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RGB and Spectral Root Imaging for Plant Phenotyping and Physiological Research: Experimental Setup and Imaging Protocols
Published on: August 8, 2017
Are absorptive root traits good predictors of ecosystem functioning? A test in a natural temperate forest
Rihan Da1, Chunyu Fan1, Chunyu Zhang1
1Research Center of Forest Management Engineering of State Forestry and Grassland Administration, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
Abstract:
Trait-based approaches provide a useful framework to predict ecosystem functions under intensifying global change. However, our current understanding of trait-functioning relationships mainly relies on aboveground traits. Belowground traits (e.g. absorptive root traits) are rarely studied although these traits are related to important plant functions. We analyzed four pairs of analogous leaf and absorptive root traits of woody plants in a temperate forest and examined how these traits are coordinated at the community-level, and to what extent the trait covariation depends on local-scale environmental conditions. We then quantified the contributions of leaf and absorptive root traits and the environmental conditions in determining two important forest ecosystem functions, aboveground carbon storage, and woody biomass productivity. The results showed that both morphological trait pairs and chemical trait pairs exhibited positive correlations at the community level. Absorptive root traits show a strong response to environmental conditions compared to leaf traits. We also found that absorptive root traits were better predictors of the two forest ecosystem functions than leaf traits and environmental conditions. Our study confirms the important role of belowground traits in modulating ecosystem functions and deepens our understanding of belowground responses to changing environmental conditions.
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