Fine root dynamics for managed and natural ecosystems using minirhizotrons

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The proposed grant is to purchase a unique piece of equipment that will allow my research group to continue studying how plant roots function belowground in managed or natural ecosystems. Briefly, clear tubes are inserted into the ground and a miniature video camera with 100X zoom is inserted into the tubes and root images are captured on a portable laptop in the field. Root images are collected monthly or weekly from the exact same location in the tube to determine which roots have grown and which roots have died in order to estimate belowground productivity. These root images are processed in the laboratory through an image analysis program which traces the roots in the images and then computes productivity. This equipment will help graduate students investigate the role of fine roots in carbon sequestration and increase our understanding of how roots function belowground.