Linking root production to aboveground plant characteristics and water table in a temperate bog

Fine root production and its relationships to aboveground plant components and environmental drivers such as water table have been poorly quantified in peatland ecosystems, despite being the primary input of labile carbon to peat soils. We studied the relationship between fine root (< 1 mm) production, aboveground biomass and growing season water table within an ombrotrophic peatland in eastern Ontario. We installed 80 in-growth bags (10 cm diameter) to measure fine root production over the full range of 40 cm in water table depth. The point-intersect method was used to estimate peak aboveground biomass components (total, leaf and stem) for the 0.36 m² area surrounding each in-growth bag. Mean fine root production was 108 ± 71 g m⁻² y⁻¹ and was strongly related to both aboveground biomass and water table. Linear regression analysis showed strong allometric relationships between fine root production and aboveground biomass for shrubs (r ² = 0.61, p