ABSTRACT
The root system dynamics of a plant are very important for definitions of management in the agricultural and forest area. The root, besides the basic function of sustaining the plant, is the part through which plants absorb water and nutritious. In function of the importance of the root system of a plant and the shortage of studies on this subject, this revision has as objective to approach the researched themes in the forest area, regarding the environmental factors that influence the fine roots production, the available resources in the soil, the variations in the roots longevity and the aging processes and turnover of the fine roots. The root dynamics are sensitive to the climate and soil variations, and still variable in function of the species, age of the forest or plantation, competition among individuals, resources available, management, evaluation depth, competition among species, and others.
Keywords:
fine roots; longevity; senescence; turnover