Abstract
Abstract Most agricultural land has been compacted to some degree by heavy machinery or livestock trampling. This legacy is expected to influence the success of tree seedling recruits in farmland areas where natural regeneration is being encouraged. We investigated the impact of soil compaction on seedlings of a woodland eucalypt ( Eucalyptus albens ) and an annual grass competitor ( Vulpia myuros ) in a laboratory experiment. Replicate soil cores were created at five bulk density levels; 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 or 1.4 Mg m −3 with a soil water content of 20%. The depth of root penetration declined linearly with increasing bulk density, resulting in a decrease in root depth of around 75% in the most compacted soil compared with the least compacted soil for both species. Shoot length and primary root length did not vary between soil bulk density levels for either species, but seedlings responded to increasing levels of compaction with oblique (non‐vertical) root growth. Results suggest that young seedlings of both E. albens and V. myuros will be more susceptible to surface drying in compacted than uncompacted soils and therefore face a greater risk of desiccation during the critical months following germination. Any competitive advantage that V. myuros may have over E. albens is not evident in differential response to soil compaction.
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Claims 9
Claim · model-written summary
Root depth of Eucalyptus albens seedlings decreased by around 75% in the most compacted soil compared with the least compacted soil.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus albens
Eucalyptus albense1 - Treatment
- increasing bulk densitye3
- Outcome
- root depthe3
- Direction
- decreasee3
- Value
- around 75%e3
- Comparator
- least compacted soile3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“a woodland eucalypt ( Eucalyptus albens )”
e3“The depth of root penetration declined linearly with increasing bulk density, resulting in a decrease in root depth of around 75% in the most compacted soil compared with the least compacted soil for both species”
Claim · model-written summary
Root depth of Vulpia myuros seedlings decreased by around 75% in the most compacted soil compared with the least compacted soil.
- Taxon
- Vulpia myuros
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Festuca myurose2 - Treatment
- increasing bulk densitye3
- Outcome
- root depthe3
- Direction
- decreasee3
- Value
- around 75%e3
- Comparator
- least compacted soile3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e2“an annual grass competitor ( Vulpia myuros )”
e3“The depth of root penetration declined linearly with increasing bulk density, resulting in a decrease in root depth of around 75% in the most compacted soil compared with the least compacted soil for both species”
Claim · model-written summary
Shoot length and primary root length of Eucalyptus albens did not vary between soil bulk density levels.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus albensEucalyptus albense1
- Treatment
- soil bulk density levelse4
- Outcome
- Shoot length and primary root lengthe4
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“a woodland eucalypt ( Eucalyptus albens )”
e4“Shoot length and primary root length did not vary between soil bulk density levels for either species”
Claim · model-written summary
Shoot length and primary root length of Vulpia myuros did not vary between soil bulk density levels.
- Taxon
- Vulpia myurosFestuca myurose2
- Treatment
- soil bulk density levelse4
- Outcome
- Shoot length and primary root lengthe4
- Direction
- no_changeinferrede4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“an annual grass competitor ( Vulpia myuros )”
e4“Shoot length and primary root length did not vary between soil bulk density levels for either species”
Claim · model-written summary
Eucalyptus albens seedlings responded to increasing compaction with oblique root growth.
- Taxon
- Eucalyptus albensEucalyptus albense1
- Treatment
- increasing levels of compactione5
- Outcome
- root growthe6
- Qualifier
- obliquee5
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“a woodland eucalypt ( Eucalyptus albens )”
e5“seedlings responded to increasing levels of compaction with oblique”
e6“root growth”
Claim · model-written summary
Vulpia myuros seedlings responded to increasing compaction with oblique root growth.
- Taxon
- Vulpia myurosFestuca myurose2
- Treatment
- increasing levels of compactione5
- Outcome
- root growthe6
- Qualifier
- obliquee5
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“an annual grass competitor ( Vulpia myuros )”
e5“seedlings responded to increasing levels of compaction with oblique”
e6“root growth”
Claim · model-written summary
Eucalyptus albens seedlings are expected to be more susceptible to surface drying in compacted than in uncompacted soil.
- Taxon
- E. albensEucalyptus albense7
- Treatment
- compacted soilse7
- Outcome
- susceptible to surface dryinge7
- Direction
- more susceptiblee7
- Comparator
- uncompacted soilse7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“young seedlings of both E. albens and V. myuros will be more susceptible to surface drying in compacted than uncompacted soils”
Claim · model-written summary
Vulpia myuros seedlings are expected to be more susceptible to surface drying in compacted than in uncompacted soil.
- Taxon
- V. myurosFestuca myurose7
- Treatment
- compacted soilse7
- Outcome
- susceptible to surface dryinge7
- Direction
- more susceptiblee7
- Comparator
- uncompacted soilse7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“young seedlings of both E. albens and V. myuros will be more susceptible to surface drying in compacted than uncompacted soils”
Claim · model-written summary
The competitive advantage of Vulpia myuros over Eucalyptus albens is not evident in differential response to soil compaction.
- Taxon
- E. albensEucalyptus albense0
- Interactor
- V. myurosFestuca myurose0weed
- Outcome
- differential response to soil compactione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Any competitive advantage that V. myuros may have over E. albens is not evident in differential response to soil compaction”