Root traits as drivers of plant and ecosystem functioning: current understanding, pitfalls and future research needs

The role of fine‐root mass, specific root length and life span in tree performance: A whole‐tree exploration

(2020) Monique Weemstra et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

FungalRoot: global online database of plant mycorrhizal associations

(2020) Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Specific root respiration of three plant species as influenced by storage time and conditions

(2020) Zana A. Lak et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

The Neglected Belowground Dimension of Plant Dominance

(2020) Gianluigi Ottaviani et al.   TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION

Nutrient patches are transient and unpredictable in an unproductive mountain grassland

(2019) Stanislav Březina et al.   PLANT ECOLOGY

sP lot – a new tool for global vegetation analyses

(2019) Helge Bruelheide et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Relationships between plant traits, soil properties and carbon fluxes differ between monocultures and mixed communities in temperate grassland

(2019) Jonathan R. De Long et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Global patterns in fine root decomposition: climate, chemistry, mycorrhizal association and woodiness

(2019) Craig R. See et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Geographic scale and disturbance influence intraspecific trait variability in leaves and roots of North American understorey plants

(2019) Bright B. Kumordzi et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

The response of root traits to precipitation change of herbaceous species in temperate steppes

(2019) Meng Zhou et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Nonlinearity of root trait relationships and the root economics spectrum

(2019) Deliang Kong et al.   Nature Communications

Root hairs enhance Arabidopsis seedling survival upon soil disruption

(2019) Hee-Seung Choi et al.   Scientific Reports

Intraspecific Fine-Root Trait-Environment Relationships across Interior Douglas-Fir Forests of Western Canada

(2019) Camille E. Defrenne et al.   Plants-Basel

When history matters: The overlooked role of priority effects in grassland overyielding

(2019) Benjamin M. Delory et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Plant economic strategies of grassland species control soil carbon dynamics through rhizodeposition

(2019) Ludovic Henneron et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Conifers depend on established roots during drought: results from a coupled model of carbon allocation and hydraulics

(2019) D. Scott Mackay et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

EnRoot: a narrow-diameter, inexpensive and partially 3D-printable minirhizotron for imaging fine root production

(2019) Marie Arnaud et al.   Plant Methods

Multiple facets of diversity effects on plant productivity: Species richness, functional diversity, species identity and intraspecific competition

(2019) Lucie Mahaut et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Global mycorrhizal plant distribution linked to terrestrial carbon stocks

(2019) Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia et al.   Nature Communications

Physical and Functional Constraints on Viable Belowground Acquisition Strategies

(2019) M. Luke McCormack et al.   Frontiers in Plant Science

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

(2019) Jens Kattge et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Regional distribution patterns of wetland monocots with different root turnover strategies are associated with local variation in soil temperature

(2019) Dominique N. Courchesne et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Modelling biome-scale root reinforcement and slope stability

(2018) Tristram C. Hales   EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS

Ecological autocatalysis: a central principle in ecosystem organization?

(2018) Michiel P. Veldhuis et al.   ECOLOGICAL MONOGRAPHS

Belowground plant functional ecology: Towards an integrated perspective

(2018) Jitka Klimešová et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Below-ground resource partitioning alone cannot explain the biodiversity-ecosystem function relationship: A field test using multiple tracers

(2018) Annette Jesch et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

From mycorrhizal fungal traits to ecosystem properties - and back again

(2018) Nina Wurzburger et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Association of ectomycorrhizal trees with high carbon-to-nitrogen ratio soils across temperate forests is driven by smaller nitrogen not larger carbon stocks

(2018) Kai Zhu et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

The roots of the drought: Hydrology and water uptake strategies mediate forest-wide demographic response to precipitation

(2018) Rutuja Chitra-Tarak et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

What root traits determine grass resistance to phosphorus deficiency in production grassland?

(2018) Mart B. H. Ros et al.   JOURNAL OF PLANT NUTRITION AND SOIL SCIENCE

Global database of plants with root-symbiotic nitrogen fixation: NodDB

(2018) Leho Tedersoo et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Allocation, morphology, physiology, architecture: the multiple facets of plant above- and below-ground responses to resource stress

(2018) Grégoire T. Freschet et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Linking hard and soft traits: Physiology, morphology and anatomy interact to determine habitat affinities to soil water availability in herbaceous dicots

(2018) Michaël Belluau et al.   PLoS One

The root of the matter: Linking root traits and soil organic matter stabilization processes

(2018) Vincent Poirier et al.   SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Root order-based traits of Manchurian walnut & larch and their plasticity under interspecific competition

(2018) Salahuddin et al.   Scientific Reports

Evolutionary history resolves global organization of root functional traits

(2018) Zeqing Ma et al.   NATURE

Functional phenomics: an emerging field integrating high-throughput phenotyping, physiology, and bioinformatics

(2018) Larry M York   JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY

Symbiotic dinitrogen fixation is seasonal and strongly regulated in water-limited environments

(2018) Guy Dovrat et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Sampling roots to capture plant and soil functions

(2017) Grégoire T. Freschet et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Effects of disturbance frequency and severity on plant traits: An assessment across a temperate flora

(2017) Tomáš Herben et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Root traits are related to plant water-use among rangeland Mediterranean species

(2017) Florian Fort et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Vegetation as a driver of temporal variations in slope stability: The impact of hydrological processes

(2017) John H. Kim et al.   GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS

Climate, soil and plant functional types as drivers of global fine-root trait variation

(2017) Grégoire T. Freschet et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

A global Fine-Root Ecology Database to address below-ground challenges in plant ecology

(2017) Colleen M. Iversen et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Building a better foundation: improving root-trait measurements to understand and model plant and ecosystem processes

(2017) M. Luke McCormack et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Diverse belowground resource strategies underlie plant species coexistence and spatial distribution in three grasslands along a precipitation gradient

(2017) Hongbo Li et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Which root traits determine nitrogen uptake by alpine plant species on the Tibetan Plateau?

(2017) Jiangtao Hong et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Correlating hydrologic reinforcement of vegetated soil with plant traits during establishment of woody perennials

(2017) D. Boldrin et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Liquid bridges at the root-soil interface

(2017) Andrea Carminati et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Plant litter diversity increases microbial abundance, fungal diversity, and carbon and nitrogen cycling in a Mediterranean shrubland

(2017) Mathieu Santonja et al.   SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY

Root exudation patterns in a beech forest: Dependence on soil depth, root morphology, and environment

(2017) Timo Tückmantel et al.   SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY

The interactive impact of root branch order and soil genetic horizon on root respiration and nitrogen concentration

(2017) Lidia K. Trocha et al.   TREE PHYSIOLOGY

Functional Rarity: The Ecology of Outliers

(2017) Cyrille Violle et al.   TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION

Crops In Silico: Generating Virtual Crops Using an Integrative and Multi-scale Modeling Platform

(2017) Amy Marshall-Colon et al.   Frontiers in Plant Science

Significant inconsistency of vegetation carbon density in CMIP5 Earth system models against observational data

(2017) Xia Song et al.   Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences

Revisiting the Holy Grail: using plant functional traits to understand ecological processes

(2016) Jennifer L. Funk et al.   BIOLOGICAL REVIEWS

Root functional parameters predict fine root decomposability at the community level

(2016) Iván Prieto et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Spatiotemporal variation of nitrate uptake kinetics within the maize (Zea maysL.) root system is associated with greater nitrate uptake and interactions with architectural phenes

(2016) Larry M. York et al.   JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY

Seedling root responses to soil moisture and the identification of a belowground trait spectrum across three growth forms

(2016) Julie E. Larson et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Root structure-function relationships in 74 species: evidence of a root economics spectrum related to carbon economy

(2016) Catherine Roumet et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Life span and structure of ephemeral root modules of different functional groups from a desert system

(2016) Bo Liu et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Towards a multidimensional root trait framework: a tree root review

(2016) Monique Weemstra et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Pampered inside, pestered outside? Differences and similarities between plants growing in controlled conditions and in the field

(2016) Hendrik Poorter et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

The nutrient absorption-transportation hypothesis: optimizing structural traits in absorptive roots

(2016) Deliang Kong et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Reinforcing loose foundation stones in trait-based plant ecology

(2016) Bill Shipley et al.   OECOLOGIA

Linking root traits and competitive success in grassland species

(2016) Janneke M. Ravenek et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

A below-ground herbivore shapes root defensive chemistry in natural plant populations

(2016) Meret Huber et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Fine root tradeoffs between nitrogen concentration and xylem vessel traits preclude unified whole-plant resource strategies inHelianthus

(2016) Alan W. Bowsher et al.   Ecology and Evolution

Root traits explain observed tundra vegetation nitrogen uptake patterns: Implications for trait-based land models

(2016) Qing Zhu et al.   Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences

Regulation of plant root system architecture: implications for crop advancement

(2015) Eric D Rogers et al.   CURRENT OPINION IN BIOTECHNOLOGY

Sensitivity of four ecological models to adjustments in fine root turnover rate

(2015) M. Luke McCormack et al.   ECOLOGICAL MODELLING

A global meta-analysis of the relative extent of intraspecific trait variation in plant communities

(2015) Andrew Siefert et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

Nitrogen Uptake in an Alpine Kobresia Pasture on the Tibetan Plateau: Localization by 15N Labeling and Implications for a Vulnerable Ecosystem

(2015) Per-Marten Schleuss et al.   ECOSYSTEMS

REVIEW: Plant functional traits in agroecosystems: a blueprint for research

(2015) Adam R. Martin et al.   JOURNAL OF APPLIED ECOLOGY

Explaining within-community variation in plant biomass allocation: a balance between organ biomass and morphology above vs below ground?

(2015) Grégoire T. Freschet et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Integrated plant phenotypic responses to contrasting above- and below-ground resources: key roles of specific leaf area and root mass fraction

(2015) Grégoire T. Freschet et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

The limits to leaf and root plasticity: what is so special about specific root length?

(2015) Hendrik Poorter et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Linking root traits to nutrient foraging in arbuscular mycorrhizal trees in a temperate forest

(2015) David M. Eissenstat et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Functional diversity enhances the resistance of ecosystem multifunctionality to aridity in Mediterranean drylands

(2015) Enrique Valencia et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

The hidden season: growing season is 50% longer below than above ground along an arctic elevation gradient

(2015) Gesche Blume-Werry et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Redefining fine roots improves understanding of below-ground contributions to terrestrial biosphere processes

(2015) M. Luke McCormack et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Unexpected phenology and lifespan of shallow and deep fine roots of walnut trees grown in a silvoarable Mediterranean agroforestry system

(2015) Amandine Germon et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Effect of root age on the biomechanics of seminal and nodal roots of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in contrasting soil environments

(2015) K. W. Loades et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Seasonal variation in chemistry, but not morphology, in roots of Quercus robur growing in different soil types

(2015) M. Zadworny et al.   TREE PHYSIOLOGY

Relationships between functional traits and inorganic nitrogen acquisition among eight contrasting European grass species

(2014) Fabrice Grassein et al.   ANNALS OF BOTANY

Improving the representation of roots in terrestrial models

(2014) Erica A.H. Smithwick et al.   ECOLOGICAL MODELLING

Variability in root production, phenology, and turnover rate among 12 temperate tree species

(2014) M. Luke McCormack et al.   ECOLOGY

Ectomycorrhizal impacts on plant nitrogen nutrition: emerging isotopic patterns, latitudinal variation and hidden mechanisms

(2014) Jordan Mayor et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

The world-wide ‘fast-slow’ plant economics spectrum: a traits manifesto

(2014) Peter B. Reich   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Root structural and functional dynamics in terrestrial biosphere models - evaluation and recommendations

(2014) Jeffrey M. Warren et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Are above- and below-ground phenology in sync?

(2014) Rose Z. Abramoff et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Do subordinate species punch above their weight? Evidence from above- and below-ground

(2014) Pierre Mariotte   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Leading dimensions in absorptive root trait variation across 96 subtropical forest species

(2014) Deliang Kong et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

The unseen iceberg: plant roots in arctic tundra

(2014) Colleen M. Iversen et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

To resprout or not to resprout? Modeling population dynamics of a root-sprouting monocarpic plant under various disturbance regimes

(2014) Monika Sosnová et al.   PLANT ECOLOGY

Nitrogen uptake over entire root systems of tree seedlings

(2014) B. J. Hawkins et al.   TREE PHYSIOLOGY

Going underground: root traits as drivers of ecosystem processes

(2014) Richard D. Bardgett et al.   TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION

Three-dimensional modelling of slope stability in heterogeneous montane forest ecosystems

(2013) Zhun Mao et al.   ECOLOGICAL MODELLING

Nitrogen and phosphorus interact to control tropical symbiotic N2fixation: a test inInga punctata

(2013) Sarah A. Batterman et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

Root hairs improve root penetration, root–soil contact, and phosphorus acquisition in soils of different strength

(2013) Rebecca E. Haling et al.   JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY

A novel framework for linking functional diversity of plants with other trophic levels for the quantification of ecosystem services

(2013) Sandra Lavorel et al.   JOURNAL OF VEGETATION SCIENCE

Key role of symbiotic dinitrogen fixation in tropical forest secondary succession

(2013) Sarah A. Batterman et al.   NATURE

The mycorrhizal-associated nutrient economy: a new framework for predicting carbon-nutrient couplings in temperate forests

(2013) Richard P. Phillips et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Modelling root–soil interactions using three–dimensional models of root growth, architecture and function

(2013) Vanessa M. Dunbabin et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Physiological mechanisms in plant growth models: do we need a supra-cellular systems biology approach?

(2013) HENDRIK POORTER et al.   PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT

Roots and Associated Fungi Drive Long-Term Carbon Sequestration in Boreal Forest

(2013) K. E. Clemmensen et al.   SCIENCE

A statistical approach to root system classification

(2013) Gernot Bodner et al.   Frontiers in Plant Science

The Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project (AgMIP): Protocols and pilot studies

(2012) C. Rosenzweig et al.   AGRICULTURAL AND FOREST METEOROLOGY

Gemini: A grassland model simulating the role of plant traits for community dynamics and ecosystem functioning. Parameterization and evaluation

(2012) Jean-François Soussana et al.   ECOLOGICAL MODELLING

Root depth distribution and the diversity–productivity relationship in a long-term grassland experiment

(2012) Kevin E. Mueller et al.   ECOLOGY

The importance of individuals: intraspecific diversity of mycorrhizal plants and fungi in ecosystems

(2012) David Johnson et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Water release through plant roots: new insights into its consequences at the plant and ecosystem level

(2012) Iván Prieto et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

A New Hammer to Crack an Old Nut: Interspecific Competitive Resource Capture by Plants Is Regulated by Nutrient Supply, Not Climate

(2012) Clare J. Trinder et al.   PLoS One

Development and stabilisation of soil structure via interactions between organic matter, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and plant roots

(2012) Cathal N. Daynes et al.   SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY

How fundamental plant functional trait relationships scale-up to trade-offs and synergies in ecosystem services

(2011) Sandra Lavorel et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

A holistic view of nitrogen acquisition in plants

(2011) T. Kraiser et al.   JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY

Biomass allocation to leaves, stems and roots: meta-analyses of interspecific variation and environmental control

(2011) Hendrik Poorter et al.   NEW PHYTOLOGIST

Effect of species, root branching order and season on the root traits of 13 perennial grass species

(2011) Catherine Picon-Cochard et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Centrifuge modelling of soil slopes reinforced with vegetation

(2010) R. Sonnenberg et al.   CANADIAN GEOTECHNICAL JOURNAL

Quantifying lateral root reinforcement in steep slopes - from a bundle of roots to tree stands

(2010) M. Schwarz et al.   EARTH SURFACE PROCESSES AND LANDFORMS

Nitrogen uptake by Carex aquatilis during the winter-spring transition in a low Arctic wet meadow

(2010) Kate A. Edwards et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

The influence of plant diversity on slope stability in a moist evergreen deciduous forest

(2009) Marie Genet et al.   ECOLOGICAL ENGINEERING

Trade-off between root nitrogen acquisition and shoot nitrogen utilization across 13 co-occurring pasture grass species

(2009) Vincent Maire et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Using functional traits to predict grassland ecosystem change: a mathematical test of the response-and-effect trait approach

(2009) KATJA KLUMPP et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

Modelling diverse root density dynamics and deep nitrogen uptake—A simple approach

(2009) Anders Pedersen et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Desirable plant root traits for protecting natural and engineered slopes against landslides

(2009) Alexia Stokes et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Roots, Nitrogen Transformations, and Ecosystem Services

(2008) Louise E. Jackson et al.   Annual Review of Plant Biology

Scaling of respiration to nitrogen in leaves, stems and roots of higher land plants

(2008) Peter B. Reich et al.   ECOLOGY LETTERS

New approach for capturing soluble root exudates in forest soils

(2008) Richard P. Phillips et al.   FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY

Scaling environmental change through the community-level: a trait-based response-and-effect framework for plants

(2008) KATHARINE N. SUDING et al.   GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY

The LEDA Traitbase: a database of life-history traits of the Northwest European flora

(2008) M. Kleyer et al.   JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY

The vertical distribution of N and K uptake in relation to root distribution and root uptake capacity in mature Quercus robur, Fagus sylvatica and Picea abies stands

(2008) Hans Göransson et al.   PLANT AND SOIL

Plant nutrient-acquisition strategies change with soil age

(2008) H LAMBERS et al.   TRENDS IN ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION