Root and leaf functional trait relations in Poaceae species: implications of differing resource-acquisition strategies

Fort, Florian; Jouany, Claire; Cruz, Pablo

doi:10.1093/jpe/rts034

Cited by 105 publications

(129 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…See Fig. 3 for species codes turn could rank grass species along gradients, such as from conservative-strategy to acquisitive one with, respectively, deep and coarse root system or shallow and thin root system (Fort et al 2013), or also could discriminate for drought tolerance (Craine et al 2012) or dehydration avoidance (Zwicke et al 2015). Going further on roots traits appears also promising in order to better understand below-ground processes as shown by recent studies (see Ke et al 2015;Legay et al 2014;Grigulis et al 2013).…”

Section: From Empirical To Predictive Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grass strategies and grassland community responses to environmental drivers: a review

Pontes

Maire

Schellberg

et al. 2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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Grassland covers about one quarter of the Earth's land area and is currently estimated to contribute to the livelihoods of over 800 million people. Grassland provides ecosystem goods and services, mainly through the provisioning of milk and meat. Therefore, the proper use of grasslands will be essential for feeding the nine billion people that will inhabit planet Earth by 2050. In the context of a changing climate, we should better understand the interactions of environment, management and grass crop at individual, community and ecosystem levels. Functional ecology focuses on the roles and functions that species play in the community or ecosystem in which they occur. Functional ecology thus aims to understand how plant species adapt to environmental conditions and how management can alter this adaptation. Here, we review the latest advances in plant functional traits research and on species strategies to the main environmental factors occurring in grassland ecosystems: nutrient availability, grazing, cutting and shading. Functional ecology also provides a framework to better understand how species strategies interact with the species composition at the community level. Therefore, the literature on community assembling theories in relation to ecosystem processes most relevant to grassland management and services is also reviewed. Finally, future research questions and some new orientations for grassland experts are offered in order to meet the challenge of maintaining productivity and preservation of these semi-natural environments in the face of global change.

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Section: From Empirical To Predictive Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grass strategies and grassland community responses to environmental drivers: a review

Pontes

Maire

Schellberg

et al. 2015

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These strategies are likely related to plant functional traits associated with the trade-off between fast growth or acquisitive-resource-use strategies and slow growth or conservative-resource-use strategies: slow growth confers stress resistance by reducing C demand for growth, thereby allowing for greater investment in defence traits (Chapin et al 1993). In support of this hypothesis, drought tolerance through foliage senescence has been linked to resource-conservative growth strategies (Perez-Ramos et al 2013), and traits like high root tissue density (RTD) and root dry matter content (RDMC) have been linked to drought resistance (Fort et al 2013;Ryser 1996;Tjoelker et al 2005;Wahl and Ryser 2000). However, in contrast with this hypothesis, thinner roots and the ability to elongate roots into deeper soil layers-both root traits linked to resource-acquisitive strategies-have been linked to drought avoidance and maintained growth under drought conditions (Comas et al 2013;Padilla et al 2013;Perez-Ramos et al 2013;Zwicke et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Grassland species root response to drought: consequences for soil carbon and nitrogen availability

2016

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Background and Aims Root traits are increasingly used to predict how plants modify soil processes. Here, we assessed how drought-induced changes in root systems of four common grassland species affected C and N availability in soil. We hypothesized that drought would promote resource-conservative root traits such as high root tissue density (RTD) and low specific root length (SRL), and that these changes would result in higher soil N availability through decreased root N uptake, but lower C availability through reduced root exudation. Methods We subjected individual plants to drought under controlled conditions, and compared the response of their root biomass, root traits, and soil C and N availability, to control individuals. Results Drought affected most root traits through reducing root biomass. Only SRL and RTD displayed plasticity; drought reduced SRL, and increased RTD in small plants but decreased RTD in larger plants.Reduced root biomass and a shift towards more resource-conservative root traits increased soil inorganic N availability but did not directly affect soil C availability. Conclusions These findings identify mechanisms through which drought-induced changes in root systems affect soil C and N availability, and contribute to our understanding of how root traits modify soil processes in a changing world.

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“…Experimental evidence of such an acquisitionconservation trade-off for fine roots across species is missing as a consequence of the scarcity of data related to root functioning and in particular with regard to resource acquisition and life span. Recent multivariate comparative root studies have generally focused on covariation of morphological and chemical fine-root traits (Chen et al, 2013;Fort et al, 2013Fort et al, , 2015Kong et al, 2014;Prieto et al, 2015), but how these syndromes are related to root functioning remains poorly understood. In a recent review, Reich (2014) suggested the existence of an RES representing a trade-off between root growth and persistence in fine roots.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2016

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SummaryAlthough fine roots are important components of the global carbon cycle, there is limited understanding of root structure-function relationships among species. We determined whether root respiration rate and decomposability, two key processes driving carbon cycling but always studied separately, varied with root morphological and chemical traits, in a coordinated way that would demonstrate the existence of a root economics spectrum (RES).Twelve traits were measured on fine roots (diameter ≤ 2 mm) of 74 species (31 graminoids and 43 herbaceous and dwarf shrub eudicots) collected in three biomes.The findings of this study support the existence of a RES representing an axis of trait variation in which root respiration was positively correlated to nitrogen concentration and specific root length and negatively correlated to the root dry matter content, lignin : nitrogen ratio and the remaining mass after decomposition. This pattern of traits was highly consistent within graminoids but less consistent within eudicots, as a result of an uncoupling between decomposability and morphology, and of heterogeneity of individual roots of eudicots within the fine-root pool.The positive relationship found between root respiration and decomposability is essential for a better understanding of vegetation-soil feedbacks and for improving terrestrial biosphere models predicting the consequences of plant community changes for carbon cycling.

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Root and leaf functional trait relations in Poaceae species: implications of differing resource-acquisition strategies

Cited by 105 publications

References 42 publications

Grass strategies and grassland community responses to environmental drivers: a review

Grass strategies and grassland community responses to environmental drivers: a review

Grassland species root response to drought: consequences for soil carbon and nitrogen availability

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

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