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

Jeffrey M Warren1, Paul J Hanson, Colleen M Iversen

  • 1Environmental Sciences Division and Climate Change Science Institute, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831-6301, USA.

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PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Plant roots are vital for ecosystem processes but are often missing from Earth system models. Including dynamic root functions in models will improve their accuracy in simulating global biogeochemical cycles.

Keywords:
hydraulic redistributionnitrogen uptakeroot functionroot modelroot plasticitywater uptake

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Earth System Science
  • Biogeochemistry

Background:

  • Root structure and function are critical for water and nutrient uptake, carbon assimilation, and regulating biogeochemical cycles.
  • Root dynamics are influenced by internal plant signals, root traits, and soil conditions, exhibiting significant plasticity.
  • Current terrestrial biosphere models often lack dynamic root representations, limiting their accuracy in simulating global processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the current state of root representation in Earth system models across various scales.
  • To discuss strategies for enhancing root functionality in large-scale terrestrial biosphere models.
  • To highlight the importance of dynamic root processes for improving model veracity.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on root modeling in terrestrial biosphere models.
  • Analysis of current approaches to incorporating root processes from single-root to landscape scales.
  • Discussion of novel modeling platforms and data compilation efforts.

Main Results:

  • Root processes are currently simplified or absent in many large-scale models.
  • Significant knowledge gaps exist in representing root dynamics and functional traits.
  • Opportunities exist to improve model parameterization and incorporate dynamic root distribution.

Conclusions:

  • Dynamic root representation is essential for improving the accuracy of terrestrial biosphere models.
  • Integrating knowledge of root functional traits and plasticity can enhance model predictions.
  • Future research should focus on data compilation and novel modeling approaches to capture root dynamics.