Root distribution of Mediterranean woody plants. Introducing a new empirical model

Abstract

The root distributions of 42 plants from 18 Mediterranean woody species were characterised by using an adjustable new empirical model. Plants were classified in terms of developmental stage and regenerative strategy. Vertical distributions of root length and root biomass were determined, standardised, and computed as cumulative data. The root distribution data were used to test the new proposed model against three other models taken from the literature. Tests have shown that the new model presented the best performance among the four. Significant differences were obtained between developmental stages and between regenerative strategies, using model-derived parameters. Despite the heterogeneous characteristics within the group of studied plants, different rooting patterns could be detected using the new modelling approach. The paper discusses these patterns in terms of the ecological characteristics of the different species.