cascade of plant community responses with both seasonal and progressive dynamics. Sci Total Environ 626:99–108

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zlatev Z, Lidon FC (2012) An overview on drought induced changes in plant growth, water relationsand photosynthesis. Emirates J Food Agric 24:57–72

    Google Scholar 

  • Zuo Q, Shi J, Li Y, Zhang R (2006) Root length density and water uptake distributions of winter wheat under sub-irrigation. Plant Soil 285:45–55

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Rui Zhang and Anlifeire, for their assistance with sample collecting in field. This work was supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (41571256, 41977099) and the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA2005020402).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhang Yuanming.

Additional information

Responsible Editor: W Richard Whalley.

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jinfei, Y., Xiaobing, Z., Benfeng, Y. et al. Species-dependent responses of root growth of herbaceous plants to snow cover changes in a temperate desert, Northwest China. Plant Soil 459, 249–260 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04756-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04756-1

Keywords

Navigation