The ratio of living to dead Wne roots was >1 in all stands and species and showed no signiWcant diVerences between species or diversity levels (Table 3). However, there was a tendency for living Fagus Wne roots to increase with increasing tree species diversity. All species tended to show highest live to dead root ratios in the most tree species-rich stands of DL 3.
Vertical Wne root distribution of the species
The vertical Wne root distribution pattern of the diVerent species in the soil was very similar in all study plots. The extent of Wne root biomass decrease with soil depth as indi- cated by the