Root Age Structure Governs Long-Term Architecture and Hydraulic Function in Perennial Plants: a Modelling Framework
- 1Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH Institut fur Bio- und Geowissenschaften Agrosphare 3
Abstract
Background and aims: Perennial root systems develop over decades and exhibit continuous turnover of structural and absorptive components, yet most root architecture models treat woody roots as permanent and neglect root age structure. We developed an empirically constrained modelling framework that explicitly represents age-structured demography, growth regulation and dormancy in perennial root systems. Methods: We extended the functional-structural plant model CPlantBox to simulate perennial root development over decades by integrating age-dependent survival, secondary radial growth and climate-driven dormancy. The model was parameterised using unique three-dimensional root system data from young and mature grapevines, together with dendrochronological root age measurements, and coupled to root hydraulic properties. Key results: Empirical analyses revealed multi-cohort age distributions and substantial turnover of lignified structural roots, contradicting the assumption of a static woody scaffold. The model reproduced age distributions, order-specific survival probabilities and fine-to-structural root length ratios, and generated realistic, genotype-specific three-dimensional architectures. Simulated uptake profiles and hydraulic scenarios showed strong age- and architecture-driven effects. Conclusions: Explicitly representing woody root age distributions and age-dependent processes may fundamentally change predictions of perennial root system architecture and function. The framework advances root modelling beyond annual paradigms and provides a transferable tool for analysing long-term architectural and hydraulic consequences of genotype x climate interactions in perennial crops.
Related
- Mimic: A Unified Neural Network Architecture for Modelling Genomic Sequences and Module-level Comparison
- Genetic marker analysis of RAPGEF6 gene and covariance structure modelling for egg
- The Metabolic Organ Clock: A Computable Framework Linking Cell-Lineage Architecture to Emergent Organ Bioenergetics
- Different strategies, shared trajectories: biomass-allocation scaling during establishment and recovery from disturbance in perennial herbs
- Population genetic insights into biogeography and clonality of the perennial Ambrosia psilostachya DC. (Asteraceae) in the United States of America
BibTeX
@misc{giraud2026root,
title = {{Root Age Structure Governs Long-Term Architecture and Hydraulic Function in Perennial Plants: a Modelling Framework}},
author = {M. Giraud and L. Fichtl and D. Leitner and A. Schnepf and K. Steng and M. Friedel},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.64898/2026.10.03.756415},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.03.756415v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Root Age Structure Governs Long-Term Architecture and Hydraulic Function in Perennial Plants: a Modelling Framework
AU - M. Giraud
AU - L. Fichtl
AU - D. Leitner
AU - A. Schnepf
AU - K. Steng
AU - M. Friedel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/03
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.10.03.756415
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.03.756415v1
AB - Background and aims: Perennial root systems develop over decades and exhibit continuous turnover of structural and absorptive components, yet most root architecture models treat woody roots as permanent and neglect root age structure. We developed an empirically constrained modelling framework that explicitly represents age-structured demography, growth regulation and dormancy in perennial root systems. Methods: We extended the functional-structural plant model CPlantBox to simulate perennial root development over decades by integrating age-dependent survival, secondary radial growth and climate-driven dormancy. The model was parameterised using unique three-dimensional root system data from young and mature grapevines, together with dendrochronological root age measurements, and coupled to root hydraulic properties. Key results: Empirical analyses revealed multi-cohort age distributions and substantial turnover of lignified structural roots, contradicting the assumption of a static woody scaffold. The model reproduced age distributions, order-specific survival probabilities and fine-to-structural root length ratios, and generated realistic, genotype-specific three-dimensional architectures. Simulated uptake profiles and hydraulic scenarios showed strong age- and architecture-driven effects. Conclusions: Explicitly representing woody root age distributions and age-dependent processes may fundamentally change predictions of perennial root system architecture and function. The framework advances root modelling beyond annual paradigms and provides a transferable tool for analysing long-term architectural and hydraulic consequences of genotype x climate interactions in perennial crops.
ER -