Evidence map›Paper›PMID 26284083›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in plant science2015

How tree roots respond to drought.

Ivano Brunner, Claude Herzog, Melissa A Dawes, Matthias Arend, Christoph Sperisen

Open access · goldAbstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in plant science, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 172 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
172citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
31.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

172 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 826 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Article
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  8. Photosynthetic Performance of Green Alder (Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026
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  9. CONature communications · 2026
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  10. Inoculation ofApplied and environmental microbiology · 2026
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112 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Ivano BrunnerForest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
Claude HerzogForest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL Birmensdorf, Switzerland ; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zürich Zürich, Switzerland.
Melissa A DawesForest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
Matthias ArendForest Dynamics, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
Christoph SperisenForest Soils and Biogeochemistry, Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The ongoing climate change is characterized by increased temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. In addition, there has been an increase in both the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events such as drought. Episodes of drought induce a series of interconnected effects, all of which have the potential to alter the carbon balance of forest ecosystems profoundly at different scales of plant organization and ecosystem functioning. During recent years, considerable progress has been made in the understanding of how aboveground parts of trees respond to drought and how these responses affect carbon assimilation. In contrast, processes of belowground parts are relatively underrepresented in research on climate change. In this review, we describe current knowledge about responses of tree roots to drought. Tree roots are capable of responding to drought through a variety of strategies that enable them to avoid and tolerate stress. Responses include root biomass adjustments, anatomical alterations, and physiological acclimations. The molecular mechanisms underlying these responses are characterized to some extent, and involve stress signaling and the induction of numerous genes, leading to the activation of tolerance pathways. In addition, mycorrhizas seem to play important protective roles. The current knowledge compiled in this review supports the view that tree roots are well equipped to withstand drought situations and maintain morphological and physiological functions as long as possible. Further, the reviewed literature demonstrates the important role of tree roots in the functioning of forest ecosystems and highlights the need for more research in this emerging field.

Indexed as

abscisic acidavoidancecarbon sequestrationhydraulic signalsmolecular responsesmycorrhizastolerancetree root traits

Identifiers

PMID26284083
PMCPMC4518277
OpenAlexW1575234955

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.