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Updated: Jul 16, 2026

Design and Operation of a Continuous 13C and 15N Labeling Chamber for Uniform or Differential, Metabolic and Structural, Plant Isotope Labeling
Published on: January 16, 2014
Impacts of fine root turnover on forest NPP and soil C sequestration potential
Roser Matamala1, Miquel A Gonzàlez-Meler, Julie D Jastrow
1Environmental Research Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA. matamala@anl.gov
Abstract:
Estimates of forest net primary production (NPP) demand accurate estimates of root production and turnover. We assessed root turnover with the use of an isotope tracer in two forest free-air carbon dioxide enrichment experiments. Growth at elevated carbon dioxide did not accelerate root turnover in either the pine or the hardwood forest. Turnover of fine root carbon varied from 1.2 to 9 years, depending on root diameter and dominant tree species. These long turnover times suggest that root production and turnover in forests have been overestimated and that sequestration of anthropogenic atmospheric carbon in forest soils may be lower than currently estimated.
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