Experimental warming and its legacy effects on root dynamics following two hurricane disturbances in a wet tropical forest

Daniela Yaffar; Tana E. Wood; Sasha C. Reed; Benjamin L. Branoff; Molly A. Cavaleri; Richard J. Norby

doi:10.1111/gcb.15870

Experimental warming and its legacy effects on root dynamics following two hurricane disturbances in a wet tropical forest

Daniela Yaffar
, Tana E. Wood
, Sasha C. Reed
, Benjamin L. Branoff
, Molly A. Cavaleri
, Richard J. Norby

Ecosystem Processes

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

24 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tropical forests are expected to experience unprecedented warming and increases in hurricane disturbances in the coming decades; yet, our understanding of how these productive systems, especially their belowground component, will respond to the combined effects of varied environmental changes remains empirically limited. Here we evaluated the responses of root dynamics (production, mortality, and biomass) to soil and understory warming (+4°C) and after two consecutive tropical hurricanes in our in situ warming experiment in a tropical forest of Puerto Rico: Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE). We collected minirhizotron images from three warmed plots and three control plots of 12 m². Following Hurricanes Irma and María in September 2017, the infrared heater warming treatment was suspended for repairs, which allowed us to explore potential legacy effects of prior warming on forest recovery. We found that warming significantly reduced root production and root biomass over time. Following hurricane disturbance, both root biomass and production increased substantially across all plots; the root biomass increased 2.8-fold in controls but only 1.6-fold in previously warmed plots. This pattern held true for both herbaceous and woody roots, suggesting that the consistent antecedent warming conditions reduced root capacity to recover following hurricane disturbance. Root production and mortality were both related to soil ammonium nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen before and after the hurricanes. This experiment has provided an unprecedented look at the complex interactive effects of disturbance and climate change on the root component of a tropical forested ecosystem. A decrease in root production in a warmer world and slower root recovery after a major hurricane disturbance, as observed here, are likely to have longer-term consequences for tropical forest responses to future global change.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	6423-6435
Number of pages	13
Journal	Global Change Biology
Volume	27
Issue number	24
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15870
State	Published - Dec 2021

Funding

This research was supported by Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments-Tropics, funded by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Science Program (Awards Number DE-SC0012000, DE-SC-0011806, DE-SC0018942, and 89243018S-SC-000014), the National Science Foundation (DEB-1754713), the USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF), and the University of Puerto Rico-R?o Piedras. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the United States Department of Energy under contract DE-AC05-00OR22725. This research was supported as part of the Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments-Tropics, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Support was additionally provided by the USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry and the University of Puerto Rico ? R?o Piedras. Funding for TRACE is provided by the USDA Forest Service, the US Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National Science Foundation. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. We thank Joshua Price, Camille Defrenne, Jacob Moutouama, and Kelsey Carter for the statistical guidance to the analysis and important information provided; Dr. Ariel Lugo for the revisions; Joanne Childs and Colleen Iversen for their essential insights; and the TRACE team for the help in the field and in the laboratory. This research was supported by Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments‐Tropics, funded by the United States Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research, the Terrestrial Ecosystem Science Program (Awards Number DE‐SC0012000, DE‐SC‐0011806, DE‐SC0018942, and 89243018S‐SC‐000014), the National Science Foundation (DEB‐1754713), the USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry (IITF), and the University of Puerto Rico‐Río Piedras. Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT‐Battelle, LLC, for the United States Department of Energy under contract DE‐AC05‐00OR22725. This research was supported as part of the Next Generation Ecosystem Experiments‐Tropics, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research. Support was additionally provided by the USDA Forest Service International Institute of Tropical Forestry and the University of Puerto Rico – Río Piedras. Funding for TRACE is provided by the USDA Forest Service, the US Department of Energy Office of Science, and the National Science Foundation. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. We thank Joshua Price, Camille Defrenne, Jacob Moutouama, and Kelsey Carter for the statistical guidance to the analysis and important information provided; Dr. Ariel Lugo for the revisions; Joanne Childs and Colleen Iversen for their essential insights; and the TRACE team for the help in the field and in the laboratory.

Keywords

belowground
climate change
luquillo experimental forest
multiple disturbances
root traits
wet forest

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10.1111/gcb.15870

Cite this

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title = "Experimental warming and its legacy effects on root dynamics following two hurricane disturbances in a wet tropical forest",

abstract = "Tropical forests are expected to experience unprecedented warming and increases in hurricane disturbances in the coming decades; yet, our understanding of how these productive systems, especially their belowground component, will respond to the combined effects of varied environmental changes remains empirically limited. Here we evaluated the responses of root dynamics (production, mortality, and biomass) to soil and understory warming (+4°C) and after two consecutive tropical hurricanes in our in situ warming experiment in a tropical forest of Puerto Rico: Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE). We collected minirhizotron images from three warmed plots and three control plots of 12 m2. Following Hurricanes Irma and Mar{\'i}a in September 2017, the infrared heater warming treatment was suspended for repairs, which allowed us to explore potential legacy effects of prior warming on forest recovery. We found that warming significantly reduced root production and root biomass over time. Following hurricane disturbance, both root biomass and production increased substantially across all plots; the root biomass increased 2.8-fold in controls but only 1.6-fold in previously warmed plots. This pattern held true for both herbaceous and woody roots, suggesting that the consistent antecedent warming conditions reduced root capacity to recover following hurricane disturbance. Root production and mortality were both related to soil ammonium nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen before and after the hurricanes. This experiment has provided an unprecedented look at the complex interactive effects of disturbance and climate change on the root component of a tropical forested ecosystem. A decrease in root production in a warmer world and slower root recovery after a major hurricane disturbance, as observed here, are likely to have longer-term consequences for tropical forest responses to future global change.",

keywords = "belowground, climate change, luquillo experimental forest, multiple disturbances, root traits, wet forest",

author = "Daniela Yaffar and Wood, \{Tana E.\} and Reed, \{Sasha C.\} and Branoff, \{Benjamin L.\} and Cavaleri, \{Molly A.\} and Norby, \{Richard J.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley \& Sons Ltd. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.",

year = "2021",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1111/gcb.15870",

language = "English",

volume = "27",

pages = "6423--6435",

journal = "Global Change Biology",

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T1 - Experimental warming and its legacy effects on root dynamics following two hurricane disturbances in a wet tropical forest

AU - Yaffar, Daniela

AU - Wood, Tana E.

AU - Reed, Sasha C.

AU - Branoff, Benjamin L.

AU - Cavaleri, Molly A.

AU - Norby, Richard J.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Oak Ridge National Laboratory, managed by UT-Battelle, LLC. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This article has been contributed to by US Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA.

PY - 2021/12

Y1 - 2021/12

N2 - Tropical forests are expected to experience unprecedented warming and increases in hurricane disturbances in the coming decades; yet, our understanding of how these productive systems, especially their belowground component, will respond to the combined effects of varied environmental changes remains empirically limited. Here we evaluated the responses of root dynamics (production, mortality, and biomass) to soil and understory warming (+4°C) and after two consecutive tropical hurricanes in our in situ warming experiment in a tropical forest of Puerto Rico: Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE). We collected minirhizotron images from three warmed plots and three control plots of 12 m2. Following Hurricanes Irma and María in September 2017, the infrared heater warming treatment was suspended for repairs, which allowed us to explore potential legacy effects of prior warming on forest recovery. We found that warming significantly reduced root production and root biomass over time. Following hurricane disturbance, both root biomass and production increased substantially across all plots; the root biomass increased 2.8-fold in controls but only 1.6-fold in previously warmed plots. This pattern held true for both herbaceous and woody roots, suggesting that the consistent antecedent warming conditions reduced root capacity to recover following hurricane disturbance. Root production and mortality were both related to soil ammonium nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen before and after the hurricanes. This experiment has provided an unprecedented look at the complex interactive effects of disturbance and climate change on the root component of a tropical forested ecosystem. A decrease in root production in a warmer world and slower root recovery after a major hurricane disturbance, as observed here, are likely to have longer-term consequences for tropical forest responses to future global change.

AB - Tropical forests are expected to experience unprecedented warming and increases in hurricane disturbances in the coming decades; yet, our understanding of how these productive systems, especially their belowground component, will respond to the combined effects of varied environmental changes remains empirically limited. Here we evaluated the responses of root dynamics (production, mortality, and biomass) to soil and understory warming (+4°C) and after two consecutive tropical hurricanes in our in situ warming experiment in a tropical forest of Puerto Rico: Tropical Responses to Altered Climate Experiment (TRACE). We collected minirhizotron images from three warmed plots and three control plots of 12 m2. Following Hurricanes Irma and María in September 2017, the infrared heater warming treatment was suspended for repairs, which allowed us to explore potential legacy effects of prior warming on forest recovery. We found that warming significantly reduced root production and root biomass over time. Following hurricane disturbance, both root biomass and production increased substantially across all plots; the root biomass increased 2.8-fold in controls but only 1.6-fold in previously warmed plots. This pattern held true for both herbaceous and woody roots, suggesting that the consistent antecedent warming conditions reduced root capacity to recover following hurricane disturbance. Root production and mortality were both related to soil ammonium nitrogen and microbial biomass nitrogen before and after the hurricanes. This experiment has provided an unprecedented look at the complex interactive effects of disturbance and climate change on the root component of a tropical forested ecosystem. A decrease in root production in a warmer world and slower root recovery after a major hurricane disturbance, as observed here, are likely to have longer-term consequences for tropical forest responses to future global change.

KW - belowground

KW - climate change

KW - luquillo experimental forest

KW - multiple disturbances

KW - root traits

KW - wet forest

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85115713539

U2 - 10.1111/gcb.15870

DO - 10.1111/gcb.15870

M3 - Article

C2 - 34469626

AN - SCOPUS:85115713539

SN - 1354-1013

VL - 27

SP - 6423

EP - 6435

JO - Global Change Biology

JF - Global Change Biology

IS - 24

ER -

Experimental warming and its legacy effects on root dynamics following two hurricane disturbances in a wet tropical forest

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