Abstract: With four plant communities along an elevation gradient of Wuyi Mountains as test objects, their fine roots in 0-10 cm and 10-25 cm soil layers were sampled to determine the root biomass and its configuration indices. The results showed that in 0-10 cm soil layer, the biomass, length density, surface area density, and volume density of living fine roots were all decreased in the order of evergreen broadleaf forest<dwarf forest<coniferous forest<alpine meadows, with significant differences (P<0.01) among the stands. For each stand, the biomass, length density, surface area density, and volume density of living and dead fine roots were all higher in 0-10 cm than in 10-25 cm soil layer, and the living and dead fine roots with a diameter of ≤2.0 mm had the greatest contribution to the total fine root length and total fine root surface area. The fine root biomass and its configuration indices decreased significantly along the elevation gradient, and soil moisture content was the main factor affecting the fine root biomass and its configuration.

Key words: Eucalypt plantation, Species diversity, Continuous cropping, Maintaining mechanism, Initial plant Diaspora