Are belowground clonal traits good predictors of ecosystem functioning in temperate grasslands?

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60076658%3A12310%2F21%3A43902978" target="_blank" >RIV/60076658:12310/21:43902978 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/60077344:_____/21:00544697 RIV/67985939:_____/21:00544697 RIV/00216208:11310/21:10441350

Result on the web

<a href="https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.13755" target="_blank" >https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1365-2435.13755</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13755" target="_blank" >10.1111/1365-2435.13755</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Are belowground clonal traits good predictors of ecosystem functioning in temperate grasslands?

Original language description

1. In herbaceous communities which host many perennial species, belowground clonal organs and traits remain largely overlooked in ecosystem functioning studies. However, the belowground compartment is expected to play a key role as the greatest proportion of biomass is allocated belowground. Our main goal was to test whether including underexplored clonal traits (in tandem with widely used aboveground traits) improves the ability to predict biomass production and soil carbon in temperate grasslands. We examined the relationships between five plant functional traits (canopy height, specific leaf area [SLA], lateral spread, multiplication rate, persistence of rhizome) and biomass allocation (aboveground, roots, rhizomes) and soil organic carbon (SOC). 2. We studied 52 grassland plots clustered in two Central European regions differing by management intensity. We assessed biomass allocated aboveground and belowground (into roots and rhizomes separately). SOC was measured from averaging five soil cores at each plot. Trait community means were calculated for each trait from species compositions using databases. 3. The most important traits in predicting biomass allocation were canopy height and persistence of rhizome. Results, however, differed for the two regions implying context dependency of the relationships. Persistence of rhizome and canopy height emerged as traits largely affecting ecosystem functioning at the less intensively managed grasslands-likely because of their links to biomass production and plant economics spectrum. At the more intensively managed grasslands, canopy height and SLA were negatively correlated with root biomass, with persistence of rhizome playing a (lesser) role. We found no significant predictors for SOC. 4. Synthesis. This study is the first attempt to integrate belowground clonal and aboveground traits to predict biomass allocation and soil carbon. Findings indicate that the ability of plant functional traits in predicting ecosystem functioning is highly context dependent, varying greatly even within the same community type. Only SLA and, to a lesser extent, persistence of rhizome consistently predicted root biomass in the two regions. We call for a broader implementation of the whole-plant multifunctional approach applied here, ideally extending to other open ecosystems.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.

Continuities

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Publication year

2021

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Functional Ecology

ISSN

0269-8463

e-ISSN

—

Volume of the periodical

35

Issue of the periodical within the volume

3

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

9

Pages from-to

787-795

UT code for WoS article

000612541000001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85099872507