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134 results for “root traits”
Data from the journal article "Individual versus combined effects of warming, elevated CO2 and drought on grassland water uptake and fine root traits"
<p>This data file contains all data used in the aforementioned article (DOI: 10.1111/pce.15274). The data was obtained in a long-term multifactor global-change experiment (‘ClimGrass’) in a managed (three cuts, fertilized) C3 grassland near the central European Alps in Styria, Austria (47°29′44.6″N, 14°5′54.6″E). Grassland plots were exposed to six treatments: (i) ambient conditions (control; n = 8); (ii) drought (n = 4); (iii) warming (n = 3); (iv) elevated CO2 (n = 3), (v) future conditions (warming and elevated CO2; n = 3); and (vi) drought in future conditions (warming, elevated CO2 and drought; n = 4). The experiment was conducted during the growing seasons of 2017, 2019, and 2020. The aim was to determine how warming, elevated CO2 and drought individually and interactively affected root water uptake (RWU, calculated from soil water dynamics) as well as the corresponding mass and key traits (specific root length (SRL); specific root area (SRA); mean diameter) of newly produced fine roots (extracted using ingrowth cores) and biomass allocation (fine-root-to-shoot production ratios; R/S ratios). Treatment effects on RWU were studied across varying conditions of soil water content (SWC) and vapour pressure deficit (VPD), referred to as dryness conditions. Fine root characteristics were compared to the maximum hourly in-situ RWU observed. </p> <p>The following data is contained in this file (processed as described in the journal article and, importantly, in the supplementary information):<br>- data_SWC: SWC and precipitation, used to calculate RWU (resolution: hourly; figures: 1)<br>- data_RWU_daily: RWU for the main rooting horizon, fractions of total RWU across depth (resolution: daily; figures: 1, 2, 3)<br>- data_RWU_hourly: RWU for the main rooting horizon, SWC, VPD (resolution: hourly; figures: 1, 4, 5)<br>- data_FineRoots: Mass, traits (SRL, SRA, diameter) and maximum hourly RWU of newly produced fine roots across depth, R/S ratios (resolution: three samplings per growing season; figures: 6, 7)</p> <p>The metadata.xlsx file summarizes the contents of these datasets, including units and descriptions of the variables.</p> <p>Note below: the name of the project funded by the Austrian Academy of Sciences is ClimGrassHydro.</p>
Root traits along a subarctic tundra elevational gradient
<p>While root trait research has received increasing attention over the past two decades, the relationship between root traits and environmental factors remains elusive. At the same time, knowledge about these relationships is necessary if we are to understand plant community responses to environmental change. Here, we assessed the relationships between elevation (i.e., temperature) and fine root traits of plant species and communities. We focused on the sub-arctic tundra where plant communities are expected to experience extreme environmental change by the end of the century.</p>
Root penetration index 3, a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) associated with root system penetrability in Arabidopsis.
<p><span>Soil mechanical impedance precludes root penetration, confining root system development to shallow soil horizons where mobile nutrients are scarce. Using a two-phase-agar system, we characterized <em>Arabidopsis thaliana</em> responses to low and high mechanical impedance at three root penetration stages. We found that seedlings whose roots fail to penetrate agar barriers show a significant reduction in leaf area, root length and elongation zone and an increment in root diameter, while those capable of penetrating show only minor morphological effects. Analyses using different auxin-responsive reporter lines, exogenous auxins and inhibitor treatments suggest that </span><span>auxin responsiveness and PIN-mediated auxin distribution play an important role in regulating root responses to mechanical impedance. </span><span>The assessment of 21 Arabidopsis accessions revealed that primary root penetrability (PRP) varies widely among accessions. To search for quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated to root system penetrability, we evaluated a recombinant inbred population (RIL) derived from Landsberg erecta (Ler-0, with a high PRP) and Shahdara (Sha, with a low PRP) accessions. QTL analysis revealed a major-effect QTL localized in chromosome 3 (<em>q</em>-<em>RPI3</em>), which accounted for 29.98% (LOD = 8.82) of the total phenotypic variation. Employing an introgression line (IL-321), with a homozygous <em>q</em>-<em>RPI3</em>region from Sha in the Ler-0 genetic background, we demonstrated that <em>q-RPI3</em> plays a crucial role in root penetrability. This multiscale study revels new insights into root plasticity during the penetration process in hard agar layers, natural variation and genetic architecture behind primary root penetrability in Arabidopsis.</span></p>
Overyielding is accounted for partly by plasticity and dissimilarity of crop root traits in maize/legume intercropping systems
<p><span>Positive biodiversity-productivity relationships have been found in biodiversity field experiments of grassland, forestry, and other natural terrestrial ecosystems, where diversity effects were separated by complementarity (CE) and selection effects (SE). However, we know little about how CE and SE are related to root traits and root dissimilarity.</span></p> <p><span>A four-year field experiment was carried out with a split-plot design, where main plot was four nitrogen (N) applications (N0, N1, N2, N3) and five cropping systems (maize (</span><span><em>Zea mays</em> </span><span>L.</span><span>)/soybean (</span><span><em>Glycine max</em> </span><span>L. Merrill.</span><span>), maize/peanut (</span><em><span>Arachis hypogaea</span></em> <span>L.</span><span>) intercropped and the corresponding monocultures) with three replicates. Roots were sampled in the N0 and N2 treatments in two years. Intercropping effects were analyzed based on grain yield for four years and roots were sampled down to 60 cm depth, and analyzed with morphological parameters at different crop growth stages in two years.</span></p> <p><span>Intercropping significantly increased grain yield and aboveground biomass in both intercropping systems under all N treatments. The partitioning of the net intercropping effects showed that yield advantage in intercropping was due to a positive CE under the N0 treatment, and to a positive SE with N application.</span></p> <p><span>Maize showed greater root morphological plasticity than the legumes did, with greater changes in root length density (RLD), root weight density (RWD) and total root surface (TS) in intercropping than in monoculture. Intercropped maize occupied a larger soil space, while lateral RLD distribution of legumes was decreased by maize. The RLD, RWD, and TS of intercropped maize were constant or increased in later growth stages. SE showed a significantly positive relationship with root dissimilarity. Principal component analysis showed mean root depth and specific root length of legumes drove the positive CE in the absence of N fertilization. </span></p> <p><span>Root dissimilarity determined by maize explained the selection effects in overyielding. Complementarity effects under N0 were closely associated with specific root traits such as mean root depth and specific root length. Linking changes of root traits with intercropping effects aboveground helps understand yield advantages in diverse agroecosystem.</span><span> In general, a cereal species with strong phenotypic plasticity intercropped with a legume species with strong physiological plasticity can maximize the yield advantage of intercropping.</span></p>
Review of QTLs found in studies aimed at finding QTLs for bread wheat root traits (from 2005 to mid-2020)
<p>This list contains a number of articles that have been reviewed for QTLS for bread wheat root traits from 2005 to mid-2020 publication dates.</p>
Correlation between fine root traits and pathogen richness depends on plant mycorrhizal types
<p class="MsoNormal"><span><span>Root uptake strategies are associated with the strength of negative plant</span><span>–</span><span>soil feedback induced (PSF) induced by soil pathogens. Given the intensified effect of pathogen richness in fine roots on the strength of negative PSF through the synergistic effects of multiple pathogens, researchers have proposed a trade-off between nutrient acquisition and pathogen defence in roots. However, empirical evidence is lacking. In addition, because the interaction between pathogens and fine roots depends on the mycorrhizal types of tree species, both fine root traits and mycorrhizal types should be incorporated to reveal covariation in pathogen richness and the strength of negative PSF. In this study, we selected 50 arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) tree species and 7 ectomycorrhizal (ECM) tree species in a subtropical forest to investigate the relationships between fine root traits and pathogen richness in fine roots and determined whether their relationships depended on plant mycorrhizal types. Our results showed that pathogen richness was negatively correlated with fine root diameter but was positively correlated with specific root length for the AM-associated species, while for the ECM-associated species, the pathogen richness was only found to have a significant negative relationship with the relative abundance of ECM fungi. These findings highlight the difference between AM- and ECM-associated species in pathogen defence and bridge the gap between root traits and pathogen richness, which is significant for improving our understanding of the potential factors mediating the strength of PSF and thus maintaining tree species diversity.</span></span></p>
Data from: A trait-based root acquisition-defence-decomposition framework in angiosperm tree species
<p>Plants make trade-offs between root resource acquisition and defence ability, for adapting to the complex belowground environment. This includes forming partnerships with different types of root associating microorganisms, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi. These trade-offs, by mediating root chemistry, exert legacy effects on nutrient release during decomposition, which may, in turn, affect the ability of new roots to re-acquire resources, thereby generating a feedback loop. However, the linkages at the basis of this potential feedback loop remain largely unquantified. Here, we propose a trait-based root 'acquisition-defence-decomposition' conceptual framework and test the strength of relevant linkages across 90 angiosperm tree species. We show that, at the plant species level, the root-fungal symbiosis gradient within the root economics space, root chemical defence (condensed tannins), and root decomposition rate are closely linked, providing support to this framework. Beyond the dichotomy between arbuscular mycorrhizal-dominated versus ectomycorrhizal-dominated systems, we suggest a continuous shift in feedback loops, from "high arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis-low defence-fast decomposition-inorganic nutrition" by evolutionarily ancient taxa to "high ectomycorrhizal symbiosis-high defence-slow decomposition-organic nutrition" by more modern taxa. This 'acquisition-defence-decomposition' framework provides solid foundation for testable hypotheses on the multidimensional linkages between species' belowground strategies and ecosystem nutrient cycling in evolutionary context.</p>
How do fine root traits of fast-growing trees promote soil organic carbon stabilization?
<p>Soil represents a larger reservoir of soil organic carbon (SOC) than terrestrial vegetation, offering a great potential for reducing the widespread adverse consequences of climate change. In forests and tree plantations, fine roots significantly impact SOC stabilization through their functional traits. However, it is not obvious which fine root traits between those related to chemistry (easily decomposable or recalcitrant), to architecture or morphology are the most conducive to SOC stabilization in phylogenetically related fast-growing trees. We assessed the effects of root functional traits on SOC storage and stabilization by studying <span>five hybrid poplar clones </span><span>(<em>Populus </em>spp.)</span><span> </span><span>with different root traits in plantations located in New Liskeard, ON, Canada</span>. We collected <span>soil cores at depths of 0-20, 20-40 and 40-60 cm, and determined bulk soil organic carbon, </span><span>particulate organic carbon (> 53 μm, POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (< 53 μm, MAOC) fractions and fine root (< 2 mm diameter) traits.</span><span> We found that r</span>oot length density (RLD) was the best predictor of increased SOC stocks and MAOC among all root traits. Soil organic C stocks and MAOC were also positively correlated with root traits indicative of low chemical recalcitrance (i.e. high N and soluble compounds concentrations and low lignin/N). Such easily decomposed root matter could be readily consumed by soil microorganisms and promote adsorption of microbial by-products onto mineral surfaces. Thus, root traits that increase the soil volume explored by fine roots and are associated with easily decomposed organic compounds play a key role in SOC accumulation and persistence.</p>
Large seeds provide an intrinsic growth advantage that depends on leaf traits and root allocation
<p>Seed mass and growth rate are important dimensions of plant ecological diversity, but their relationship remains unresolved. Negative relationships between relative growth rate (RGR) and seed mass are well established. However, RGR is size-dependent, so small-seeded species might achieve fast growth simply because they are initially small.</p> <p>Using a dataset of unprecedented size, sampling 382 grass species, we investigated seed mass and growth rate using both RGR and SGR (RGR at a specific size), accounting for diversity in phylogeny, ecology (e.g. life history, photosynthetic pathway) and environment (mean annual temperature and precipitation).</p> <p>RGR and SGR showed contrasting relationships with seed mass, such that large-seeded species had lower RGR but higher SGR than small-seeded species. However, the relationship between SGR and seed mass depended on leaf dry matter content (LDMC), and was only positive in high-LDMC species. When compared at a common size, the fast growth of large-seeded and low-LDMC species was associated with greater biomass allocation to roots in the hot, high-light environment used for our experiment. Photosynthetic pathway and life history contributed to variation in SGR, with C4 annuals having higher SGRs than C3 perennials regardless of seed size.</p> <p>Large seeds therefore afford an intrinsic growth advantage in species with resource-conserving leaf traits, and may provide a competitive edge in resource-poor environments. This work advances understanding of how seed mass and growth rate coevolve with other ecological factors.</p>
Lianas have a faster resource acquisition strategy than trees: belowground evidence from root traits, phylogeny, and the root economics space
<p>1. The competitive advantage of lianas over trees has been widely documented in studies of their leaf functional traits across diverse habitats; however, the relative contribution of root functional traits to the competitive superiority of lianas over trees has not yet been evaluated. The aim of this study was to explore the root functional traits, phylogenetic structure of these traits, and root trait dimensions of lianas to clarify why lianas can outperform trees.</p> <p>2. We sampled 69 liana species from tropical and temperate forests in China and measured nine key functional traits of first-order roots of each species, including morphological, architectural, anatomical, and chemical traits, as well as the percentage of mycorrhizal colonization. Data on these traits were then compared with similar data of 127 tree species from the same biome obtained from the Global Root Traits (GRooT) database and our previous studies.</p> <p>3. Liana roots had lower construction costs and could acquire resources more rapidly compared with tree roots. Significant differences were observed in most tree root traits between tropical and temperate sites. However, no significant differences were observed in any of the liana root traits between tropical and temperate sites, apart from the root branching ratio.</p> <p>4. Lianas showed much weaker phylogenetic conservatism in their root traits than trees when species were pooled across sites. Phylogenetic constraint was lower for nearly all root traits of both temperate lianas and trees compared with those of tropical lianas and trees.</p> <p>5. The root economics space of lianas and trees had two orthogonal dimensions with "conservation" and "collaboration" axes. However, lianas occupied the trait space with higher root nitrogen concentration and greater specific root length, showing "fast" resource acquisition strategy, while trees placed opposite space and exhibited relatively "slow" strategy.</p> <p>6. Synthesis. The ability of lianas to outcompete trees in harsh environments might be explained by their faster resource acquisition strategy and the lower phylogenetic constraint in root traits. Generally, lianas might play an increasingly important role in the structure and function of forest ecosystems in the future with ongoing habitat fragmentation and climate change.</p>
Data for the article: Coupling of leaf elemental traits with root fungal community composition reveals a plant resource acquisition strategy in a desert ecosystem
<p><em>Purpose</em>: Plant-associated microbes enhance nutrient access and stress tolerance of the host species, and therefore, are crucial for plant traits and resource strategies. However, the links between aboveground plant traits and belowground microbes related to plant resource strategies under stressful conditions remain poorly understood.</p> <p><em>Methods</em>: We tested the relationships between leaf traits linked to water (carbon isotopic composition, δ<sup>13</sup>C) and nutrient use (elemental concentrations and stoichiometry) with microbial compositions in roots and rhizospheres of two dominant species (<em>Artemisia ordosica</em> and <em>Leymus secalinus</em>) in the Mu Us Desert, northern China.</p> <p><em>Results</em>: <em>L. secalinus</em> exhibited higher Mg and Mn concentrations, N:P ratios, stoichiometric flexibility, and root fungi:bacteria ratios, but lower foliar K and Ca concentrations and δ<sup>13</sup>C values than <em>A. ordosica</em>. The leaf N:P of <em>L. secalinus</em> increased with the root fungi:bacteria ratios, whereas the leaf N:P of <em>A. ordosica</em> decreased with the root fungi:bacteria ratios. The plant elemental levels (P, N, K, Ca, Mn, and δ<sup>13</sup>C) of <em>L. secalinus</em> but not <em>A. ordosica</em> were significantly related to their root fungal composition. Additionally, the random forest model identified four key fungal families in predicting leaf elemental traits for both plant species.</p> <p><em>Conclusion</em>: The results suggested tight coupling and coordination between leaf elemental traits and root microbial compositions (especially fungal communities) related to plant resource acquisition strategies. By regulating aboveground and belowground feedback loops through trait flexibility and root microbial compositions, the studied plant species can sustain their resource strategies under stressful environmental conditions.</p>
Drought effects on root and shoot traits and their decomposability
<p>1. Drought can induce phenotypic plasticity in a range of plant root and shoot traits. These traits have been shown to explain differences in root and shoot litter decomposability between species. However, it is unknown how drought-induced plasticity of root and shoot traits alters their decomposability.</p> <p>2. To investigate this issue across a range of species, we grew a grass (<em>Lolium perenne</em>), a forb (<em>Plantago lanceolata</em>) and a legume (<em>Trifolium repens</em>) common to European temperate grasslands and subjected them to a 5-week moderate drought treatment. We compared morphological and chemical root and shoot traits of the droughted plants to well-watered controls. We then conducted a decomposition assay of the senesced root and shoot material over 16 weeks, with mass loss measurements at five timepoints.</p> <p>3. Drought had significant and sometimes strong effects on morphological and chemical root and shoot traits of all three species, sometimes similar to differences between species and generally in line with a shift to a more resource-conservative strategy. Drought also increased the labile litter fraction in roots of <em>Lolium</em> <em>perenne</em>, which was associated with a substantial increase in non-structural carbohydrates. Drought decreased the labile litter fraction in shoots of <em>Plantago</em> <em>lanceolata</em>, but this could not be explained by the traits we measured. Drought effects on litter decomposability were weaker than on plant traits.</p> <p>4. Our results suggest that plant trait-mediated effects of drought on litter decomposability can either increase or decrease vegetation feedbacks to climate change. They also show that drought-induced plasticity in root and shoot traits does not automatically translate into equivalent changes in litter decomposability.</p>
Root functional traits determine the magnitude of the rhizosphere priming effect among eight tree species
<p><span>Rhizosphere priming effect </span>can accelerate or decelerate the decomposition of soil organic matter. Using a natural abundance <sup>13</sup>C tracer method allowing partitioning of native soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition and plant rhizosphere respiration, we studied the effects of eight tree species on the strength of the rhizosphere priming. All tree species enhanced the rate of SOC decomposition, by 82% on average. <span>M</span><span>ean diameter of first-order roots and root exudate-derived respiration</span><span> were positively correlated with the RPE</span><span>, together explaining a large part of the observed variation in the RPE (<em>R<sup>2</sup></em> = 0.72), whereas root branching density was negatively associated with the RPE. Path analyses further suggested that mean diameter of first-order roots was the main driver of the RPE owing to its positive direct effect on the RPE and its indirect effects via root exudate-derived respiration and root branching density. </span>These results demonstrate that the magnitude of the RPE is regulated by complementary aspects of root morphology, architecture and physiology, implying that comprehensive approaches are needed to reveal the multiple mechanisms driving plant effects on the RPE.</p>
Effects of long-term mowing on leaf- and root-associated bacterial community structures are linked to functional traits in 11 plant species from a temperate steppe
<ol> <li><span>Long-term mowing can cause morphological stuntedness of plants, thus reducing grassland productivity and exacerbating grassland degradation. Although plant microbiomes can enhance plant resistance against disturbance, considerable uncertainty exists regarding how mowing and mowing-induced plant trait plasticity affect plant microbiomes in natural grasslands. </span></li> <li><span>Here we examined the responses of leaf-/root-associated bacterial (LAB/RAB) communities of 11 dominant herbaceous perennials (6 replicates per species) to a 17-year mowing treatment in a temperate grassland. We also measured leaf/root physiological and morphological traits and analyzed the relationships among mowing practice, bacterial community structures, and leaf/root trait parameters. </span></li> <li><span>We found that both leaf and root functional traits showed interspecific variations (variations across different plant species), while only the leaf traits exhibited intraspecific variation (treatment-induced variations within plant species) between the treatments. Similarly, the LAB community structure was more sensitive to mowing but less influenced by host species identity, compared to the RAB community. The RAB community structure was primarily shaped by host species identity, while mowing was a secondary influencing factor. </span></li> <li> <span>The different patterns of LAB and RAB communities in response to mowing could be specifically explained by the inter-/intraspecific variations of the related leaf and root traits. The LAB community was strongly correlated with the leaf traits which exhibited mowing-induced plasticity (intraspecific variation), with the correlations with nitrogen resorption efficiency and aboveground dry weight being the greatest. The root traits were important indicators of bacterial community structure in the root compartment across the hosts, rather than between the treatments. Root tissue density</span> <span>showed the strongest interspecific variation, and was identified as an overwhelming driver of the RAB community. The shifts in LAB/RAB communities under mowing were largely attributed to the increased proportions of Actinobacteria. The high mowing sensitivity of the LAB community was associated with the enrichment of soil-derived Actinobacteria in leaves under mowing. Actinobacteria were also the main keystone taxa in the bacterial community networks under mowing.</span> </li> <li><span>Our results demonstrate that the magnitude of plant-associated microbial community response to long-term mowing is plant compartment- and trait-variation-dependent, and advance our understanding of the leaf/root microbiome-trait relationships in complex plant communities.</span></li> </ol>
Data from: Rhizodeposition through root senescence and root exudation of atmospheric C and N by legumes is controlled by traits indicative of resource acquisition and root development
<p><span>Legume crop production has many benefits for agricultural systems. Through the rhizodeposition process, they release a significant amount of C and N into the soil, increasing soil organic C and reducing the use of N fertilizer. Rhizodeposition is known as a dynamic process influenced by many factors. </span></p> <p><span>The aim of this study was to study the contribution of root exudation and root senescence to the rhizodeposition of atmospheric C and N during vegetative and reproductive growth in annual and perennial legumes and to understand how this is linked to the fixation capacities of C and N and root functional traits.</span></p> <p><span>An original approach that combined <sup>13</sup>CO<sub>2</sub> labeling and the <sup>15</sup>N dilution method was developed to measure the rhizodeposition of atmospheric C and N throughout plant growth by two annual grain legumes (pea and faba bean) and two perennial forage legumes (white and crimson clovers).</span></p> <p><span>C rhizodeposition was found to increase proportionally with N rhizodeposition during reproductive development and the differences observed between species were related to the C and N fixation abilities. The use of root traits such as specific root length, root tissue density, and root dry matter content suggests a strong contribution of root exudation to C rhizodeposition at vegetative growth and a strong contribution of root senescence to both C and N rhizodeposition during reproductive growth.</span></p> <p><span><em><strong>Synthesis:</strong></em> Both C and N rhizodeposition appeared to be controlled by traits indicative of resource acquisition and root development. </span></p>
Species phylogeny, ecology and root traits as predictors of root exudate composition
<p>In this study, a total of 65 neophytes (alien species introduced after 1500 A.D.), belonging to 51 genera and 25 families, occurring in the Czech Republic, were used. The species set represented plant families only from eudicots with Asteraceae, Brassicaceae Amaranthaceae, Polygonaceae and Fabaceae as the major families having 4 or more species. We measured different root morphological and biochemical traits (including exudate profiles) of these plant species grown in a controlled system. </p>
Root trait values of 11 trees and shrubs grown on mine tailings
<ol> <li>Root traits play significant roles in plant resource-use strategies, and are good predictors of plant growth and survival. However, their predicting role in phytoremediation remains poorly understood and we know much less about the functional covariation of root traits with soil heavy metal (HM) contamination.</li> <li>The objective of this study was to assess the importance of root traits to predict phytoremediation services and to quantify biomass cost (BC) for HM accumulation in eleven woody species grown on a Pb-Zn mine tailing of Southeastern China. Sixteen traits associated with root morphological and chemical features, as well as HM accumulation characteristics, were measured to examine whether there is a RES under HM stressors and whether the covariation among root traits was related to individual or multiple heavy metal translocation and bioconcentration.</li> <li>Our findings provide evidence for a multidimensional RES including one main trend of 'slow-fast' strategy, and a trend representing a trade-off between root system size and root tissue density, indicating root proliferation strategy in a metal-contaminated soil. Another trade-off between root cadmium concentration and root dry matter content implied the existence of a presumable biomass cost for HM accumulation, which was proved to be constrained by RES.</li> <li>Root traits were good predictors of individual or multiple HM translocation and bioconcentration, and linked with phytoremediation services: roots with more acquisitive traits promote HM translocation, whilst conservative roots fostered bioconcentration.</li> <li>This study demonstrates that woody species grown on HM-contaminated soils exhibit different capacities for accumulating or translocating HMs depending on their root system shapes, and their position on the RES. Our results highlighted the importance of root size-related traits in the framework of RES when plants face unfavorable soil conditions and narrow the gap in trait-based ecology. We, for the first time, define and quantify the biomass cost for HM accumulation, providing a better understanding of the resource-allocation theory.</li> </ol>
Precipitation, rather than temperature drives coordination of multidimensional root traits with ectomycorrhizal fungi in alpine coniferous forests
<ol> <li><span>The interactions between roots and mycorrhizal fungi are critical for our understanding of the multidimensional root economics space. Our knowledge on their relationships comes mainly from arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) plants, and less is known about how roots are coordinated with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungal communities, especially in ECM-dominated alpine forests that are highly sensitive to climate change worldwide.</span></li> <li> <span>Here, we investigated the coordination between roots and ECM fungi and their drivers by measuring </span><span>multiple</span><span> root traits, ECM fungal </span><span>composition and environmental factors of 47 coniferous populations across the alpine coniferous forests </span><span>on the Tibetan Plateau.</span> </li> <li> <span>Our results reveal two independent fine-root trait dimensions, i.e., root foraging dimension and root uptake dimension, which are represented by</span> <span>root diameter-specific root length, root tissue density-root N concentration. Importantly, the hyphal exploration-type-based ECM foraging correlated significantly with both root foraging and root uptake dimension. Further, in the low-temperature plateau, it is precipitation-induced changes in soil moisture, soil nutrients and pH that drive the proportion of </span><span>longer-</span><span>distance hyphal exploration types to increase with </span><span>higher root </span><span>foraging </span><span>by higher </span><span>specific root length, and </span><span>to </span><span>decrease with </span><span>higher </span><span>uptake </span><span>by higher </span><span>root N concentration.</span> </li> <li> <span><em>Synthesis</em>.</span><span> The coordination of multidimensional root traits with ECM fungi differs greatly from the well-recognized pattern in AM plants that mycorrhizal fungi connect predominantly with root foraging and that roots and mycorrhizal fungi are temperature sensitive. These findings provide a new insight for our holistic understanding of how roots and mycorrhizal fungi vary collaboratively and hence driving plant community assembly and responses to the changing climate.</span> </li> </ol>
Root functional traits and growth rates in savanna trees and grasses
<p>Root-based functional traits are relatively overlooked as drivers of savanna plant community dynamics, an important gap in water-limited ecosystems. Recent work has shed light on patterns of trait coordination in roots, but less is known about the relationship between root functional traits, water acquisition, and plant demographic rates. Here, we investigated how fine-root vascular and morphological traits are related in two dominant PFTs (C<sub>3</sub> trees and C<sub>4</sub> grasses from the savanna biome), whether root traits can predict plant relative growth rate (RGR), and whether root trait relationships differ in trees and grasses. We used root data from 21 tree and 18 grass species grown under greenhouse conditions, and quantified a suite of vascular and morphological root traits. We used a principal components analysis (PCA) to identify common axes of trait variation, compared trait correlation matrices between the two PFTs, and investigated the relationship between PCA axes and individual traits and RGR. We found that there was no clear single axis integrating vascular and morphological traits, but found that vascular anatomy predicted RGR in both trees and grasses. Trait correlation matrices differed in trees and grasses, suggesting potentially divergent patterns of trait coordination between the two functional types. Our results suggested that, despite differences in trait relationships between trees and grasses, root conductivity may constrain maximum growth rate in both PFTs, highlighting the critical role that water relations play in savanna vegetation dynamics and suggesting that root water transport capacity is an important predictor of plant performance in the savanna biome.</p>
Root Production and Morphological Traits During and After Single and Repeated Extreme Droughts in a Mesic Grassland
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