COMPARISON OF VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF LIVE AND DEAD FINE ROOT BIOMASS IN SIX TYPES OF CUBAN FORESTS

Abstract

Root biomass (diameter of roots less than 1 mm) in six Cuban forests of various types, which display significant variation in root dry mass, was studied. Root biomass can be specific for individual types of studied forests. Information on the vertical distribution of fine roots is essential in order to obtain unbiased estimates of fine root biomass. The upper 0–10 cm soil layer of both submontaneous evergreen narrow-leaved and semideciduous narrow-leaved forests contained the bulk of dry mass of live roots equal to 855 and 657 g m^-2, respectively, representing 76 and 61% of fine live roots recorded in the whole investigated soil profile. Different root distribution was observed in the mangrove forests where a larger amount of live fine roots (393 and 590 g m^-2) in deeper soil layers (10–25 cm), representing 57 and 65% of fine live roots recorded in the whole soil profile was found. The results showed significant differences in the vertical distribution of fine roots between mangrove and other types of tropical forest. Insights into below-ground carbon dynamics of tropical lowland and montane forests had significant implications on tropical forest carbon cycle.