Commentary published in the New Phytologist journalRepresenting root physiological traits in the root economic space framework

13. April 2022

Foto: UHH/Yaffar

The commentary discusses the importance of considering physiological root traits in generalized patterns describing plant trait trade-offs at a global scale.

Dr. Daniela Yaffar de La Fuente (postdoctoral researcher) and Prof. Ina C. Meier, two scientists of the research group Functional Forest Ecology in the Department of Biology, along with a scientist from the Institution of Oceanography, University of California, just published a commentary paper in New Phytologist. The topic of plant trait trade-offs is currently trending among plant ecologists as it provides an avenue to reduce the great complexity and diversity of plant species into generalized global patterns that can be incorporated into global carbon models. Historically, there has been less attention paid to plant belowground components, i.e., to roots, yet an increasing number of studies in recent years has shown the great contribution of roots to the carbon cycle, ecosystem functioning, and ultimately to ecosystem service provisioning. Yaffar et al.’s commentary highlights the gap in representing root physiological traits in generalized root trait patterns, which can broaden our understanding of plant-environment relationships and their responses to global changes.