Diverse belowground resource strategies underlie plant species coexistence and spatial distribution in three grasslands along a precipitation gradient
© 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust.
| Publié dans: | The New phytologist. - 1979. - 216(2017), 4 vom: 11. Dez., Seite 1140-1150 |
|---|---|
| Auteur principal: | |
| Autres auteurs: | , , , |
| Format: | Article en ligne |
| Langue: | English |
| Publié: |
2017
|
| Accès à la collection: | The New phytologist |
| Sujets: | Journal Article adaptive strategy foraging strategy mycorrhizal colonization root branching species distribution temperate steppe trade-off trait variation |
| Résumé: | © 2017 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2017 New Phytologist Trust. Functional traits and their variation mediate plant species coexistence and spatial distribution. Yet, how patterns of variation in belowground traits influence resource acquisition across species and plant communities remains obscure. To characterize diverse belowground strategies in relation to species coexistence and abundance, we assessed four key belowground traits - root diameter, root branching intensity, first-order root length and mycorrhizal colonization - in 27 coexisting species from three grassland communities along a precipitation gradient. Species with thinner roots had higher root branching intensity, but shorter first-order root length and consistently low mycorrhizal colonization, whereas species with thicker roots enhanced their capacity for resource acquisition by producing longer first-order roots and maintaining high mycorrhizal colonization. Plant species observed across multiple sites consistently decreased root branching and/or mycorrhizal colonization, but increased lateral root length with decreasing precipitation. Additionally, the degree of intraspecific trait variation was positively correlated with species abundance across the gradient, indicating that high intraspecific trait variation belowground may facilitate greater fitness and chances of survival across multiple habitats. These results suggest that a small set of critical belowground traits can effectively define diverse resource acquisition strategies in different environments and may forecast species survival and range shifts under climate change |
|---|---|
| Description: | Date Completed 31.07.2018 Date Revised 30.09.2020 published: Print-Electronic CommentIn: New Phytol. 2017 Dec;216(4):963-964. doi: 10.1111/nph.14881. - PMID 29110308 Citation Status MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1469-8137 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/nph.14710 |