Above- and Belowground Biomass Allocation in Shrub Biomes across the Northeast Tibetan Plateau

PLoS One. 2016 Apr 27;11(4):e0154251. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0154251. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Biomass partitioning has been explored across various biomes. However, the strategies of allocation in plants still remain contentious. This study investigated allocation patterns of above- and belowground biomass at the community level, using biomass survey from the Tibetan Plateau. We explored above- and belowground biomass by conducting three consecutive sampling campaigns across shrub biomes on the northeast Tibetan Plateau during 2011-2013. We then documented the above-ground biomass (AGB), below-ground biomass (BGB) and root: shoot ratio (R/S) and the relationships between R/S and environment factors using data from 201 plots surveyed from 67 sites. We further examined relationships between above-ground and below-ground biomass across various shrub types. Our results indicated that the median values of AGB, BGB, and R/S in Tibetan shrub were 1102.55, 874.91 g m-2, and 0.85, respectively. R/S showed significant trend with mean annual precipitation (MAP), while decreased with mean annual temperature (MAT). Reduced major axis analysis indicated that the slope of the log-log relationship between above- and belowground biomass revealed a significant difference from 1.0 over space, supporting the optimal hypothesis. Interestingly, the slopes of the allometric relationship between log AGB and log BGB differed significantly between alpine and desert shrub. Our findings supported the optimal theory of above- and belowground biomass partitioning in Tibetan shrub, while the isometric hypothesis for alpine shrub at the community level.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Amaranthaceae / growth & development
  • Biomass
  • Climate
  • Ecosystem
  • Magnoliopsida / growth & development*
  • Plant Roots / growth & development*
  • Plant Shoots / growth & development*
  • Potentilla / growth & development
  • Rhododendron / growth & development
  • Tibet

Grants and funding

This study was supported by the “National Program on Key Basic Research Project” (grant number 2012CB026105), “National Science and Technology Support Project” (grant number 2014BAC05B01; https://168.160.10.98/sbksdy/#), “Strategic Priority Research Program” of CAS (grant number XDA05050303) and “National Natural Science Foundation of China” (grant number 40801076; http://isisn.nsfc.gov.cn/egrantindex/funcindex/prjsearch-list). All funding was received by Guoying Zhou. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.