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Methodological tests of the use of trace elements as tracers to assess root activity

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Abstract

Background and aims

There is increasing interest in how resource utilisation in grassland ecosystems is affected by changes in plant diversity and abiotic conditions. Research to date has mainly focussed on aboveground responses and there is limited insight into belowground processes. The aim of this study was to test a number of assumptions for the valid use of the trace elements caesium, lithium, rubidium and strontium as tracers to assess the root activity of several grassland species.

Methods

We carried out a series of experiments addressing the reliability of soil labelling, injection density, incubation time, application rate and the comparability of different tracers in a multiple tracer method.

Results

The results indicate that it is possible to achieve a reliable labelling of soil depths. Tracer injection density affected the variability but not the mean level of plant tracer concentrations. Tracer application rates should be based on pilot studies, because of site- and species-specific responses. The trace elements did not meet prerequisites to be used in a multiple tracer method.

Conclusions

The use of trace elements as tracers is potentially a very useful tool to give insight into plant root activity at different soil depths. This work highlights some of the main benefits and pitfalls of the method and provides specific recommendations to assist the design of tracer experiments and interpretation of the results.

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Acknowledgments

N.J.H. was funded by the Irish Research Council, co-funded by Marie Curie Actions under FP7. The field experiments A, B and G were supported by the European Community’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under the grant agreements FP7-266018 (AnimalChange) and FP7-244983 (MultiSward). Experiment F was supported by the German Science Foundation (FOR 456). The authors would like to thank Daniel Hofer, Sébastien Husse, Cornel Stutz, Rafael Gago, Rita Lopez, Andreas Kundela, Barbara Eickhoff, Diane Bürge and Johanna Keita for their assistance with field work and tracer analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Environment Research Centre, Teagasc, Johnstown Castle, Wexford, Ireland

    N. J. Hoekstra & J. A. Finn

  2. Agroscope, Institute for Sustainability Sciences ISS, 8046, Zürich, Switzerland

    N. J. Hoekstra, L. Landert & A. Lüscher

  3. Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland

    N. Buchmann

  4. Faculty of Biology—Department of Geobotany, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    A. Gockele & M. Scherer-Lorenzen

  5. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    N. Prill

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  1. N. J. Hoekstra
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Correspondence to N. J. Hoekstra.

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Hoekstra, N.J., Finn, J.A., Buchmann, N. et al. Methodological tests of the use of trace elements as tracers to assess root activity. Plant Soil 380, 265–283 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-014-2048-2

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