A Systematic Review of the Decomposition of Plant Roots

Abstract

Soil harbors plant roots and the microorganisms responsible for the decomposition of these roots. Therefore, the decomposition of plant roots is potentially a major sink of carbon dioxide. The goal of our research is to understand the role microbes play in the decomposition of roots and carbon sequestration in soil. The first step is to conduct a systematic review to identify the knowledge gaps in this field of study. We sought to understand the scope of research related to dead plant roots such as: the ecosystems observed, the locations the studies were conducted (in situ or laboratory microcosms), the types of samples (plants and soil) collected, and the methods used to measure the decomposition of roots and describe the microbial community.
In a systematic review, specific keywords and variations were used to search for papers in the Web of Science and SCOPUS: Decomposition, Decomposition and Plants, Decomposition and Roots, Decomposition and Plants and Roots, Decomposition and Plants and Roots and Microorganisms, Decomposition and Plants and Roots and Microbes. The PDF’s were downloaded and imported to Covidence. There were 3 rounds of screening in Covidence: Title and Abstract screening, Full text review, and Extraction. Each reference was assessed by two independent reviewers and a third reviewer to settle conflicts. The inclusion criteria keywords were plants roots, microbial community data, bacterial and fungal, root litter and roots, decomposition, degradation, and detritus. The exclusion criteria keywords were animal, human, insects, plant facilities, and litter. We were careful to look for terms with similar meaning such as below ground litter and root litter. Also, we considered how an inclusion term was used, such as decomposition of something other than roots. Preliminary data reveals that publications in this field has more than doubled in the last 10 years which reflects interest in this field of research.

Details

Session 1

9:30am – 11:00am

Grand Salon