Details zur Publikation

Kategorie Textpublikation
Referenztyp Zeitschriften
DOI 10.1111/nph.70606
Titel (primär) Rooting for function: Community-level fine-root traits relate to many ecosystem functions
Autor Barry, K.E.; Hennecke, J.; Weigelt, A.; Bergmann, J.; Bruelheide, H.; Freschet, G.T.; Iversen, C.M.; Kuyper, T.W.; Laughlin, D.C.; McCormack, M.L.; Roumet, C.; van der Plas, F.; van Ruijven, J.; Wijsmuller, R.; Auge, H. ORCID logo ; Eisenhauer, N.; Haase, J.; Nock, C.A.; Oelmann, Y.; Wilcke, W.; Mommer, L.
Quelle New Phytologist
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
Department BZF
Sprache englisch
Topic T5 Future Landscapes
Daten-/Softwarelinks https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15355986
Supplements https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/action/downloadSupplement?doi=10.1111%2Fnph.70606&file=nph70606-sup-0001-Supinfo.pdf
Keywords biodiversity; ecosystem functions; fine roots; functional diversity; root economics space; root traits; trait-functioning relationships; biomass; decomposition; forest ecosystems; grassland ecosystems; plant diversity; plant functional traits; productivity; roots; soil biota
Abstract - Humans are driving biodiversity change, which also alters community functional traits. However, how changes in the functional traits of the community alter ecosystem functions—especially belowground—remains an important gap in our understanding of the consequences of biodiversity change.
- We test hypotheses for how the root traits of the root economics space (composed of the collaboration and conservation gradients) are associated with proxies for ecosystem functioning across grassland and forest ecosystems in both observational and experimental datasets from 810 plant communities. First, we assessed whether community-weighted means of the root economics space traits adhered to the same trade-offs as species-level root traits. Then, we examined the relationships between community-weighted mean root traits and aboveground biomass production, root standing biomass, soil fauna biomass, soil microbial biomass, decomposition of standard and plot-specific material, ammonification, nitrification, phosphatase activity, and drought resistance.
- We found evidence for a community collaboration gradient but not for a community conservation gradient. Yet, links between community root traits and ecosystem functions were more common than we expected, especially for aboveground biomass, microbial biomass, and decomposition.
- These findings suggest that changes in species composition, which alter root trait means, will in turn affect critical ecosystem functions.
dauerhafte UFZ-Verlinkung https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=31398
Barry, K.E., Hennecke, J., Weigelt, A., Bergmann, J., Bruelheide, H., Freschet, G.T., Iversen, C.M., Kuyper, T.W., Laughlin, D.C., McCormack, M.L., Roumet, C., van der Plas, F., van Ruijven, J., Wijsmuller, R., Auge, H., Eisenhauer, N., Haase, J., Nock, C.A., Oelmann, Y., Wilcke, W., Mommer, L. (2025):
Rooting for function: Community-level fine-root traits relate to many ecosystem functions
New Phytol. 10.1111/nph.70606