Wurzelatlas der Waldbäume

Morphological and anatomical descriptions are given of the whole rooting systems of 77 trees and shrubs mostly native in Central Europe depending of genetical and environmental factors as an intention to a forestry conform to the nature and landscape protection. Contents The book is divided into a general and a specific part. The description of the investigated species follows morphological and anatomical features. The general part shows the genetic back ground of the rooting forms of the species as well as the relationships with the environment, mainly the climatic and soil conditions and the mutual influence of the plants upon each other. In particular the development of the root in the course of the evolution of plants, the differences between shoot and root and the functions of the root were described. In connection with the above the primary growth and the secondary thickening, growth of the root are illustrated, as is of importance in the ecological behaviour of the species. As an introduction to the specific part the methods and aims of the investigations are described. The morphological and anatomical descriptions of the species follows this. The morphological description is divided into a brief part on the shoot and a more detailed presentation of the root by means of drawings and photographs. In addition the habitat requirements and the distribution of each species were listed. The anatomical description treats the structure of the different tissues of the root during the primary growth and the secondary thickening growth. Included are the functions of the different tissues, the symbioses of the root with fungi and bacteria and the geotropic growth of the root in connection with the environmental factors besides gravity. Emphasis The emphasis of the work is on the extension of our knowledge of the rooting systems of the lignified plants, especially of forest trees and shrubs, and the practical application of the results in the form of ecologically sensitive forestry. Results The investigations of rooting systems of lignified plants, i.e. forest trees and shrubs, until now were generally restricted to the close vicinity of the shoot. The conclusions drawn were therefore similary restricted. This book is the first to give, for a greater number of forest trees and shrubs, a near complete representation of the root systems. These rooting studies have also rendered an insight into the rooting density between the trees, from which guidelines for recultivation of open areas on slopes can be drawn. The anatomical investigations extended our knowledge of the structures and the functions of roots in general, as well as of the differences between higher taxa, like gymno- and angiosperms and lower taxa, like family, genus and species. Complementing earlier literature, the anatomical pictures of all investigated species show, not only the secondary thickening growth, but also the primary growth of the root. The investigation of the primary growth is of essential importance, because during this phase of growth the root is most susceptible to environmental influences. In this phase the directional growth of the root takes place. As is known, gravity determines the direction of root growth by the way of water-vapour movement. On the basis of this, the different lateral and horizontal spreading patterns of the same species under different climatic conditions, of the atmosphere and the soil can be understood. This event enables the roots to process the soil and the anchorage of the plants in the soil at different locations.